Understanding Transaction Approval Status

Overview

Counta uses a consistent approval status model across many transaction types. The overall status of a transaction is never tied to a single line or a single approval level. Instead, it is calculated by looking at the approval records across everything the transaction contains, then applying the most significant one. A separate approval record exists for each line at each level it passes through.

Transactions fall into two patterns, and the same status logic applies to both.

Pattern 1: Multiple lines routed to different approvers

Some transactions are made up of multiple lines, and each line can be routed to a different approver based on its approval data type (for example, billable vs non-billable, or the job a line is charged to). Each line can also require approval at more than one level in sequence. This applies to:

Expense Claims
Purchase Orders
Supplier Invoices

Because different lines can sit with different approvers at the same time, one line can be approved while another is still waiting.

Pattern 2: A single line per transaction, approved in sequence

Other transactions are a single line, but still move through sequential approval levels or tiers. There is no line-level routing, but a transaction can still be part-way through its approval sequence (for example, approved at Level 1 and waiting at Level 2). This applies to:

Credit Cards
Client Job Invoices (Draft and Final)
Estimates
Journals (including Interoffice Journals)
Weekly Timesheets

In both patterns, a transaction can be part-way through approval, and the status you see is the transaction's true overall position. For instance, if one record has been approved but another is still waiting, the transaction shows Partially Approved.

The table below shows how the overall status is determined. The system checks each condition in priority order and applies the first one that matches.

How the overall status is determined

Priority	Condition across all approval records	Overall Claim Status
1	No approval records exist (Manager Approval Not Required)	Not Required
2	At least one record is being edited by an authorized approver	Manager Editing
3	At least one record is rejected (and none are being edited)	Manager Rejected
4	At least one record is approved and the rest of are submitted (none rejected or editing)	Partially Approved
5	Every record is approved	Manager Approved
6	Every record is still submitted (no approvals yet)	Submitted

Manager Editing and Manager Rejected outrank approval progress. If an expense line has already been approved but a later line is then rejected, or an approver reopens a line to edit it, the whole claim reflects that (Rejected or Editing), not Partially Approved.

Example Scenarios

Multiple lines routed to different approvers (Expense Claims, Purchase Orders, Supplier Invoices):

Scenario	Overall Status
Two lines, one approver each. Line 1 approved, Line 2 still submitted.	Partially Approved
Two lines. Line 1 fully approved through both levels, Line 2 still submitted at Level 1.	Partially Approved
Two lines. Line 1 approved at Level 1, Line 2 rejected.	Manager Rejected
Every line and level approved.	Manager Approved
Nothing approved yet. Every line still submitted at Level 1.	Submitted

Single line approved in sequence (Credit Cards, Client Job Invoices, Estimates, Journals, Weekly Timesheets):

Scenario	Overall Status
Two approval levels. Level 1 approved, now sitting with the Level 2 approver.	Partially Approved
Two approval levels. Both levels approved.	Manager Approved
Two approval levels. Level 1 approve, then Level 2 rejected.	Manager Rejected
Waiting at Level 1, no approvals yet.	Submitted.