In some cases, the person submitting a payment or request may also be the assigned approver. This is called a self approval. To maintain controls, you can decide how self approvals are handled using the Prevent self approval setting in your Approval Rules.
What is a self approval?
A self approval occurs when the requester (the person making the payment or request) is also the assigned approver for that item.
How self approvals are handled
The Prevent self approval toggle applies to all rules within the selected payment type. There are two options:
Prevent self approval = On (default)
Self approvals are redirected to the user’s delegate approver.
Ensures users cannot approve their own transactions.
Prevent self approval = Off
Self approvals are automatically approved.
Allows requesters to proceed without additional approval.
Note: If a self approval step is auto-approved or redirected, any later steps in the workflow will still follow the approval rules you’ve set.
Configure the Prevent self approval setting
Go to Approval Rules in the Spend Management menu
Select the relevant payment type (e.g., Reimbursements, Card payments)
In the rule drawer, locate the Prevent self approval toggle at the top
Switch it on or off as needed
This setting is on by default but can be updated anytime.
Update delegate approvers
When self approvals are prevented, requests are redirected to the user’s delegate approver.
To manage delegate assignments:
Go to Settings > User management
Select the user
Update their Delegate approver