Approval Workflows for Accounting Firms: Client Money & Review Controls
Approval workflows for accounting firms govern two things: client work (engagement review chains) and client money (disbursement and fee controls) — both of which regulators and professional bodies expect to be evidenced.
The firm's own approval discipline is its credibility: a practice that can't show who reviewed what applies controls to clients it doesn't apply to itself. This page maps the firm-specific chains. Part of the workflow-type series.
The three chains a firm runs
- Engagement review — work papers reviewed and signed: preparer → reviewer → partner, with the sign-off recorded: segregation of duties as professional standard
- Client disbursements — money spent on behalf of clients, routed by amount with partner sign-off above thresholds
- Client money movements — transfers from client accounts: dual authorization, every time, no exceptions
The control that matters most: evidence of review
Professional review standards don't just require review — they require being able to show it happened: who, when, at what level. Firms running review sign-off in email reconstruct it under pressure; firms running it in a workflow export it on demand: audit trail reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should an accounting firm approve client disbursements?
By amount with partner sign-off above thresholds, and dual authorization on any client money movement — every approval recorded, exportable when the professional body asks.
Approvdit runs review chains and client money controls with a tamper-evident trail — the evidence layer professional standards assume. Book a live demo.