What 'Needs review' means
Understanding the review queue: why transactions need attention and the difference between policy and integrity issues.
The Review Queue
Your safety net for catching issues before they hit your books.
"Needs review" means Acctally spotted something that needs a human to check before the transaction counts in your reports. Think of it as a holding area for transactions that aren't quite ready to post.
Why review exists
Imagine importing 500 transactions from your bank. Some have all the info needed. Others might be:
Missing information
No category, no counterparty, or unclear what it's for
Unusual patterns
Large amounts, first-time vendors, or suspicious timing
Potential duplicates
Looks like something you've already recorded
Policy requirements
Your rules say "always attach a receipt" but there's none
Instead of posting these blindly (or rejecting them entirely), Acctally holds them for you to review. You decide what's correct.
Two types of issues
Not all review reasons are equal. Some are flexible, others are not:
Policy issues
Can be overridden if you have a good reason
- • Missing category
- • Missing counterparty (who paid / who you paid)
- • Missing receipt or attachment
- • Large amount above threshold
- • First-time vendor
- • Future-dated or heavily backdated
- • OCR couldn't read the receipt clearly
You can: Fix the issue, or override with a reason ("Cash purchase, no receipt available").
Integrity issues
Must be fixed before posting
- • Missing money account (where did the money go?)
- • Invalid amount (zero or negative)
- • Missing date
- • Transaction in a locked accounting period
- • Suspected duplicate of existing transaction
- • Missing exchange rate for foreign currency
You must: Fix the actual problem. These cannot be overridden because the books wouldn't balance.
The review queue in action
Let's see how OurHaven uses the review queue:
Scenario: Friday bank import
Chidinma imports 47 transactions from GTBank for the week. Here's what happens:
Chidinma goes to the review queue, sees 9 items. She adds categories to the 7 policy items, confirms the 2 duplicates should be excluded, and she's done. The books are accurate.
Transaction status flow
Every transaction moves through these states:
Created
Pending
Issues found
Needs Review
Issues resolved
Approved
In books
Posted
Shortcut: Clean transactions skip "Needs Review" entirely. If everything checks out, they go straight from Pending → Posted.
What "posted" actually means
A posted transaction is:
- In your books — Journal entries created, balances updated
- In your reports — Shows up in P&L, cash flow, tax reports
- Immutable — Can't be edited directly, only reversed or adjusted
- Audit-ready — Full trail of who did what, when
Transactions in "Needs Review" are not posted. They exist, they're saved, but they don't affect your financial reports until you resolve the issues.
Who sees the review queue?
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Owner / Admin | See all, resolve all, override all |
| Bookkeeper | See all, resolve all, override policy issues |
| Staff | See own transactions, can add info but not approve |
| Viewer | See queue count only (no details) |
Review queue best practices
Check daily
Don't let items pile up. A few items daily is easier than 50 items weekly.
Set up categories first
Most review items are "missing category." Good category setup prevents this.
Use integrations
Paystack and other providers send category info automatically. Less manual review.
Smart Capture helps
Receipts you upload come with extracted data. Fewer "missing info" reviews.
The bottom line
"Needs review" is not an error. It's Acctally saying "I want to make sure this is right before it goes into your books." Review keeps your financial data accurate without requiring you to be an accountant.
Next steps
See common reasons for review for a full breakdown of what triggers the review queue.