# Invoice authorization Exact Online: approval flows | Glimps > Invoice authorization in Exact Online: approval routes by amount, cost center and budget owner, before or after posting, audit trail and PO matching for exceptions. Source: https://useglimps.com/en/blog/facturen-fiatteren-exact-online | Language: en | Updated: 2026-09-24 This Markdown file is the plain-text twin of the page above, generated at build time from the same render. --- Wouter MurmansFounder of Glimps 6 July 2026 9 min read Fiatteren is the Dutch term for the formal approval of a purchase invoice by someone authorised to give it, before the invoice is paid. In Exact Online you set this up with the Purchase invoice approval feature: once it is on, an invoice only appears in the Payments overview after it has been approved. Sequential approval in up to five steps is available from the Boekhouden Plus edition. This is the guide I wanted when I first set up an approval flow in Exact Online. First what fiatteren actually is, then the buttons in Exact Online itself, then the mistakes I see most. I checked every statement about Exact Online on 24 September 2026 in the Exact knowledge base and on the Exact pricing page. The sources are listed at the bottom. Exact's own screens are in Dutch, so I give the Dutch menu names with an English explanation. ## What is fiatteren? Fiatteren comes from the Latin _fiat_: let it be done. Whoever fiatteert an invoice says: this is correct, this may be paid. In practice Dutch finance teams use three words for it: - **Fiatteren:** the act. Someone puts their sign-off on one specific invoice. - **Goedkeuren (approving):** the same thing in plainer words. Exact Online uses this word in its menu: Facturen goedkeuren. - **Autoriseren (authorising):** the broader concept. Authorisation is about who may approve what, up to which amount and for which cost centre. You record that in an authorisation matrix. In short: authorisation decides who may approve, and fiatteren is the moment that person actually does it. A longer definition is in the glossary under [fiatteren](https://useglimps.com/en/begrippen/fiatteren). ### What is digital approval (digitale fiattering)? Digital approval means the sign-off happens in software and is stored with the invoice, instead of an initial on paper or an "approved" in an email. The difference is not the click, it is what you can find afterwards: who approved, when, and which version of the invoice. An email saying "fine, go ahead and pay" is rarely traceable to the right entry a year later. ## Approving purchase invoices in Exact Online Exact Online has approval built in. Below is how it works, with the menu path where you can check it yourself. ### Which edition do you need? According to Exact's pricing page, from Exact Online Boekhouden Plus you can have invoices approved sequentially in up to five steps. Plus costs 99 euros per month. Users who only need to approve can be created free of charge and without limit. That is useful: a budget owner who only approves does not cost you an extra licence. The knowledge base itself adds that not every feature on the Facturen goedkeuren tab is in every subscription. The advanced options, such as approver limits, a default approver per supplier and automatic approval per supplier, are only available if your subscription includes the scan service. So check which options you see in your own administration. ### Who can approve? Approving is a right in Exact Online. The role is called **Inkoopfacturen goedkeuren** (approve purchase invoices). You find the roles under **Administration name > Stamgegevens (master data) > Gebruikers (users) > Rollen (roles)**. To switch approval on or off for users you need the role **Rechten toekennen** (assign rights) yourself. An approver needs access to purchase documents and outstanding items. Exact grants those related rights automatically when you switch on the approval right. ### Switching approval on 1. Go to **Administration name > Instellingen (settings)** and open the **Facturen goedkeuren** tab. 2. Tick **Goedkeuring facturen inschakelen** (enable invoice approval). This only works once at least one user has the approval right. 3. Under **Goed te keuren door** (to be approved by), pick the users who may approve. 4. Choose which invoices need approval: all purchase invoices (including payment method Cash and Direct debit), only invoices with payment method On credit, or only invoices received via Peppol. Instellingen, Facturen goedkeuren tab, with "Goedkeuring facturen inschakelen" ticked --> You can also switch approval on through the Slim Inkopen (smart purchasing) settings. An invoice with an amount of 0 does not need approval. ### Setting up an approval flow One approver for everything is a start. If you want steps in sequence, you create an approval flow (goedkeuringsflow): 1. Go to **Administration name > Instellingen > Facturen goedkeuren tab**. 2. In the **Opeenvolgende goedkeuring** (sequential approval) section, click **Instellen** (set up) for a new flow, or **Beheren** (manage) to edit an existing one. 3. Add steps. A flow has at least one and at most five steps. You can change the order. 4. Pick an **activity** per step and click **Goedkeurders selecteren** (select approvers). You choose from all approvers, the default approver per supplier or the default approver per cost centre. 5. Optionally link suppliers and cost centres to the flow under **Geavanceerde instellingen** (advanced settings). Without a link it is a general flow. 6. Fill in **Actief vanaf / Actief tot** (active from / to) if the flow should only apply for a while. The activities Exact offers per step: - **Controleren op bedrag** (check amount): is the amount right and does it match the order? - **Controleren op goederen/diensten** (check goods/services): has what was ordered been received? - **Controleren op boekingen** (check entries): are the VAT code and GL account right? - **Controleren op hoge bedragen** (check high amounts): only invoices above the approver's limit come past, the rest are approved automatically in this step. - **Voorbereiden op betaling** (prepare for payment). - **Controleren op nieuwe leverancier** (check new supplier): are bank account, VAT code and address right? - **Beoordeling door projectleider** and **Beoordeling door inkoper** (review by project manager, review by buyer). You can create unlimited flows, but each flow must be unique: not the same combination of supplier, settings and cost centre twice, unless they are active on different dates. Exact picks the most specific flow. If you have a general flow, a flow for Voorbeeldleverancier BV and a flow for Voorbeeldleverancier BV plus cost centre Marketing, an invoice from Voorbeeldleverancier BV on Marketing goes to the last one. ### Approving as an approver The approver goes to **Inkoop > Facturen > Inkoop > Overzicht** (purchase invoice overview), filters on the status **In afwachting van goedkeuring** (awaiting approval), opens the invoice and clicks **Goedkeuren**. Anyone with the approval right, or assigned as approver, also gets an approval activity in the Activities section when a new purchase entry is created. If an approver is away, you change the approver per invoice or for a whole selection at once with **Goedkeurder wijzigen** (change approver). Facturen > Inkoop > Overzicht, filtered on "In afwachting van goedkeuring" --> ### What happens to payment? This is the core. With Purchase invoice approval switched on, the outstanding item only appears in the **Betalingen** (payments) overview after the invoice has been approved. On the **Openstaande posten | Te betalen** (outstanding items, payable) page an unapproved invoice has the status **In afwachting van goedkeuring**. And if the supplier or amount on the invoice changes after approval, Exact reopens all approved steps. So an invoice cannot quietly change after sign-off. ## Common approval mistakes - **Approving when the money has already gone.** An emailed "approved" after the payment run is not a control, it is a formality. Switch approval on so an invoice without sign-off never reaches Payments. - **One approver for everything.** Then everything stops when that person is on holiday, and someone approves invoices they know nothing about. Use an approver per cost centre or supplier. - **No segregation of duties.** Whoever enters the invoice does not approve it. Whoever approves does not also prepare the payment without a second look. - **No amount threshold.** An 80 euro invoice and an 18,000 euro invoice do not deserve the same route. Put high amounts in an extra step. - **No cover arranged.** Agree in advance who steps in, and change the approver in time instead of after the reminder letter. - **Approving everything.** An invoice that matches an approved purchase order and receipt was already reviewed at the time of ordering. More on that in [3-way matching explained](https://useglimps.com/en/blog/3-way-matching-uitgelegd). ## Exact Online and Glimps side by side Not a ranking, just what sits where. The Exact Online column comes from Exact's knowledge base and pricing page, the Glimps column from our own product pages. | Topic | Exact Online itself | With Glimps | | --- | --- | --- | | Approval by amount | Approver limits and the Check high amounts activity (limits need the scan service) | Amount thresholds in the approval rules | | Approval by cost centre | Default approver per cost centre, link a flow to a cost centre | Rules on cost centre | | Approval by supplier | Default approver per supplier, link a flow to a supplier, automatic approval with a limit | Rules on supplier | | Approval by GL account | Check entries activity (a person checks) | Rules on GL account | | Number of steps | 1 to 5 steps per flow | Multi-level approval | | Who approves | Users with the Approve purchase invoices role; approve-only users free from Plus | Approvers: 3 in Professional, 10 in Business, extra approver 10 euros per month; Starter has no approval flow | | When approval happens | On the purchase entry, before the item appears in Payments | Before Glimps posts the entry to Exact Online | | Record | Status per invoice, approved steps reopen when supplier or amount changes | Audit trail on every invoice, notifications and reminders | | Paying | Exact prepares the payment | Glimps never pays, that stays in Exact Online | ## How Glimps handles approval Glimps only works with Exact Online. An invoice arrives, Glimps reads it, codes the lines, matches it to the purchase order if you use PO matching, and routes it to the right approver. Which approver that is follows your own rules on amount, supplier, cost centre or GL account. The approver sees the invoice with its lines and context, and approves without a PDF travelling through inboxes. If something sits too long, a reminder follows. Who approved what stays with the invoice. More on setting up rules under [workflows](https://useglimps.com/en/workflows) and on the page [approving invoices in Exact Online](https://useglimps.com/en/facturen-goedkeuren-exact-online). After sign-off Glimps posts the invoice in Exact Online, per supplier as far as you allow. By default every invoice is prepared and you press post. You switch on automatic posting per supplier, and even then eight checks stop or limit a posting when something is off. Glimps never pays: payment happens in Exact Online. How the posting itself works is in [posting invoices automatically in Exact Online](https://useglimps.com/en/blog/facturen-automatisch-inboeken-exact-online). Good to know: Glimps reads PDF and scanned invoices, and a UBL file together with the PDF of the same invoice. Peppol is not supported. ## Start today If you stay in Exact Online itself, start small: switch approval on, assign an approver per cost centre and create one flow with an extra step for high amounts. You can always extend it. If you want to try Glimps, you connect Exact Online yourself and your first invoice is ready within minutes. The trial runs 14 days and is free. See the [pricing](https://useglimps.com/en/pricing) or click through the [demo](https://useglimps.com/en/demo) first. Other terms from this guide are in the [glossary](https://useglimps.com/en/begrippen). ### Wouter Murmans Founder of Glimps Wouter Murmans is the founder of Glimps. He builds Glimps for finance teams that process their purchase invoices in Exact Online, and writes about what goes wrong there in practice and how to fix it. ## Frequently asked questions Short answers to what people ask most. Questions about your situation? ### What is fiatteren? Fiatteren is the Dutch term for the formal approval of a purchase invoice by someone authorised to give it, before the invoice is paid. The word comes from the Latin fiat, let it be done. Whoever approves declares that the invoice is correct and may be paid. ### What is the difference between fiatteren and authorising? In practice the words are used interchangeably. Authorising is the broader concept: who is allowed to approve what, up to which amount and for which cost centre. Fiatteren is the act itself: the sign-off on one specific invoice by someone with that authority. ### What is digital approval (digitale fiattering)? Digital approval means the sign-off on an invoice happens in software and is stored with the invoice, instead of an initial on paper or an approval by email. That way you can find out afterwards who approved, when, and which version of the invoice. ### Which Exact Online edition has approval flows? According to Exact's pricing page, from Exact Online Boekhouden Plus you can have invoices approved sequentially in up to five steps. Plus costs 99 euros per month. Some advanced options, such as approver limits and automatic approval per supplier, also require the scan service. ### Does an approver in Exact Online cost an extra licence? No, not if that person only approves. From Exact Online Boekhouden Plus you can create users who only need to approve free of charge and without limit. ### Can an unapproved invoice be paid in Exact Online? If Purchase invoice approval is switched on, the outstanding item only appears in the Payments overview after the invoice has been approved. Until then the invoice has the status awaiting approval. If the supplier or amount changes after approval, Exact reopens the approved steps. ### How do you set up an approval flow in Exact Online? Go to Administration name, Instellingen (settings), tab Facturen goedkeuren. Switch on invoice approval and pick the approvers. In the Opeenvolgende goedkeuring (sequential approval) section click Instellen, add one to five steps, choose an activity and approvers per step, and optionally link suppliers and cost centres to the flow. ### How does Glimps handle invoice approval? Glimps only works with Exact Online. You set approval rules on for example amount, supplier, cost centre or GL account, with multiple levels, notifications, reminders and an audit trail. Professional includes 3 approvers, Business 10, and an extra approver costs 10 euros per month. After sign-off Glimps posts to Exact Online. Glimps never pays. **Sources and method · checked on 24 September 2026** [Exact: Check de abonnementen van Exact voor Boekhouden (features en prijzen)](https://www.exact.com/nl/producten/boekhouden/features-en-prijzen)[Exact kennisbank: Inkoopfacturen goedkeuren](https://support.exactonline.com/community/s/knowledge-base#All-All-HNO-Task-purchase-invoices-purch-apprpurchinvt)[Exact kennisbank: Administratie-instellingen definiëren | Tabblad Facturen goedkeuren](https://support.exactonline.com/community/s/knowledge-base#All-All-HNO-Reference-purchase-invoices-purchapp-cosettingpurchappr)[Exact kennisbank: Opeenvolgende goedkeuring | Werken met goedkeuringsflows](https://support.exactonline.com/community/s/knowledge-base#All-All-HNO-Task-purchase-invoices-purch-seqapprflwt)[Exact kennisbank: Rollen in Exact Online begrijpen](https://support.exactonline.com/community/s/knowledge-base#All-All-HNO-Task-general-myeol-gen-myeolrolest)Spot an outdated or inaccurate claim about your product? [Let us know](https://useglimps.com/en/contact) and we will fix it. ## Related articles ### Automatically posting invoices in Exact Online: how to set it up safely How to post purchase invoices automatically in Exact Online: the automatic invoice processing settings with menu paths, the mistakes to avoid and where a tool takes over the work. ### 3-way matching in Exact Online: purchase order, receipt and invoice How to link a purchase invoice to the purchase order and goods receipt in Exact Online, what invoices to be received means, and which mistakes break your matching. ### How does scan and recognize work for invoices in Exact Online? Scan and recognize extracts invoice data, while automated invoice processing goes further. Learn how OCR, AI, UBL, Peppol and Exact Online fit together.