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# Why a bill is waiting
A bill posts on its own only when seven checks pass. Here is each check, what it means when it's unmet, and how to clear it.
## Automatic posting and the seven checks
When you upload a bill, ZeraBooks can post it to Accounts Payable without a click, but only when everything about it is already known. If any one check is unmet, the bill waits in **In Review** and says which.
Open a waiting bill and look at the panel on the right. The unmet checks are listed under **Needs attention**, each with a short explanation and, where possible, a button that fixes it.
## The checks
| Check | Shown when it's unmet | How to clear it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. A confirmed vendor | "New vendor: …" or "Which vendor is this from?" | Click **Complete Vendor Profile**, or pick the vendor under **Pay To**. After the first bill, later bills from that vendor pass. |
| 2. Lines match the total | "Lines are off by $…" or "No lines were read" | Fix a line or the total so they agree, or add the lines. |
| 3. Tax adds up | "A tax line does not add up" or "No account declared for tax" | Correct the tax line, or choose a tax account in **Bill accounting settings…** |
| 4. Not a duplicate | "Looks like 1 other bill" | Check the other bill. Approve if this one is genuinely separate. |
| 5. Categories remembered | "One category was a guess" or "N categories were guesses" | Check each guessed category once. ZeraBooks remembers it for that vendor next time. |
| 6. Sensible dates | "The dates look wrong" | Correct the **Invoice Date** or **Due Date**. |
| 7. Not already paid | "This looks already paid" | Choose **Apply when approved** or **Not this payment**. |
### Which checks stop you approving
When you approve a bill yourself, your approval covers checks 1, 4 and 5: a new vendor, a possible duplicate and a guessed category show as notes, not blockers. Checks 2, 3, 6 and 7 must be resolved first.
### The dates check
A bill is held when:
- its due date is before its invoice date,
- it's dated more than 30 days in the future, or
- it's dated more than a year before your books start.
These are almost always a misread year. Fix the date and the check clears.
### The already-paid check
Often the bank payment arrives before the bill, and you've already categorized it in **Banks & Cards**. Posting the bill too would count that expense twice. So ZeraBooks shows the payment and asks:
- **Apply when approved** moves that payment onto the bill when you approve it, so the expense is counted once.
- **Not this payment** tells ZeraBooks it's a different payment. It won't be offered for this bill again.
You must choose one before approving.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important:** A bill dated before your opening balance, when the opening balance already includes Accounts Payable, is refused outright. It's already counted in the opening balance, so entering it again would count it twice. If it really isn't in the opening balance, adjust that journal entry instead.
{% endhint %}
## Turn automatic posting on or off
1. On the Bills board, click the **⋮** menu and choose **Bill accounting settings…**
2. Under **When to post automatically**, tick or untick **Post bills from vendors I already use**.
3. Click **Save settings**.
This is the same switch as Autopilot's **Approve bills and invoices**; changing one changes the other. With it off, every bill waits for you in **In Review**. See [Choose how much ZeraBooks does](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/choose-how-much-zerabooks-does).
## Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my bill stuck in In Review?
At least one of the seven checks is unmet, or automatic posting is off. Open the bill and read the **Needs attention** list on the right; each item says what to fix.
Why did a bill post without me clicking?
**Post bills from vendors I already use** is on and the bill passed all seven checks. Turn it off in **Bill accounting settings…** if you want to review every bill.
Why is a bill from a vendor I use every month still waiting?
Another check is unmet. Common ones are a line ZeraBooks hasn't seen from that vendor before (a guessed category), tax without a tax account, or a matching bank payment it found.
What does "This looks already paid" mean?
A bank transaction that exactly settles the bill is already categorized in **Banks & Cards**. Choose **Apply when approved** so the expense is counted once, or **Not this payment** if it's unrelated.
What does "No account declared for tax" mean?
The bill has tax on it, but your books don't say which account holds tax paid on purchases. Choose one in **Bill accounting settings…** so recoverable tax doesn't land in the expense.
Can I post a bill that has a warning?
Yes, if the warning is a new vendor, a possible duplicate or a guessed category. Click **Approve Bill** and your approval confirms them. Lines that don't add up, tax problems, wrong dates and an unresolved payment must be fixed first.
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