How to Process Utility Invoices in Nexus Payables
Utility invoice processing takes each water, sewer or energy bill from the utility's portal and turns it into an approved payable in the AP system. Bills arrive on their own schedule across many accounts, and a missed or duplicated bill means late penalties or double payment.
This guide follows a recording that pulls a City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department bill, checks Nexus Payables for an existing invoice, indexes the bill image, completes the invoice header and GL coding, checks it against the bill and stages it for approval.
- Who does itAccounts payable specialist; property manager or AP approver reviews
- How oftenDaily or on a set schedule as new bills post
- Steps10 steps · 4 systems
Watch the full workflow
every click in this recording is an AI agent — no one is touching the keyboard.
In the recording, an AI agent opens the City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department customer portal, goes to History > Bills and opens the latest bill dated 09/21/2026 for $30.79, reading the service period 08/09/26–09/08/26, a water service charge of $30.79, sewer $0.00 and the due date 10/12/26. In Nexus Payables it finds the matching invoice record (09/21/2026, $30.79, already Paid) and opens Image Management > Upload files. Because that invoice was already paid, the remaining steps are shown on a reference view: indexing the bill image to the property, confirming the invoice header, coding one water and sewer service line, checking the totals tie with a $0.00 difference, and staging the invoice for approval.
- 0:47Open the account's bill history in the utility portal
- 1:02Open the bill and read the summary
- 1:27Read the service period and charge detail
- 1:42Check Nexus for an existing invoice
- 2:17Upload the bill image
- 2:22Index the bill image to the property
- 2:27Complete the invoice header
- 2:32Code the charges to the GL
- 2:42Check the entry against the bill
- 2:52Submit the invoice for approval
Systems involved
You need access to each of these before you start. In the recording the agent works in all of them from one desktop, signed in as the user.
- Nexus PayablesAP automation portal: My Invoices grid and Image Management for uploading and indexing bill images
- City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department customer portalSource of the bill: account History > Bills and View Bill
- Utility bill PDFTwo-page water and sewer bill with service dates, charges, total due and due date
- Reference view of the invoice entryShows indexing, invoice header, GL coding, review checks and approval staging for the same bill
What you start with
- Latest bill in the utility portal (PDF)
- Map of utility accounts to property, vendor and GL account
- Existing invoice records in Nexus Payables
What you end with
- Bill image indexed to the property
- Invoice header and GL-coded service line staged for approval
- Review checklist with every check passed
The workflow at a glance
Action Decision Human review Select a step to jump to how it's done.
- 01 Action · City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department portal Open the account's bill history in the utility portal
- 02 Action · Utility bill PDF Open the bill and read the summary
- 03 Action · Utility bill PDF Read the service period and charge detail
- 04 Decision · Nexus Payables Check Nexus for an existing invoice Yes Use the existing record and do not enter a duplicate; here it was already paid No Continue and create the payable from the bill image
- 05 Action · Nexus Payables Upload the bill image
- 06 Action · Nexus Payables Index the bill image to the property
- 07 Action · Nexus Payables Complete the invoice header
- 08 Action · Nexus Payables Code the charges to the GL
- 09 · Human review · Nexus Payables Check the entry against the bill
- 10 Action · Nexus Payables Submit the invoice for approval
Step-by-step: how to do it
-
Action · City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department portal · 0:47 in the video
Open the account's bill history in the utility portal
In the utility portal, open the account, go to History and select the Bills tab. Find the most recent billing date and amount.
In the video- Billing Date
- 09/21/2026
- Amount
- $30.79
- Link
- View Bill
-
Action · Utility bill PDF · 1:02 in the video
Open the bill and read the summary
Click View Bill. On page 1 note the total amount due, the due date and any message about the last payment received.
In the video- Total due by 10/12/26
- $30.79
- Last payment
- $30.79 received 08/31/26
-
Action · Utility bill PDF · 1:27 in the video
Read the service period and charge detail
On the bill details page capture the service dates, previous balance, payments, balance forward, each charge type and the total. Check the meter section for usage and days billed, and note any late-payment penalty terms.
In the video- Service dates
- 08/09/26–09/08/26
- Bill date
- 09/21/26
- Previous balance
- $30.79
- Payments
- -$30.79
- Balance forward
- $0.00
- Water service charge
- $30.79
- Sewer subtotal
- $0.00
- Total
- $30.79
- Usage
- 0 CCF over 30 days
- Late penalty
- 5% if paid late
-
Decision · Nexus Payables · 1:42 in the video
Check Nexus for an existing invoice
Go to Home > My Invoices and look for an invoice with the same date and amount for this vendor and property. Check its status before entering anything new.
- If yes Use the existing record and do not enter a duplicate; here it was already paid
- If no Continue and create the payable from the bill image
In the video- Invoice date
- 09/21/2026
- Priority
- Regular
- Amount
- $30.79
- Status
- Paid
- Created
- 09/23/2026
-
Action · Nexus Payables · 2:17 in the video
Upload the bill image
Open Image Management > Images to be Indexed and choose Upload files. Set Document Type and Property, select the bill PDF and click Upload Files.
In the video- Document Type
- General Invoice
- Field
- Property
- Limits
- 50 files and 500MB
-
Action · Nexus Payables · 2:22 in the video
Index the bill image to the property
Select the uploaded image and index it so it is tied to the property, the document type, the invoice reference and the amount.
In the video- Bill PDF
- dated Sep 21, 2026, two pages
- Document type
- Utility invoice
- Amount
- $30.79
- Status
- Bill image indexed to property
-
Action · Nexus Payables · 2:27 in the video
Complete the invoice header
Enter the property, vendor, invoice reference, invoice amount, invoice date and due date exactly as they appear on the bill, then confirm the header.
In the video- Vendor
- Detroit Water and Sewerage
- Invoice amount
- $30.79
- Invoice date
- Sep 21, 2026
- Due date
- Oct 12, 2026
-
Action · Nexus Payables · 2:32 in the video
Code the charges to the GL
Add a line for each charge type using the GL account mapped to this utility account. The coded total must equal the bill total.
In the video- Line
- Water and sewer service - 0 CCF
- GL
- mapped water GL account
- Amount
- $30.79
- Coded total
- $30.79
-
Human review · Nexus Payables · 2:42 in the video
Check the entry against the bill
Add up the charges on the bill and compare them with the invoice amount. Confirm the account and property match, the bill image is linked, the due date and amount are right and the coded total equals the bill, then complete the review.
In the video- Water
- $30.79
- Sewerage
- $0.00
- Current charges
- $30.79
- Invoice amount
- $30.79
- Difference
- $0.00
- All four checks ticked
-
Action · Nexus Payables · 2:52 in the video
Submit the invoice for approval
Confirm the document is linked and the exception checks are clear, then submit the invoice for approval. It goes to an approver rather than straight to payment.
In the video- Invoice
- $30.79
- Bill
- Sep 21
- Due
- Oct 12
- Lines
- one coded service line
- Status
- ready for review
- Checks passed for account mapping, duplicate, charge presence, invoice details and charge mix
Rules, exceptions and controls
Rules to follow
- If a bill has no mapped account or no valid charges, send it to exception review instead of the approval path.
- The coded GL total must equal the bill total, with a $0.00 difference.
- Search for an existing invoice with the same date and amount before entering a bill, to avoid paying it twice.
- Use the invoice date and due date from the bill, not the date you enter it.
- Pay by the due date; this bill adds a 5% penalty if paid late.
When something doesn't match
- Invoice already exists in Nexus (here already Paid): do not enter a duplicate.
- Utility account not mapped to a property or GL account: route to exception review.
- Missing or invalid charges on the bill: route to exception review.
- Usage well above the account's normal level, overlapping or missing service periods, estimated reads or late fees: flag for the property manager.
- Portal asks for a one-time code: pause and hand to the person who holds the code.
Controls and audit trail
- Account and property matched before entry.
- Bill image linked to the invoice.
- Due date and amount verified against the bill.
- GL coded total matches the bill total.
- Duplicate check before submission.
- Invoice submitted for human approval, not paid automatically.
Practitioner tips
- Keep an account table mapping every utility account to its property, unit or common area, vendor and GL account; unknown accounts go to review.
- Read the service period, not just the bill date, so periods do not overlap or leave gaps.
- Note usage on every bill; zero or unusually high usage is worth a question to the property manager.
- Reconcile each utility account monthly: bills expected, received, paid and outstanding.
About this recording
In the recording, the agent read the bill from the City of Detroit water portal and found the matching invoice in Nexus Payables, which was already paid. The indexing, coding and approval steps for that bill are shown on a reference view rather than pushed live.
Documented the way you'd train a new hire — and the same way an agent learns it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you enter a utility bill in Nexus Payables?
Upload the bill PDF in Image Management, index it to the property, complete the invoice header with vendor, amount, invoice date and due date, code the charges to the mapped GL account, and submit it for approval.
Where do I find my bill in the City of Detroit water portal?
Open the account, go to History and select the Bills tab. Each bill shows its billing date and amount with a View Bill link to the PDF.
How do I avoid paying a utility bill twice?
Before entering a bill, search My Invoices for the same vendor, date and amount. In the recording, the 09/21/2026 bill for $30.79 already existed in Nexus with status Paid.
What should be checked before approving a utility invoice?
Confirm the account and property mapping, that the bill image is linked, that the due date and amount match the bill, that the GL coded total equals the bill total, and that it is not a duplicate.
How should water and sewer charges be coded?
Code each charge type to the GL account mapped for that utility account, and make sure the coded lines add up to the bill total. In the recording, one water and sewer service line of $30.79 matched the bill exactly.
Can an AI agent do utility invoice processing in Nexus Payables?
Yes. As shown in the video, the agent works the same screens a person does: it reads the bill from the utility portal, checks Nexus for an existing invoice, and prepares the indexed, coded invoice, with a person approving it before payment.