Approvers can delegate their approval rights to another member before going on leave, then restore them with one click when they return.
For: Approvers, including Account Owners and Admins who act as approvers. Available on all plans.
Before you start
Requirement | Detail |
Role needed | Approver (including Account Owners or Admins who approve requests) |
Plan | Available on all plans |
Multi-entity companies | You must repeat the delegation separately for each entity, since each entity can have different members |
Wire transfer confirmation | Not included in approval right delegation — this option is reserved for Account Owners |
👥 Roles: Only the approver themselves can delegate their own approval rights, an Admin or Account Owner cannot delegate rights on someone else's behalf.
Delegate your approval rights
Click your Avatar in the bottom left-hand corner of the interface.
Select My profile.
Navigate to Role and permissions > Transfer your approval rights.
Select Delegate your approval rights.
Select the member you want to delegate your approval rights to.
The delegate now receives notifications for the requests you would normally need to approve.
⚠️ Warning: Delegating your approval rights doesn't include the "transfer confirmation" option, which is reserved for Account Owners. If you're an Account Owner and want to delegate that too, delegate both your approval rights and your Account Owner role (see Related articles).
If you are an approver on several entities, the change will have to be made on each entity! Indeed, each entity does not have the same members (and therefore potential 'approval replacements').
Restore your approval rights
Return to the Spendesk interface after your leave.
Click the "I'm back" banner at the top of the page.
Your approval rights are restored immediately.
Troubleshooting
Symptom: Your delegate can't tell which pending requests were originally assigned to you.
Cause: Spendesk doesn't display a "delegated by" indicator at the pending-approval step, only the delegate's name shows as the active approver.
Resolution: Once a request is approved, check its history: it shows "Approved by [delegate], on behalf of [original approver]." For visibility before approval, ask the original approver to confirm which requests to expect.
Symptom: You delegated your rights, but you're still asked to approve requests on a second entity.
Cause: Delegation must be set up separately for each entity, since entity membership can differ.
Resolution: Repeat the delegation steps (Avatar > My profile > Role and permissions > Transfer your approval rights) for each entity you approve on.
Symptom: Your delegate can't pass the approval rights on to someone else while covering for you.
Cause: Delegated approval rights can't be re-delegated, to keep the validation hierarchy secure.
Resolution: Ask the original approver to delegate directly to the final intended person, or temporarily transfer approval rights to a different member instead.
Symptom: As an Account Owner, delegating your approval rights didn't let your delegate confirm wire transfers.
Cause: Delegating approval rights doesn't include the "transfer confirmation" option, which stays with the Account Owner.
Resolution: To delegate transfer confirmation too, delegate both your approval rights and your Account Owner role. See Transfer the Account / Organization Owner roles.
FAQ
Can I delegate my approval rights for a specific date range (start and end automatically)?
Not currently. You start the delegation manually and restore your rights manually with the "I'm back" banner.
Can I delegate my rights across all my entities at once?
No. You need to repeat the delegation for each entity individually, since entities can have different members.
Can my delegate pass my approval rights on to someone else?
No. Delegated approval rights can't be re-delegated, to keep the approval hierarchy secure.