Invoices stuck in approval: who is holding them, and since when
From the invoice inbox to approval, an AP Manager can now follow a supplier invoice before it is approved: what was received, which invoices are waiting, and which approver each one is waiting on.
The problem
A supplier calls: "Did you get our invoice? When will it be paid?". Answering means checking the invoice inbox, then the approval queue, then opening the invoice to see who has to approve it.
Until recently the assistant could not help much before approval: it only saw an invoice once it had become an approved expense. It can now read the two earlier stages — the document as it arrives in the inbox, and the invoice while it waits for approval.
The exchanges below are reconstructed from tests run on a Spendesk demo account on 5 October 2026. The wording is rewritten for readability; the figures and outcomes are the ones the tools returned.
"Did we receive it?"
Yes. It is in the invoice inbox, already processed.
| Document | Invoice RE-2026-08842 |
|---|---|
| Supplier | NORDWERK INDUSTRIEBEDARF GMBH |
| Received | 15 September 2026, by email |
| Amount | EUR 15779.40 gross (EUR 13260.00 net, 19% VAT) |
| Due date | 6 October 2026 |
| Status | Validated |
That last line matters. An empty inbox only means nothing is waiting at that stage. To check whether a document was ever received, the assistant has to look at processed and linked documents too.
"What is waiting for approval, and who is holding it?"
2 invoices waiting for approval — EUR 2616.00 and USD 19513.20 (two currencies, not added together).
| Invoice | Supplier | Amount | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3027 | CTDE | USD 19513.20 | 18 Feb 2021 |
| 18619 | LIEU PRIVE | EUR 2616.00 | 1 Feb 2021 |
I can't approve them or chase the approvers myself. Would you like a chaser message drafted for the two approvers of invoice 3027?
The list of invoices does not carry the approval chain. The assistant opens each invoice to read the current step and its approvers, then resolves their names. For a long queue, ask for the oldest ones first.
"What is approved and still unpaid?"
22 approved invoices still unpaid or part-paid:
| Currency | Invoices | Gross amount |
|---|---|---|
| EUR | 15 | EUR 113243.13 |
| GBP | 4 | GBP 25065.10 |
| USD | 3 | USD 3178.06 |
These are full invoice amounts, per currency. This summary does not give what is left to pay on part-paid invoices: for that, ask me for unpaid invoices by due date (overdue and not yet due) or for one invoice in detail.
The summary is the quick way to size a queue without paging through it. It has one trap: its "amount due" figure is not computed and always reads zero, so the assistant should never quote it.
What to know
- Role required. The Spendesk MCP can only be used by a Controller or an Account Owner of the company concerned. With any other role, these requests do not work.
- Three stages, three places. A document in the inbox, an invoice waiting for approval or approved, an expense once approved. "Where is my invoice?" starts at the inbox.
- Approval, payment and export are independent. An invoice can be approved and unpaid, or paid and not yet exported.
- Draft and incomplete invoices are never listed, not even as pending.
- Credit notes are listed separately and always show as "unpaid": that is not an amount owed.
- The assistant cannot approve, reject, pay or chase. It prepares the list and the message; the action stays with you.
Key takeaways
- Invoices waiting for approval are now visible, with the approver each is waiting on
- An empty inbox proves nothing about a past document: ask whether it was received, not what is waiting
- Totals are given per currency and are never added together
- The summary's "amount due" always reads zero: use unpaid invoices by due date or a single invoice for what is left to pay
- Start with the skills Follow the invoice inbox and Chase invoices waiting for approval
Related skills
Find a supplier invoice and read its approval, payment and export status, with who is expected to approve.
List supplier invoices stuck in approval with the current approver and age, to chase them.
See what is waiting in the invoice inbox, who it is assigned to, and what a received document became.