Most payment approval flowcharts show a single approval box, which merges two controls that guard different risks. Invoice approval establishes that money is owed. Payment release establishes that this specific transfer, to this account, for this amount, is correct and has not already happened. Drawing them as one box is how the second one quietly stops existing.
Gate one: the invoice
Is this genuine, is it ours, has it been seen before, does it agree with what was ordered and received, and does somebody with authority accept the spend. The output is an approved invoice: an accepted obligation. Everything about this gate is per invoice, and it is where the match and the routing rules live.
Gate two: the payment run
Do the bank details match the verified details held for each supplier, does the run total agree with the approved invoices in it, has anything in it been paid before, and is the run the expected shape and size. The output is a released run. This gate is per run rather than per invoice, and it catches what the first one cannot.
What to draw between them
Scheduling: approved invoices waiting for their due date and the next run. Marking this explicitly on the chart matters, because it is a legitimate wait that is often mistaken for a process failure, and because it is where the choice of run rhythm shows up as elapsed time.
Questions people ask about payment approval process flowchart
Can one person operate both gates?
In a very small team sometimes, with compensating review. The specific combination to avoid is supplier bank detail maintenance plus payment release.
Should the second gate be automated?
Its checks can be; its release should not. A second pair of eyes at the point money leaves is worth the friction.
Where do ad hoc payments fit?
Draw them as an explicit exception path with a reason, so they are visible rather than invisible.