Articles on: Expenses
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Expenses in DPO

Use the Approval Levels feature to define automated, multi-step approval chains based on PO value, department, or user roles. This ensures purchase orders are reviewed by the right people without manual handovers — saving time and increasing control. This guide shows you how to configure the chain, assign approvers, and customize workflows for your organization.


Approval levels are applied separately in the Admin settings for:

Approval Levels (P.O.s)

Invoices

Expenses


If no department is entered in the topsheet, the approval chain will include all users without any conditions at the approval level.


How to Build an Approval Chain


Note: A change to the approval chain will update all current petty cash entries that are still in the workflow.


Step 1: Open Approval Levels


  1. Open Settings > Expenses


Step 2: Create Approval Levels


  1. Choose the number of approval levels you need
  2. Click: “+ Add Approval Level”





Step 3: Arrange Approval Levels


  • Use the up and down arrows to reorder the levels
  • Click on the right side of a level to view assigned approvers




Step 4: Add Approvers


  1. Search for the user in: “Add New Approver”
  2. Click the plus (+) icon


Note

If multiple users are assigned to the same approval level and department:

The first available user will complete the approval.


Tip: Approval levels can also be assigned in the user profile, but core settings like department restrictions or amount-based rules can only be configured directly in the approval level.







Step 5: Enable Department Approval


Enable: “Approval by Department only”


if the user should only approve documents from their assigned department.


Red Highlight

If a level is marked red:

The checkbox is enabled, but the user in the approval level has no department assigned.






Step 6: Define Conditions

For each approval level, you can define conditions such as:


  • Applies to all Topsheets
  • If Topsheets net total is equal to or greater than [amount]
  • If Topsheets net total is less than [amount]



Activate the Approval Workflow

  • Make sure each approval level has at least one assigned user
  • Click Save

Once all levels are configured, the automated approval workflow will be activated.









Questions or need help?

Our customer support is always available to help with any questions or setup assistance


Contact us

Email: support@digitalpurchaseorder.com

Support: +1 888 DPO 7254

Support Int'l: +44 20 331 88 338

Berlin Office: +49 (0)30 55 572 5956


Or book a personalized support call

We look forward to hearing from you.

Updated on: 29/05/2026

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