Accounts approval process

Accounts Approval Process

Please Note: This Process Has Been Updated

We have updated the accounts approval workflow to improve clarity, efficiency, and audit traceability.

The revised process makes it easier to:

  • Identify transactions requiring council approval
  • Present them clearly at a meeting
  • Record approvals accurately
  • Report on payments approved at a specific meeting date

Regulatory Context

Model Financial Regulations for Local Councils (Section 5.2)

The RFO shall prepare a schedule of payments requiring authorisation, forming part of the Agenda for the Meeting and, together with the relevant invoices, present the schedule to council. The council shall review the schedule for compliance and, having satisfied itself shall authorise payment by a resolution of the council.

The process below ensures compliance with this requirement and is fully supported within Easy PC Accounts.

Recommended Workflow in Easy PC Accounts

Step 1 – Identify Transactions for Approval

  1. Go to Manage Receipts and Payments.
  2. Set filters to show Unapproved Transactions.
  3. Set Transaction Type to Only Payments.
  4. Select the appropriate Bank Account.
  5. Set the End Date to the date of the council meeting.
  6. Apply any additional filters if required:
    • Show or hide confidential items
    • Select a specific reserve
  7. Click Apply.

This will display a list of payments requiring approval at the upcoming meeting.

You can adjust filters at any time to refine the list.

Step 2 – Produce the Schedule for the Meeting

  1. Export the filtered list to a spreadsheet.
  2. Format the spreadsheet to suit your council’s preferred reporting layout.

Example of unapproved payments

Notes:

  • The approval date field may appear as a large negative number formatted as a date. Some spreadsheet applications display this as “xxxxxx”. This is normal.
  • You may amend the spreadsheet to focus on key reporting elements for councillors.

Example of unapproved payments as shown in a spreadsheet

Reports can be prepared for:

  • Payments (expenditure)
  • Receipts (income)
  • Or both

This exported schedule can form part of the meeting agenda in line with Financial Regulations.

Step 3 – Record Approved Transactions After the Meeting

Once the council has resolved to approve the schedule:

  1. Return to Manage Receipts and Payments.
  2. Reapply the Unapproved Transactions filter.
  3. Click Select and Approve.

You will now see a list of unapproved transactions with checkboxes.

Listing of transactions for approval
  1. Select the transactions approved by the council:
    • If all were approved, use the tick box at the top right.
    • If only some were approved, tick only those items or untick rejected items.
  2. Set the Meeting Date. This defaults to the previously selected end date.
  3. Click Approve Selected.

All selected transactions are now marked as approved and linked to that meeting date.

Step 4 – Review and Report by Meeting Date

The meeting date is central to this improved workflow.

Because approvals are recorded against a specific meeting date, you can:

  • List all transactions approved at a particular meeting
  • Produce reports showing exactly what was authorised
  • Easily evidence compliance for audit purposes

To verify:

  1. Return to Manage Receipts and Payments.
  2. Filter by the relevant Meeting Date.
  3. List payments approved at that meeting.

This creates a clear audit trail of council authorisation.

Summary of the Improvement

This updated process allows you to:

  • Prepare a filtered list for council review
  • Record approvals in a controlled way
  • Link approvals to a specific meeting date
  • Retrieve and report those approvals at any time

The result is a clearer workflow and stronger audit compliance.

We hope this helps streamline your workflow. We welcome your feedback on this page.

Please note: Names and amounts shown in examples are fictional.