A workflow that is not triggered is almost always down to one of the causes below. Work through them from the top – they are sorted by how often they turn out to be the explanation.

If a workflow does not have the Document details > Type trigger, it applies only to invoices and credit notes. Receipts and coworker reimbursements therefore do not trigger it.

Solution: Add the Type trigger and select the document types the workflow should apply to.

A fallback workflow is only triggered if no other workflows are triggered. If just one other workflow is triggered by the document, the fallback workflow is skipped.

Solution: Under Tools > Workflow, check whether another workflow was triggered on the document. If the workflow should always apply, clear the fallback workflow marking on the Settings tab.

A workflow can only be triggered by new documents if it is active. If it is paused, nothing happens.

Solution: Go to Tools > Workflow and see whether the ⏸ symbol is shown next to the workflow. If the symbol is shown, the workflow is active. If it is not shown, the workflow is paused - click to activate it again.

If you have turned on Approval of workflow changes, a new or changed workflow only takes effect once a designated coworker has approved it.

Solution: Go to Tools > Workflow and open the Pending approval tab. If the workflow is listed there, it is still waiting for an approval.

By default, a document is only evaluated against your workflows at the moment it is added. If you afterwards change the amount, the category or anything else so that the document now meets the triggers, nothing happens – unless Live workflows is turned on.

Solution: Turn on Live workflows under Settings > Advanced > Workflow. Workflows are then also triggered by changes, as long as the document has the status Pending.

The Keyword trigger requires the word to actually appear on the document. If the word is spelled differently on the invoice, or it was not captured correctly, the workflow is not triggered.

Solution: Open the document and look at what was captured. Consider using Vendor name or Vendor VAT (Danish company registration number) as the trigger instead – they are more stable.

Some features only work when the approver has been assigned by a workflow. That includes temporary approver: if the original approver was assigned manually, the temporary approver does not take over.

Solution: Let the workflow assign the approvers instead of doing it manually on the individual document.

If the document was added by a coworker who is allowed to add expenses without approval, the approval step is skipped.

Solution: Check the coworker's permissions under Settings > Team.

Before you activate a workflow, you can click Test and review in the workflow tool. It shows all existing documents that meet the triggers – and if the list is empty, you know right away that the triggers are too narrow.

If you still can't get it to work, write to us at supporteu@corpayone.com with the name of the workflow and an example of a document that should have triggered it.