Xero bills awaiting approval: can you see the account code?
No. Xero's bills list does not show the account code, so to check the account on a draft or awaiting approval bill you open the bill. Xero moved the idea of showing it in the list to Gaining Support on 27 July 2026. You can still approve many draft bills at once. Checked 15 November 2026.
Tell me when it works Xero's steps
This page asks whether we should build a bill review grid for Xero. That tool does not exist yet and nothing is promised.
What Xero shows, and where
| Screen | What you see | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Bills list | Unpaid bills on three tabs: Draft, Awaiting approval and Awaiting payment. Columns can be added, removed or re-ordered. | The account code is not shown. Xero's reply on its Product Ideas board says you need to open each bill to check it. |
| The bill itself | Every line with its account and tax rate. You can edit any field on a draft or awaiting approval bill. | One bill at a time. |
| Approve & next | After you approve an open bill, Xero can take you to the next one in draft or awaiting approval. | Still one bill per screen. |
| Approve from the Draft tab | Tick several draft bills and click Approve. | You approve from the list, where the account code is not shown. |
| Payable Invoice Detail report | Line-by-line details of bills, and the report can be grouped by status. | A report: you cannot edit or approve a bill from it. |
Row one: Xero Central, View unpaid bills in Xero, and Xero Product Ideas, Bills - Nominal Account showing in the Bills list. Rows two and three: Edit bills. Row four: Add and approve a bill. Row five: Payable Invoice Detail report. All checked 15 November 2026.
How to check the account code before you approve a bill in Xero
These are Xero's steps for one bill. You repeat them for every bill you want to check.
- Open the list. In the Purchases menu, select Bills.
- Pick the tab. Select the Draft tab or the Awaiting approval tab.
- Open the bill. Find the bill and click the view icon. Use search if you know the contact's name or the bill amount.
- Check each line. Look at the account and the tax rate on every line, and change any that are wrong. You can edit any field on a draft or awaiting approval bill.
- Approve. Click Approve & next to approve the bill and go to the next one.
What helps, and what to watch:
- Approve drafts together. On the Draft tab, select the checkbox for each bill you want to approve, click Approve, then click Approve again to confirm. Only do this for bills you have already checked.
- Set supplier defaults. When you save a bill for a new supplier, you can save its details as the supplier's purchase defaults, so the next bill from that supplier is filled in the same way.
- Start on the right tab. Next to New bill, click the menu icon and select Default bill page to open the bills list on the Draft or Awaiting approval tab each time. Xero says this setting resets if you clear cookies or sign in on another device.
- Your plan can cap approvals. Xero's article says your pricing plan determines the number of bills you can approve each month.
What Xero has said about the idea
The idea "Bills - Nominal Account showing in the Bills list" is on Xero's Product Ideas board. On 27 July 2026 Xero moved it to Gaining Support and wrote that it can see how helpful it would be to show the account code in the Bills list "rather than needing to open each bill". Older, similar ideas were merged into it. Xero gave no date for building it. Checked 15 November 2026.
What we are considering building
Bill Review Grid for Xero, a tool for one job:
- One table. Your draft and awaiting approval bills, one row per line: supplier, date, amount, account code and tax rate.
- Unusual accounts marked. A line is marked when its account differs from the account on that supplier's recent bills.
- Fix in the row. Change the account or the tax rate on a line without opening the bill.
- Approve the ones you checked. Tick the bills and approve them together, with a CSV record of what was approved.
Xero's API can list bills by status with their line items and account codes, and can update and approve a bill, so the tool would work through a normal Xero connection.
This tool does not exist yet. Your answer decides whether we build it.
Tell us how many bills you approve
Two answers and an e-mail address. We write once, when the tool works or when we decide not to build it.
Questions people ask
Can I see the account code in the Xero bills list?
No. Xero's bills list does not show the account code. Xero wrote on its Product Ideas board that showing it would save opening each bill, and on 27 July 2026 it moved the idea to Gaining Support, with no date for building it.
How do I check the account code on a bill awaiting approval in Xero?
In the Purchases menu, select Bills, then the Awaiting approval tab. Open the bill with the view icon and look at the account on each line. You can edit any field on an awaiting approval bill before you approve it.
Can you approve multiple bills at once in Xero?
Yes. On the Draft tab of the bills list, select the checkbox for each bill you want to approve, click Approve, then click Approve to confirm. The list does not show the account code, so check the bills first.
Where do I find bills awaiting approval in Xero?
In the Purchases menu, select Bills. Unpaid bills are on three tabs: Draft, Awaiting approval and Awaiting payment. You can set the Awaiting approval tab as your default bill page.
Is there a report of bills with their account codes?
The Payable Invoice Detail report shows line-by-line details of bills, and you can group it by status. It is a report only: you open the bill itself to change or approve it.
Sources, checked 15 November 2026. Xero Central: View unpaid bills in Xero, Add and approve a bill, Edit bills and Payable Invoice Detail report. Xero Product Ideas: Bills - Nominal Account showing in the Bills list.
More Xero help: how to unapprove a bill in Xero, finding duplicate bills, importing purchase orders, our Xero tools and all guides.
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