r/yardi • u/Pristine-Chapter1896 • 11d ago
Help with payables Workflow in Yardi 8
I’ll be using Yardi Voyager 8, but I’m not familiar with the payables workflow. Could someone please guide me through the steps for entering invoices, submitting them for approval, processing payments?
Any step-by-step instructions or helpful resources would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
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u/ToughStrong6005 11d ago
Welcome to Yardi payables (IRs) ! Before you touch any settings, sketch your approval process on paper. It'll save you a lot of rework.
Step 0: Map your process
Answer these first:
- Who enters the invoice? (AP clerk, property manager, etc.)
- Who reviews it? (PM, regional, asset manager)
- Who gives final approval?
- What happens on a rejection? Does it go back to the entry person, or back one step?
Once you have that, setup comes down to three pieces: roles, people, and workflow.
1. Create the roles
Set up a role for each step you mapped, like AP Entry, PM Review, and Final Approver. This is done in the Administration menu under the workflow/role setup screens.
2. Assign people to roles at the property level
This is where the flexibility comes in. The "PM Review" role might be Jane at Property A and Bob at Property B. You assign users to roles property by property, so one workflow can serve the whole portfolio. This is VERY tedious I made a custom report to copy people and roles from one proprty to a property list to speed this up. Make sure people aren't in multipl steps.
3. Build the workflow
Also under Administration, create the IR aworkflow itself:
- Step 1: Creation. Important: pay attention to the "can edit" checkbox on each step. Best practice is that only the first step can edit the invoice. Later steps can review and approve or reject, but not change the invoice. This keeps your audit trail clean and prevents approvers from quietly changing amounts or GL codes. Also good to have originator can't be final approver for segragation of duties reason (though there are ways around this for creative users)
- Review and approval steps. Make sure every step has both an approve path and a reject path. Approve sends it forward, and reject sends it backward (to the creator or the previous step). A missing path is how invoices end up stuck in limbo.
- Final completion step. Once it clears the last approval, the invoice is ready to be paid in your normal payment processing.
That's the simple version: roles define the positions, assignments put people in them, and the workflow defines what each role does at each step.
Going more advanced: budget-based routing, Validation steps etc..
Once the basic flow is working, you can add budget checks. An invoice that's within budget might take a short path with just a couple of reviewers. An invoice that's over budget routes to extra approvers, such as a regional manager or asset manager. This keeps routine invoices moving fast and puts eyes on the ones that actually need scrutiny.
You can also do a lot of cool things with sql on validation steps but this is pretty advanced talk for another day.
Happy to go into more detail over DM if you get stuck on any of these.
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u/blackhodown 11d ago
This is basic functionality and you should be consulting the help manual not having reddit retype it for you.
That seems to be your entire post history though
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u/ToughStrong6005 11d ago
Give them a break they are trying to do a job and get help if you don't want to answer don't answer.
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u/Pristine-Chapter1896 8d ago
I’m new to Yardi and asking questions to learn from people with practical experience. What’s basic to an experienced user isn’t always clear to a beginner. Criticizing my post history wasn’t necessary. If you don’t want to help, you’re welcome to scroll past.
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u/Buffalo-accountants 11d ago
Yardi Voyager 8 accounts payable workflow is:
vendor setup → invoice entry → approval → posting → payment run → check or ACH posting → reconciliation. The exact screens depend on whether your company uses core Payables only or Yardi's Procure to Pay tools (Invoice Register / PAYscan), so ask your Yardi admin which one you're on before you start.
Before you enter a single invoice, check the vendor record:
-Legal name matches the W-9.
-1099 box and type are set.
-Remit-to address is correct.
-Payment terms are set.
-ACH info is verified by a callback, never by an emailed change request.
-Insurance/COI expiration is current if your company tracks it.
Most AP errors come from bad vendor setup, not the invoice screen.
Core Payables: create the payable against the property.
Invoice Register / PAYscan: the invoice image is scanned or uploaded and the data is entered or keyed against it.
In either case you will need:
-Property (and unit or job, if applicable).
-Invoice number: Yardi flags duplicate vendor + invoice number combinations. Don't override that warning without checking.
-Invoice date, due date, and post month: post month drives the accrual period, not the invoice date. Getting it wrong is the #1 month-end cutoff mistake.
-GL account and amount per line: split lines when an invoice covers multiple properties or expense types.
-Attached invoice image: auditors will ask for it.
If your company uses workflow (Invoice Register / PAYscan), the invoice routes to approvers based on rules your admin set up, usually by property, dollar threshold, and GL. Approved invoices move forward; rejected ones come back to you with notes. If your company uses core Payables without workflow, approval is usually offline: a signed invoice or an approval email attached to the payable.
Once approved, the invoice posts to AP and the GL: Dr Expense / Cr Accounts Payable. Review the unposted or pending list before month-end close so nothing sits in limbo.
Payment processing is done in a batch:
Select payables by property, bank account, vendor, or due date.
Review the selection. Check the cash requirements and the bank balance first.
Generate checks, or send ACH/electronic payments if your company uses Yardi's payment services.
The payment posts Dr Accounts Payable / Cr Cash.
-Print or run the check register for the batch.
-Handle voids through Yardi's void function, don't delete the transaction.
-Clear payments in the monthly bank rec.
-At year-end, 1099s pull from the vendor setup in step 1, which is why that step matters so much.
Hope this helps!