> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arcuserp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Approve, Reject, or Withdraw a Purchase Order
> Use PO approvals to hold large or sensitive purchases for manager review before the PO can be sent to a vendor or received into inventory.
## What Pending Approval Means
Pending approval means the PO is held for internal review. It has not been
committed to the vendor, inventory has not been received from it, and normal
edit, send, receive, and cancellation actions are paused until the PO is
approved, rejected, or withdrawn for revision.
**The creator cannot approve their own PO**
Arcus enforces separation of duties. If you created the PO, another user with
purchasing approval permission must approve it.
## Use the Pending Approval Inbox
1. Go to **Purchasing**.
2. Open **Pending PO Approvals**.
3. Review the PO number, vendor, requester, amount, requested date, and notes.
4. Click the PO number or **Review** to open the PO detail page.
## Review the Approval Banner
The PO detail page shows a manager approval banner when approval is pending.
The banner explains the total, why the PO is held, and which actions are
available to the current user.
## Approve a PO
1. Open the PO from the pending approval inbox.
2. Review the vendor, line items, quantities, costs, notes, and documents.
3. Click **Approve PO**.
4. Arcus returns the PO to the normal purchasing workflow.
5. The PO can now be emailed to the vendor and received when inventory arrives.
**Review before approving**
Approval should confirm both the purchase decision and the operational details:
vendor, quantity, unit cost, receiving expectations, and whether AP should expect a bill.
## Reject a PO
1. Open the PO from the pending approval inbox.
2. Click **Reject**.
3. Enter the reason the requester needs to revise the PO.
4. Click **Confirm Rejection**.
5. The creator can revise and resubmit the PO.
## Withdraw for Revision
If you created the PO and need to change it while approval is pending, click
**Withdraw for Revision**. Arcus returns the PO to draft and clears
the approval hold so you can edit it. After edits are complete, resubmit the PO
when approval is still required.
## What Arcus Tracks
* Who requested approval and when the request was made.
* Approval notes or rejection reasons.
* Which user approved or rejected the PO.
* Approval history on the PO detail page.
* Pending approval counts so approvers can see work waiting in Purchasing.
**Approval does not receive inventory**
Approval only releases the PO back into the purchasing workflow. Receiving still happens
separately when the goods arrive.
## Common Blocks
* **Approve PO is missing**: you may not have purchasing approval permission, or you may be the creator.
* **Awaiting Another Approver appears**: the current user created the PO and cannot self-approve.
* **Reject is disabled**: enter a rejection reason before confirming.
* **Withdraw for Revision is missing**: only the PO creator can withdraw a pending approval request.
* **Email to Vendor is disabled**: approve, reject, or withdraw the PO first.
* **Add Item or Receive Items is blocked**: the PO is locked while pending approval.
* **The inbox is empty**: no purchase orders are currently waiting for approval.
* **Approval fails**: refresh the PO. Another user may have already approved, rejected, or withdrawn it.
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