Invoice approval
Three-way match software for accounts payable
Compare invoice, PO, and receipt data before approval. Keelstar flags quantity, price, and vendor mismatches and routes exceptions to the right approver.
Last updated:
Related: Invoice Approval · Vendor compliance · Invoice approval automation · Invoice duplicate detection · AP invoice approval · All solutions
The common problem
Three-way matching is manual or skipped under pressure. Price and quantity discrepancies pay out before anyone notices.
- PO, receipt, and invoice live in different systems
- Exceptions route over email without context
- Duplicate line items slip through manual checks
- No audit trail when matching rules are overridden
How invoice approval works
Submit
Vendors or internal teams upload invoices with PO and contract references attached to the request.
Route
Approvals follow your rules by amount, department, or vendor so the right owner signs off before payment.
Record
Every approval, rejection, and comment is stored for AP audits and dispute resolution.
Benefits
- Clear approval chains without email forwarding
- Visibility into overdue approvals blocking payment
- Evidence for SOX and internal control reviews
- Ties invoices to vendor compliance status
Matching
Automate PO, receipt, and invoice comparison
Keelstar compares vendor, amount, and quantity across documents and flags mismatches before approval.
Exception handling
Route exceptions with full context
Approvers see exactly which fields failed matching and can approve or reject with documented rationale.
- Vendor and amount validation
- Quantity and receipt matching
- Exception approval with audit trail
Fraud prevention
Reduce duplicate and fraudulent payments
Matching at intake catches discrepancies and duplicate submissions before cash leaves your organization.
Who it's for
- AP teams enforcing PO-based controls
- Controllers reducing payment errors
- Procurement groups linking POs to payables
- Audit teams reviewing three-way match evidence
What good looks like
- Invoices matched to PO and receipt before approval
- Exceptions route to designated approvers
- Overrides documented with timestamp and actor
- Duplicate submissions flagged at intake
- Match history exports for audit
Need a tracked version? Set up a vendor portal, vendor onboarding workflow, or browse all solution guides.
FAQ
Invoice lines against purchase order and receiving documentation for vendor, price, and quantity.
Yes. Exceptions route to approvers with mismatch details for documented override.
Non-PO invoices follow alternate approval paths you configure separately.
Keelstar flags duplicate invoice numbers and amounts at intake before matching runs.
Keelstar covers W-9, COI, OIG screening, contracts, invoices, and policies on shared vendor records.