Review an invoice

Compare the source document with extracted values, coding, recommendations, and readiness.

Read the workspace

The invoice details appear beside the source document. The header shows the invoice’s current state and the action available to you. The right-side tabs let you return to the invoice document or review activity. You can also ask Clark for help when that option is available.

Returned invoices show the current return beside their status. Open the feedback to read the reason, who acted, and when. The same current feedback is available from the invoice list’s status cell; Tasks adds a short return label. Use Activity for earlier decisions. A previous return is not shown as current after the invoice leaves that review.

On-hold invoices show the paused review, approval, or export phase when it is known. The Hold reason and return reason remain separate. Resume restores the paused work; the invoice cannot be reviewed or approved while it is on hold.

Review the invoice

1. Confirm the identity. Compare the vendor, invoice number, invoice date, due date, currency, and total with the document. Correct the value in Clerked when they differ.

2. Review line items and coding. Check descriptions, quantities, amounts, accounts, and any company-specific dimensions. Make sure split allocations add up to the intended line or invoice amount.

3. Check matching and validation. Review the purchase order or receipt comparison when present. Open each warning or issue and resolve anything that blocks the next step.

4. Wait for saved confirmation. Clerked saves supported edits as you work. Do not leave the page while a save is still in progress.

5. Take the available action. Depending on the invoice and your access, this may be submit for review, submit for approval, approve, return to AP, retry an export, or another guided action. Use Activity to confirm what happened and who acted.

Correct an invoice after approval work starts

Current reviewers and invoice editors can edit the fields their access allows. Supported changes autosave and validation feedback refreshes as you work; saving does not move the invoice to another workflow stage.

During approval, changes that do not require AP review leave Approve and Return to AP available, provided validation is clear. When a changed field requires AP review, Clerked adds a Changes require review from AP disclosure and shows one Return to AP action instead of Approve. Open the disclosure to see the affected fields, then enter a reason to return the invoice through AP validation and fresh approval. Returning those fields to their original values restores Approve, provided no other issue blocks approval.

Return to AP is available during validation or approval to authorized current reviewers and invoice editors who can currently access the invoice for editing. You can return it with no edits, ordinary edits, or changes that require AP review. Enter a reason and wait for saving to finish. Saved facts remain, while the previous review cycle closes and AP validation starts from the beginning. Previous decisions remain in Activity and do not count toward the new approvals. This also applies at the first validation step, even if the same reviewer receives the new assignment. If Clerked cannot find an eligible AP reviewer, it refuses the Return and keeps the current review.

An export-readiness issue can leave Approve available so you can recheck a repair, such as restoring a missing source PDF. Approval proceeds only after the check passes. You do not need to edit a field or reload the page to retry.

Review or restore a changed field

During approval, hover over or click Changed beside a field to see its previous value above an arrow pointing to its current value. In the expense table, use the small colored marker inside the field’s corner instead. Discard change returns that field to its value at the start of approval without making an approval decision. These controls still work after refreshing the page. They are also available during eligible failed-export recovery.

The changes chip provides an overview. Changes requiring AP review appear first, followed by Other changes, such as notes. Use the field links to find a change, or Restore available changes to restore the supported changes from both sections. For line additions or deletions, use Remove added line or Restore removed line in the overview. Changes that cannot be reverted remain listed with an explanation.

Discard applies immediately and updates dependent values, such as recalculating the subtotal after removing an added expense. Some changes cannot be discarded because the original value is unavailable or current rules no longer allow it. If the document changes while discard is being processed, Clerked refuses the stale request instead of overwriting newer work. Undo remains separate: it reverses recent actions rather than returning a field to the start of approval.

When Withdraw my approval is available, you can retract your recorded approval while the invoice remains in approval. Saved edits remain. Withdrawing a vote does not guarantee that approval stops if enough other approvals remain. When Return to AP is available, use it with a reason to start fresh review.

If values change while you review

Clerked can receive another update while the page is open. Read any refresh or conflict message before saving again. Preserve the newer value unless you have verified that your correction should replace it.

For company setups that require review of connected accounting data, changes to a selected vendor, payment term, or another accounting reference can require fresh AP review even when the selected record stays the same. If submission asks you to review refreshed information, check the current values and submit again. A failed refresh does not count as a completed review.