Editing & Submitting Bills

Topkey organizes each bill into a details panel on the right side of the screen, where you can review and update vendor information, line items, and accounting settings before submitting the bill for approval or payment. This page walks you through every section of that panel.

Opening a Bill for Editing

From the Bill Pay index page, select any bill in Draft status to open its details panel on the right side of the screen. The panel is divided into tabs: Details, Line Items, and Accounting.

Bill Detail Fields

The Details tab contains the core information about the bill.

Vendor

Use the vendor search to find and select the company or individual you are paying. If the vendor does not yet exist in Topkey, select Create a new vendor to add them without leaving the bill.

Invoice Number

Enter the invoice number from the vendor's original invoice. This helps you match the bill to your records and is visible throughout the bill's history.

Bill Date and Due Date

• Bill Date — the date on the vendor's invoice.
• Due Date — the date payment is expected. If the vendor has net terms configured, Topkey automatically calculates the due date when you set the bill date.

Amount

The Amount field reflects the total owed on the bill. When you add or update line items, Topkey automatically recalculates the total to match the sum of those items.

If you need to override the calculated total, you can type a value directly into the Amount field. To revert back to the sum of your line items, use the Reset to match line items option — this sets the bill total back to the exact sum of all line items.

Description (Payment For)

Enter a short description of what the payment is for, such as "plumbing repair" or "landscaping — April." This description appears on payment records and helps your team understand what was purchased.

Property Assignment

Assign the bill to one or more properties. If a bill covers a single property, assign it here at the bill level. For bills that span multiple properties, you can assign each line item to a different property (see Managing Line Items below).

Managing Line Items

The Line Items tab lets you break a bill down into individual charges, assign each charge to a property and category, and apply markup for client billing.

Adding a Line Item

1. In the Line Items tab, select Add Line Item.
2. Enter the following fields for the new item:
   • Description — a clear label for this charge.
   • Amount — the cost of this line item.
   • Property — the property this charge applies to.
   • Category (Bill/Assign To) — the expense category for this line item.
   • GL Code — the general ledger code for accounting purposes.
3. Select Save to add the item. The bill's total amount automatically updates to match.

Adding a Markup to a Line Item

When you need to bill a client above your cost for a line item, you can add a markup directly to that item.

1. Open the line item for editing.
2. Select whether to apply the markup as a fixed amount or a percentage.
3. Enter the markup value.
4. Save the item. Topkey calculates the marked-up amount and reflects it in the line item total.

This is useful when passing expenses through to property owners at a management fee rate.

Editing or Deleting a Line Item

• To edit a line item, select it in the list, make your changes, and save.
• To delete a line item, open the item and select Delete. The bill total automatically recalculates.

Merging Line Items

If you have multiple line items that represent a single charge, you can merge them into one. Select the items you want to combine, then choose Merge from the actions menu. Topkey consolidates the selected items into a single line item.

Bulk Actions on Line Items

To update several line items at once:

1. Select the checkboxes next to the line items you want to update.
2. Use the bulk action toolbar that appears to:
   • Assign a Property to all selected items
   • Assign a Category to all selected items
   • Assign a GL Code to all selected items
   • Delete all selected items

Accounting Tab

The Accounting tab is a dedicated section within the bill's details view, separate from the Line Items tab. Use it to manage general ledger assignments and any additional accounting dimensions your account has enabled.

GL Code Assignment

You can assign a GL code at the bill level from the Accounting tab, which applies to the bill as a whole. For more granular tracking, assign GL codes to individual line items in the Line Items tab instead.

Department and Location Tracking

If your account has department and location tracking enabled, these fields appear in the Accounting tab. Assign the appropriate department and location to ensure the bill is coded correctly in your accounting system.

Accounting Class

If accounting classes are configured for your account, select the relevant class in the Accounting tab to categorize the bill for reporting purposes.

Adding Expenses and Work Orders to a Bill

You can attach existing expenses or work orders to a bill directly from the Bill Pay index page — not from inside the bill's Line Items tab.

Adding an Expense

1. On the Bill Pay index page, find the bill you want to update.
2. In the Expenses column next to that bill, select Create or Attach.
3. Follow the prompts to link the expense to the bill.

Adding a Work Order

1. On the Bill Pay index page, find the bill you want to update.
2. In the Work Orders column next to that bill, select Create or Attach.
3. Follow the prompts to connect the work order to the bill.

Submitting a Bill

When the bill is complete, submit it to move it out of Draft status.

Required Fields Before Submission

Before you can submit, the following fields must be filled in:

• Vendor — required on all bills
• Amount — must be greater than zero
• Bill Date — required on all bills
• Property, GL Code, and Category — required if your account settings enforce these fields

If any required field is missing, Topkey will display a validation message indicating what needs to be completed.

What Happens When You Submit

Select Submit in the bill details panel. Topkey will:

• Move the bill from Draft to Needs Approval if an approval rule applies to it, or
• Move the bill directly to Ready to Pay if no approval rule applies

Returning an Approved Bill for Revision

If a bill that has already been approved or marked as Ready to Pay needs changes, an authorized user can return it to Draft status.

1. Open the bill.
2. Select the option to return the bill for revision.
3. Enter a comment explaining what needs to be corrected. This comment is visible to the team so everyone understands why the bill was returned.
4. The bill moves back to Draft status and can be edited again.

Deleting a Bill

You can delete a bill that is in Draft or Rejected status. To delete:

1. Open the bill.
2. Select the action menu (typically represented by three dots or a similar control).
3. The available actions are Pay, Duplicate, and Delete.
4. Select Delete and confirm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Amount field grayed out and not editable? The Amount field becomes read-only once a bill is no longer in Draft status. If you need to change the amount on a submitted or approved bill, return the bill for revision first to move it back to Draft status.

Can I assign a single bill to more than one property? Yes. Rather than assigning a property at the bill level, leave the bill-level property blank and assign each line item to its respective property in the Line Items tab.

What is the difference between assigning a GL code at the bill level versus the line item level? A bill-level GL code in the Accounting tab applies a single code to the entire bill. Assigning GL codes per line item in the Line Items tab gives you more granular control, which is useful when a single bill covers charges that belong to different accounts in your general ledger.

Questions? Contact Support