Bank Account Approvals add a secure, auditable review process for any changes to a contact's bank account details. When a bank account is added or modified, the change is held for approval before it becomes active - reducing fraud risk and ensuring accuracy in disbursements and payments.
This feature is available on Pro and Enterprise plans. To upgrade, Get in touch.
What Requires Approval
The following changes trigger the approval workflow:
Adding a new bank account to a contact.
Changing the bank account name.
Changing the bank account number.
The following changes do not trigger approval and take effect immediately:
Changing which account is set as the default.
Updating Particulars, Code, or Reference fields (these are contact-level fields).
This is a separate workflow from Contact Approvals.
How New Bank Accounts Work
When a new bank account is added to a contact:
The account is created with Awaiting Approval status.
An approval workflow starts automatically.
The account cannot be used for payments until it is approved.
Once approved, the account becomes active.
How Changes to Existing Bank Accounts Work
When an existing approved bank account is edited:
A replacement account is created with your changes.
The original account stays active - payments continue to use it until the replacement is approved.
The replacement shows as Awaiting Approval.
Once approved, the replacement becomes the active account and the original is marked as Superseded (preserved for audit purposes, not deleted).
There is no disruption to payments during the review period — the original account remains available until the change is confirmed.
How to Add a New Bank Account
Open the contact and go to the Bank Accounts tab.
Click Add Bank Account.
Enter the bank account name, account number, and account type.
Click Save.
The account is created with Awaiting Approval status and the workflow starts automatically.
How to Edit an Existing Bank Account
Open the contact and go to the Bank Accounts tab.
Click the three-dot menu next to the account and select Edit.
Update the Bank Account Name or Account Number.
Click Save.
A replacement account is created with Awaiting Approval status. The original account remains active until the change is approved.
Note: If you save without making any changes to the name or account number, no replacement is created and no workflow is triggered.
Viewing Pending Bank Account Changes
Bank accounts with pending changes show status indicators in the bank account list:
A Pending changes badge on edited accounts.
An Awaiting Approval status on new accounts.
A chevron icon is displayed on edited accounts - click to expand and compare the current account with the pending replacement.
Expanding an edited account shows the original details on the left and the pending replacement on the right. Modified fields are highlighted. If you have approval permission, a View approval link takes you directly to the approval in the Approvals Hub.
What the Approver Sees
Approvers receive an email notification for each request and can also find pending bank account changes in the Approvals Hub.
Go to Approvals in the main navigation.
Select the Bank account approvals tab.
The list shows all pending bank account changes with these columns:
Status — Awaiting Approval, Approved, Rejected, or Failed.
Contact Name — the contact whose bank account is being changed.
Approvers — the people assigned to approve this change.
Requested At — when the approval was requested.
Click any row to open the full approval detail. For new accounts you will see the contact details and the new bank account details. For edited accounts you will see a side-by-side comparison with modified fields highlighted.
Approving a Bank Account Change
Open the bank account approval in the Approvals Hub.
Review the details carefully — for edits, check the side-by-side comparison.
Click Approve.
Optionally add a comment, then confirm.
For a new account, the account becomes active and can be used for payments. For an edited account, the replacement becomes active and the original is marked as Superseded. Relevant parties receive an email confirming the approval.
Rejecting a Bank Account Change
Click Reject.
Select who the change should be returned to.
Enter a comment explaining the reason (required for audit).
Click Send rejection.
The submitter receives an email with your comment and can edit the pending account and continue the workflow with the updated details.
Correcting a Mistake Before Approval
If you submitted a bank account and realise there is an error, you can edit it before it is approved.
For a new account:
Go to the contact's bank account list.
Find the account with Awaiting Approval status.
Click the three-dot menu and select Edit.
Make your corrections and save.
For an edited account (replacement):
Expand the row to see the pending replacement.
Click the three-dot menu on the replacement row and select Edit.
Make your corrections and save.
Note: Editing a pending account does not restart the workflow — it continues from where it was, with the corrected details.
Bank Account Approval Statuses
Awaiting Approval — the account or change has been submitted and is waiting for a decision.
Approved — the account is active and available for payments.
Rejected — declined by an approver.
Superseded — an older version of the account that has been replaced by an approved update.
Failed — error in workflow processing.
Trust Accounting: Disbursements
If an Owner has a bank account in Awaiting Approval status, they cannot be included in a disbursement. The system will display an error and block the disbursement until the account is approved. You can approve the account first, remove the owner from the disbursement, or use the Go to approval link to navigate directly to the workflow.
Note for Connected Accounting customers: Bank accounts in Awaiting Approval status will not sync to your external accounting system (e.g. Xero) until approved. This prevents payments to unverified accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make a payment while a bank account change is pending?
Yes — the original approved account remains active until the replacement is approved. Payments continue to use the original account.
What if I need to make a payment to a brand new contact whose bank account is awaiting approval?
You will see a warning that the account is awaiting approval. The account cannot be used for payments until it is approved. Contact an approver to expedite the review.
Can only one replacement exist at a time?
Yes. If you edit a bank account that already has a pending replacement, you are updating the same replacement — not creating a second one.
Are old bank accounts deleted when replaced?
No. Superseded accounts are retained for auditing purposes. They are no longer active but remain visible in the account history.
Building a Bank Account Approval Workflow
Navigate to Settings > Automation > Approval Workflows.
Click Create a new Workflow.
Enter a name and optional description.
Set Approval type to Bank Account Approval.
Select the applicable companies.
Click Create and save.
Workflow Step Settings
Conditions — Contact Tags or Contact Category (AND logic applies when multiple conditions are set).
Approver — User or Team. Only users with permissions for all companies in the workflow appear.
Escalation — backup approver at user or team level.
Reminders — 1–167 hours. Example: 24-hour reminder, email at 0 hours, reminder at 24 hours, escalation at 48 hours.
Click Save after each step. Add further steps with Add a step. Change status to Published and click Save Workflow to activate.
Bank Account Approval Permissions
Users with the Can approve bank accounts permission can approve changes directly from the Bank Accounts tab, bypassing any workflow. To enforce workflow-only approval:
Navigate to Settings > Maintain User Roles.
Select the role to update.
Under Contacts permissions, deselect Can approve bank accounts.
Click Save.
Note: Users without this permission can still approve bank accounts if assigned as approvers in a workflow step. Administrator users can approve any bank account at any point — reserve this for genuine exceptions.
Best Practices
Remove Can approve bank accounts from roles that should only approve via workflow.
Use teams for approver assignment to handle leave and coverage.
Always add comments when rejecting — required for audit integrity.
Reserve administrator override for genuine exceptions only.
For Asia-Pacific customers, the term "Trust Account" is used. European customers refer to this as "Client Account". For more information on regional terminology, see our Glossary of Regional Terminology.