Payment Approvals hold outgoing payments for review before they send. Rules can trigger on amount, method, initiator, vendor, source account, or whether a bill is attached.
What you need before you start
Admin permissions on the Relay account, or a custom role with permission to manage payment settings
The team members you want to designate as approvers, already invited to the account
A clear idea of which payments should require review (by amount, method, initiator, vendor, source account, or bill attachment)
What are Payment Approvals in Relay?
Payment Approvals are rules that require one or more team members to review an outgoing payment before it is sent. They apply to ACH, domestic wires, international wires (SWIFT and local rails), and check payments, whether or not a bill is attached.
Rules can be based on any combination of:
Payment method
Payment initiator
Whether a bill is attached
Payment amount
Vendor
Source account
For example, you can require approval for wire payments over a set amount, payments created by a specific team member, payments to a specific vendor, or payments made from a specific source account.
How do Payment Approvals work?
When a team member creates a payment that matches an active rule, Relay lets them complete the payment flow and submit it for approval. The payment does not send until every required approval is complete.
Once approvers sign off, Relay automatically sends the payment. No extra manual step is needed after approval.
If a payment is rejected, the payment initiator is notified, and the payment will not send. If they still want it to go through, they need to re-initiate the payment.
How do I create a Payment Approval rule?
Sign in to your Relay account.
Navigate to Payments.
Select Payment Approvals.
Click Create Approval Rule.
Add a nickname for the rule so you can identify it later.
Choose the condition that should trigger the rule: payment method, initiator, bill attachment, amount, vendor, or source account.
To layer additional conditions, click Add condition.
Under Must be approved by, select the team member or team members required to approve the payment.
Choose whether approval is required from any selected approver or from every selected approver.
To require an additional approval step, click Add approval step.
Click Create rule.
Once the rule is active, any matching payment will require approval before it is sent.
How do I submit a payment for approval?
Start creating a payment in Relay.
Enter the payment details.
If the payment matches an active approval rule, Relay will show that approval is required before the payment can be sent.
Click Send for Approval.
Continue to the payment summary.
The payment appears as pending approval. You will receive a confirmation once it has been approved and sent.
How do I approve or reject a payment?
Sign in to your Relay account.
Navigate to Payments.
Open the Needs Approval tab.
Select the payment you want to review.
Review the payment details and approval timeline.
Click Approve or Reject.
If you approve, the payment moves to Recent while it is being sent and settled. If you reject, you may be asked to provide a reason, and the payment initiator will be notified. Rejected payments can be found in the Needs Approval tab by applying the Rejected status filter.
How are Payment Approvals different from Bill Approval Rules?
Payment Approvals are the default approval workflow for outgoing payments in Relay. They apply to ACH, domestic wire, international wire, and check, whether or not a bill is attached.
Some organizations that previously used Bill Approval Rules may also have access to Bill approvals. If your organization has both, the workflow that applies depends on how the bill or payment was created:
Bills uploaded, synced, or created in the Bills workflow: Bill approvals apply first. The bill moves to Needs approval. Once approved, it moves to Ready for payment and can then be paid.
Payments without a bill: Payment Approvals apply.
Bills uploaded while using Make a payment: Payment Approvals apply.
Payment details are locked once a payment is submitted for approval. The approver sees the exact details that will be sent, including amount, vendor, payment method, and source account. These cannot be changed while the payment is pending.
Common issues
A payment sent without approval. Confirm the rule is active and that the payment matched every condition on the rule (amount, method, initiator, vendor, or source account).
A rule did not trigger on a payment you expected it to catch. Open the rule and verify each condition matches the payment's details exactly. If more than one condition is set, all conditions must match.
An approver did not get notified. Check that the approver still has an active login on the account and that their notification preferences allow payment alerts.
You cannot edit a pending payment. Payment details lock once submitted for approval. Reject the payment and re-initiate it with the updated details.
Frequently asked questions
Are Payment Approvals available on all Relay plans?
Yes. Payment Approvals are available on all Relay plans.
Do Payment Approvals replace Bill Approval Rules?
Payment Approvals are the default approval workflow for outgoing payments in Relay. Some organizations that previously used Bill Approval Rules may still see Bill approvals available in the Payments dashboard.
Do Payment Approvals only apply to bill payments?
No. Payment Approvals apply to outgoing payments in Relay, including ACH, domestic wire, international wire, and check, whether or not a bill is attached.
Which payment methods can Payment Approvals apply to?
Payment Approvals can apply to ACH, domestic wire, international wire, and check payments. International wire options include SWIFT and local rails.
What happens if a payment does not match any approval rules?
If a payment does not match any active approval rules, it can be sent without additional approval.
Can I require more than one approver on a Payment Approval rule?
Yes. You can add multiple approvers or additional approval steps to any rule when your workflow requires more than one person to review a payment.
Can I choose whether one approver or all approvers are required?
Yes. When selecting approvers for a rule, you can choose whether approval is required from any of the selected approvers or from every selected approver.
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