> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.tivero.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How approval works

> Who approves requests, what happens when a person has no supervisor, and how to test the approval route.

**Who configures it:** HR, Administrator, Owner.
**Where:** **Settings → Approval processes**, teams, the person page and absence policies.

## Who approves a request

Tivero picks the approver in this order:

<Steps>
  <Step title="The person's individual setting">
    If a specific approver is named on the person page, under **Approval routing**, the request goes to them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The team setting">
    If the person's team has a setting under **Who approves this team's requests** (the team manager or a specific person), the request goes to them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The organization rule">
    Otherwise, the request goes to the person's **Direct manager**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If the chosen approver has an active [delegation](/en/time-off/approval-delegation), the request goes to their delegate.

## When the direct manager can't be used

A person may have no supervisor, or their supervisor may be inactive. In **Settings → Approval processes**, choose what happens then:

| Option                        | What happens                                              |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send to a specific person** | The request goes to the person you choose.                |
| **No approval required**      | The request is registered without approval.               |
| **Block the request**         | The person can't file a request until an approver is set. |

The **Backup approver** is used when a primary approver can't be resolved, for example when the manager is inactive.

## Nobody approves their own requests

Self-approval is blocked. If the default approver would be the same person, a backup approver is needed.

## Check the configuration

The **Approval processes** tab shows how many people have a valid approval path and how many need configuration. Click **Show problems** to see who has a problem and why.

**Test the approval route** checks who would approve a selected person's request for a selected absence type. Choose the **Person** and the **Absence type**, then click **Test**. It's a preview only — it creates no request.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/tivero/nJ3pi9fH9kVgLgqx/images/en/approval-route-test.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=nJ3pi9fH9kVgLgqx&q=85&s=c56ca68bd822ac22a01d8b725ade9b05" alt="The Test the approval route section: person Anna Kowalczyk, type Vacation leave, and the result 1. Tomasz Nowicki, Direct manager" width="763" height="244" data-path="images/en/approval-route-test.webp" />
</Frame>

## Two-stage approval

In an [absence policy](/en/time-off/absence-policies), you can set **Two stages** for selected types. Stage 1 is the route described above. At stage 2, a specific person named in the policy approves. The request is approved only after both stages.

## When approval isn't required

A request is approved automatically when the absence type or the policy doesn't require approval (for example "Medical leave (L4)" by default).

## Notifications

The approver gets an email about a new request, and the requester gets an email about the decision. You set this in **Settings → Notifications**.

## Related articles

* [Approve requests](/en/time-off/approve-requests)
* [Teams and supervisors](/en/people/teams-and-supervisors)
* [Approval issues](/en/troubleshooting/approval-issues)