Invoice Approval Request Email Templates

An invoice approval request email asks the person responsible for a budget to confirm that a supplier invoice is correct and can be paid. The best ones put everything the approver needs in the email body: supplier, invoice number, amount, due date, purpose and cost code, with a clear yes-or-no question and a deadline. Below are templates for accounts payable teams, for suppliers chasing approval at a client, and for awkward cases like missing purchase orders or over-budget invoices.

Why invoice approval emails get stuck

Approvals stall for predictable reasons: the approver cannot tell what the invoice is for, the amount does not match what they expected, the email gets buried, or nobody said when it was needed. A well-built request removes each of those obstacles. It is one step in a wider invoice approval workflow, which also covers thresholds, delegation and who can approve what.

What to include in an invoice approval request

Field	Example	Why it matters
Supplier	Brightline IT Services Ltd	Approver recognises the relationship
Invoice number and date	BIT-4471, 3 November 2026	Unique reference for the reply
Amount	USD 2,760.00 incl. tax	Approver checks against budget
What it is for	Laptop setup for 4 new starters	Confirms goods or service were ordered
PO and receipt status	PO-2215, goods received 30 October	Shows the match has been done
Cost code	IT-410 Equipment	Approver confirms the budget line
Due date	3 December 2026	Creates urgency without pressure
Decision needed by	26 November	Leaves time for the payment run

Before sending, AP should already have checked the arithmetic, the supplier's bank details and the match against the purchase order and delivery note. Our guides to three-way matching and checking a supplier invoice before paying list those checks, so the approver is only confirming that the purchase was genuine and the price was agreed.

Invoice approval request email templates

1. Routine approval request (AP to budget holder)

Subject: Approval needed: Brightline IT invoice BIT-4471, USD 2,760.00, by 26 Nov

Hi Mark,
Please review and approve the attached invoice:

• Supplier: Brightline IT Services Ltd
• Invoice: BIT-4471, dated 3 November
• Amount: USD 2,760.00 (2,400.00 + 15% tax 360.00)
• For: laptop setup for 4 new starters, PO-2215
• Goods received: 30 October, matched to PO
• Cost code: IT-410
• Due: 3 December

Please reply "Approved" or let me know of any issue by 26 November so it can go in the 28 November payment run.
Thanks,
Ellie, Accounts Payable

2. Short version for small teams

Hi Mark, OK to pay Brightline invoice BIT-4471 for USD 2,760.00 (laptop setup, PO-2215)? It is due 3 December. PDF attached. A quick "yes" is all I need.

3. Invoice with no purchase order

Hi Sophie,
We have received invoice CF-0921 from Coastal Facilities for USD 1,150.00 for emergency roof repairs on 6 November. There is no PO on file. Could you confirm that you authorised this work and that it should be charged to cost code FAC-220? If it was not authorised, let me know and I will query it with the supplier.
Ellie

4. Invoice higher than the PO

Hi Raj,
Invoice PS-3307 from Printshop Co is USD 1,380.00, against PO-2240 for USD 1,200.00. The difference of USD 180.00 is for 300 extra brochures (300 x 0.60). Can you confirm the extra quantity was requested and approve the full amount, or should I approve 1,200.00 only and ask the supplier for a credit note?
Ellie

5. Urgent approval (early payment discount)

Subject: Approval by Friday saves USD 96.00: Northwind invoice NW-778

Hi Dana,
Northwind invoice NW-778 for USD 4,800.00 offers a 2% discount if paid within 10 days (2/10 net 30). Approving by Friday lets us pay 4,704.00 instead (4,800.00 x 0.98) and save USD 96.00. All checks are complete and the PDF is attached.
Ellie

6. Over the approval limit

Hi James,
Invoice AG-5520 from Atlas Group for USD 18,600.00 has been approved by Mark Lee (department head) but is above his 10,000.00 limit, so it needs your approval as finance director. The invoice, PO-2198 and receipt note are attached. Due date is 10 December.
Ellie

7. Reminder to an approver

Hi Mark, following up on Brightline invoice BIT-4471 (USD 2,760.00) sent for approval on 12 November. The payment run closes on 26 November. If you are unavailable, could you nominate someone to approve it? Thanks.

8. Supplier asking the client contact to approve

Hi Laura,
Our invoice INV-3051 for USD 6,500.00 (October consulting, PO-77120) was submitted to your AP portal on 2 November and is showing as "awaiting approval". It is due on 2 December. Is there anything you need from me to approve it, such as the timesheet summary?
Thanks,
Ravi

How approvers should reply

A clear reply is as important as a clear request, because AP needs to know exactly what was approved. Useful replies:

• Full approval: "Approved: BIT-4471, USD 2,760.00, cost code IT-410."
• Partial approval: "Approve USD 1,200.00 only on PS-3307. The extra 300 brochures were not ordered; please request a credit note for USD 180.00."
• Change of coding: "Approved, but please charge to MKT-205, not IT-410."
• Rejection: "Not approved: we did not order this service. Please query with the supplier."
• Hold: "Hold until the remaining 2 laptops are delivered; I will confirm by 25 November."

Replying with the invoice number and amount, not just "OK", avoids confusion when several approval requests are open in the same thread.

Setting approval limits: an example matrix

Approval emails work best when everyone knows who can approve what. A small business might use:

Invoice amount	Approver	Second approver
Up to 1,000.00 with a matched PO	Budget holder	None
1,000.01 to 10,000.00	Budget holder	None, but monthly review by finance
Over 10,000.00	Department head	Finance director
Any invoice with no PO	Budget holder	Finance manager
Any change to supplier bank details	Not by email	Verified by phone before payment

The thresholds are examples; set your own based on your size and risk. The last row matters most: never approve a change of bank details from an email alone, because invoice fraud often works exactly that way.

Approval requests by chat or AP software

Many teams now send approvals through chat tools or AP software rather than email. The same rules apply: the message must name the supplier, invoice number, amount, purpose and deadline, and the approval must be saved where the invoice is stored. A thumbs-up emoji in a busy channel is hard to find at audit time, so ask approvers to reply with the word "Approved" and the invoice number, or to approve inside the system that records the date and user automatically. If you use AP software, keep email templates for exceptions such as missing purchase orders and over-limit invoices.

A simple approval log

Small businesses that approve by email should keep a log alongside the invoices. A spreadsheet like this is enough:

Supplier	Invoice	Amount	Sent for approval	Approver	Approved	Paid
Brightline IT	BIT-4471	2,760.00	12 Nov	M. Lee	14 Nov	28 Nov
Printshop Co	PS-3307	1,380.00	12 Nov	R. Shah	Queried	-
Northwind	NW-778	4,704.00 (after 2%)	13 Nov	D. Cole	13 Nov	14 Nov

In the UK, HMRC says businesses must generally keep business records for VAT for at least 6 years (VAT Notice 700/21, section 2.4), so keep approval emails with the invoice for the same period. Retention rules differ elsewhere.

How to request invoice approval, step by step

1. Log the invoice on arrival and send the supplier an acknowledgement; see our invoice received acknowledgement email templates.
2. Run the checks: arithmetic, tax, supplier details, PO and receipt match, duplicates.
3. Identify the approver from your approval matrix based on cost centre and amount.
4. Send the request with the key facts in the email body and the PDF attached.
5. Chase once before the payment run cut-off, then escalate to the backup approver.
6. File the approval with the invoice and schedule payment as part of your accounts payable process.

Mistakes to avoid

• Forwarding the supplier's email with "please approve" and no summary.
• Asking for approval before checking the invoice, which pushes AP's job onto the approver.
• Letting one person request, approve and pay the same invoice.
• Approving "in principle" without stating the amount approved when it differs from the invoice.
• No deadline, so the invoice drifts past its due date and past any discount.
• Approving invoices that do not match an order instead of comparing them; the invoice versus purchase order guide shows what each document should confirm.

On the supplier side, a clean invoice with a PO number and clear line items is the easiest one to approve. You can produce exactly that in our invoice generator, free and without registration, and send it as a PDF.