Editing & Submitting Bills

Topkey gives you a detailed editing view for every bill, whether it was created manually, uploaded as a file, or forwarded by email. Use this view to confirm vendor details, organize line items by property and category, set accounting codes, and submit the bill when it is ready.

Opening a Bill for Editing

From the Bill Pay → Bills list, click any bill in Draft or Rejected status to open its details panel on the right side of the screen. The panel contains three tabs: Details, Line Items, and Accounting.

Bill Details Tab

The Details tab holds the core header information for the bill.

Vendor

Select the vendor this bill belongs to. Type to search your existing vendor list and select the correct vendor. If the vendor does not yet exist, click Create a new vendor to add one without leaving the bill.

Invoice Number

Enter the invoice number exactly as it appears on the vendor's invoice. This helps you match bills to paper or emailed invoices later.

Bill Date and Due Date

Set the Bill Date (the date on the vendor's invoice) and the Due Date (when payment is owed). If the selected vendor has net terms configured, the Due Date updates automatically when you set the Bill Date.

Amount

The Amount field shows the total value of the bill. When you add or update line items, this amount recalculates automatically to match the sum of all line items. You can also type a total directly in the Amount field if you are not using line items.

Description (Payment For)

Use the Payment For field to add a short, plain-language description of what the bill covers — for example, "Pool maintenance – July" or "Office supplies." This note is visible when reviewing or paying the bill.

Property Assignment

Assign the bill to one or more properties. Property assignment can also be handled at the line-item level if different charges belong to different properties.

Frequency

Under Frequency, choose whether this is a One Time bill or a Recurring bill.

• If you select Recurring, additional options appear: set how often the bill repeats (Repeats every — choosing a number and a unit of Week, Month, or Year), how many days before the due date Topkey should create each new bill (Create Bill … days before the due date), and an optional End Date.
• You can also choose to Skip the approval process on these recurring bills and optionally Set up automatic payments by selecting a payment account.

Line Items Tab

The Line Items tab lets you break a bill into individual charges, each with its own property, category, and GL code assignment.

Adding a Line Item

1. Click Add Line Item in the Line Items tab.
2. Fill in the following fields for the new line item:
   • Description — a brief label for the charge
   • Amount — the dollar amount for this line
   • Property — the property this charge belongs to
   • Category (Bill/Assign To) — the spend category
   • GL Code — the general ledger code for this charge
3. Click Save to add the line item. The bill's total amount updates automatically.

Editing or Deleting a Line Item

• To edit a line item, click the line item row. Update any field and click Save.
• To delete a line item, open the line item and click Delete. The bill total recalculates immediately.

Merging Line Items

If you need to consolidate multiple line items into one, select the line items you want to merge using their checkboxes, then choose the Merge option from the bulk actions bar that appears. The selected lines will be combined into a single line item.

Bulk Actions on Line Items

When you select two or more line items using their checkboxes, a bulk actions bar appears. From there you can:

• Assign a Property to all selected line items at once
• Assign a Category to all selected line items at once
• Assign a GL Code to all selected line items at once
• Delete all selected line items at once

Accounting Tab

The Accounting tab is a dedicated tab within the bill's details view — separate from the Line Items tab — where you manage GL code assignment and any additional accounting classifications your account uses.

GL Code Assignment

Assign a GL Code at the bill level here, or assign GL codes individually to each line item from the Line Items tab. Line-item-level GL codes take precedence when they are set.

Department and Location Tracking

If your account has department and location tracking enabled, you will see fields to assign a Department and Location to the bill. These fields help you report on spend by team or physical location within your accounting system.

Accounting Class

If accounting classes are configured for your account, use the Accounting Class field to tag the bill for class-based reporting.

Adding Expenses and Work Orders to a Bill

You can attach expenses and work orders to a bill directly from the Bill Pay → Bills list view — not from inside the bill itself.

Adding an Expense

From the bill list, locate the bill row and find the Expenses column. Click Create or Attach to create a new expense or link an existing one to the bill.

Adding a Work Order

From the bill list, locate the bill row and find the Work Orders column. Click Create or Attach to create a new work order or link an existing one to the bill.

Submitting a Bill

When all required information is in place, click Submit to move the bill out of Draft status.

Required Fields Before Submission

You must complete the following before a bill can be submitted:

• Vendor — a vendor must be selected
• Amount — the bill must have a non-zero total
• Bill Date — a bill date must be set

Depending on your account settings, the following may also be required:

• Property assignment (at the bill or line-item level)
• GL Code assignment
• Category assignment

If any required field is missing, Topkey will highlight it and prevent submission until it is filled in.

What Happens After Submission

• If an approval rule applies to the bill, it moves to Needs Approval status and is routed to the designated approver(s).
• If no approval rule applies, the bill moves directly to Ready to Pay status.

Deleting a Bill

You can delete a bill that is in Draft or Rejected status. Bills in other statuses cannot be deleted.

To delete a bill:

1. Open the bill from the bills list.
2. Click the action menu (the three-dot menu) in the bill panel.
3. Choose Delete from the available actions: Pay, Duplicate, and Delete.
4. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a bill after it has been submitted for approval? No. Once a bill moves out of Draft status, most fields are locked. If a change is needed, an approver can return the bill for revision, which moves it back to Draft status so you can make edits and resubmit.

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 to the bill as a whole. If you assign GL codes to individual line items in the Line Items tab, those line-item codes take precedence. Use line-item GL codes when different charges on the same bill belong to different accounts in your chart of accounts.

Why is the Amount field not updating when I add line items? The Amount field auto-calculates from line items when you save each line item. If the total does not look correct, check for any line items with a zero or blank amount and update them. You can also type a total directly in the Amount field on the Details tab if you prefer to set it manually.

Questions? Contact Support