---
title: Approving time off requests
description: How to review and approve or reject time off requests in Toggl with the Time Off Management Add-on — open Team requests, use the review modal, handle overdrafts, and set auto-approval rules on policies. For admins and team leads.
---
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# Approving time off requests
## This guide is for admins and team leads who approve time off in Toggl with the Time Off Management Add-on. It covers the Team requests tab, the review modal, approving or rejecting requests, handling overdrafts, and how auto-approval rules work. You'll also learn how to log time off for a teammate directly and how to delete an entry you logged by mistake.
With the [Time Off Management Add-on](https://docs.toggl.com/time-off-management?hsLang=en) and approvals turned on, team members submit time off requests against leave policies. Admins and team leads review them on the **Team requests** tab and approve or reject each one.
The Time Off Management Add-on is a per-seat add-on for paid Toggl plans. In Toggl, open **Time off** in the sidebar, under **Manage**, then switch to the **Team requests** tab. The tab is visible to workspace admins and to team leads who approve for their teams. If your workspace has the add-on but approvals are turned off, the tab is called **Team time off** instead, and entries don't go through a review step.
### Who can approve
| Access level | What they can do |
| --- | --- |
| **Owner / Admin** | Approve or reject any request in the workspace. Log time off for any member. Manage policies and balances. |
| **Team Lead** | Approve or reject requests from members of their own teams. Log time off for their team members. |
| **Member** | Submit their own requests. Cannot see Team requests. |
Approval rights come from the setup, not from the access level alone. A team lead sees Team requests only if they lead a team with time off members.
### The Team requests tab
The tab shows every request from your team as a list or a calendar. Use the toolbar to filter and navigate:
- **Status filter:** All, Approved, Pending review, Rejected, or Canceled.
- **Member filter:** narrow to a specific person, with active/inactive/both options.
- **Type filter:** filter by leave policy.
- **Team filter:** narrow to a specific team.
- **View toggle:** switch between **List view** and **Calendar**.
- **Today:** jump to the current date on the calendar.
- **iCal:** open the iCalendar feeds modal to export team time off.
Each row in the list shows the time off dates, the member, the type, the total days, the submission date, and the status. Click a row to open the review modal.
### Review a request
Click a request to open the review screen. For pending requests, the header reads **"Review time off requests."** For approved or rejected requests, it shows the member's name and date range with a status badge.
The review screen shows:
- **Request dates** — the start and end dates.
- **Time off amount** — the total days, broken down per day if partial days were set.
- **Policy** — the leave policy the request was submitted against.
- **Balance if approved** — the member's projected balance after this request (shows ∞ for unlimited policies).
- **Submission date** — when the request was submitted.
- **Note** — the member's optional note, or "N/A."
#### Approve a request
1. Open the request.
2. Click **Approve**.
If the member's balance would go negative and the policy allows it, an **"Approve overdraft?"** confirmation appears. It shows how many days the balance will go over. Click **Approve and overdraft** to confirm, or **Cancel**.
A toast confirms: "Time off request approved."
#### Reject a request
1. Open the request.
2. Click **Reject**.
3. A **Rejection reason** dialog appears. The reason is required — it will be shared with the requester.
4. Enter the reason (for example, "This request overlaps with a critical project deadline").
5. Click **Reject and send comment**.
A toast confirms: "Time off request rejected." The member sees the rejection reason under their time off entries.
#### Review multiple requests
Click **Review team requests** in the banner (with a count of pending requests) to open requests one at a time. Use **Previous** and **Next** to move through the queue. The counter shows "Reviewing request {n} of {total}." You can approve or reject each one without closing the modal.
When there are no pending requests, the **Review team requests** button is disabled with a tooltip: "No pending requests."
### Auto-approval rules
Each policy can auto-approve requests under a day threshold. When a member submits a request that falls within the threshold, it's approved immediately — no approver needed.
To set or change the threshold:
1. Open the **Team policies** tab.
2. Click a policy to open it, then click **Edit policy**.
3. In the **Balance options** step, turn on **"Auto-approve requests under {N days}"** and set the threshold.
4. Save the policy.
Changes to the auto-approval threshold affect only future requests, not ones already submitted.
### Log time off for a teammate
You can add time off directly for a member, skipping the approval queue:
1. Open **Time off** from the sidebar.
2. On the Overview tab or Team requests tab, click **Log for a teammate**.
3. In the **Add time off** dialog, select the member.
4. Choose the type, dates, and amount per day.
5. Add a note if needed.
6. Click **Add time off**.
The entry is approved immediately and counts against the member's balance. The member gets an in-app notification and an email.
You can't edit an entry after logging it. To remove it, open the member's profile from the **Members** page, open the three-dot menu on the entry in the **Time off** card and choose **Delete**. A **Delete time off?** dialog explains that the time off will be removed from the member's record and calendar and that this can't be undone. Then log the corrected entry.
### Turning approvals on or off
Admins can toggle the approval workflow from the **Team policies** tab:
1. Open **Time off** → **Team policies**.
2. Click **Time off settings**.
3. Toggle **"Require approval for time off."**
When you turn approvals on, a confirmation dialog explains that new requests will require approval. When you turn them off, a dialog warns that existing requests keep their current status. You can't turn approvals off while pending requests exist — review them first.
### FAQ
#### Can I approve a request that exceeds the member's balance?
Only if the policy allows negative balances. If it does, you'll see an overdraft warning before you approve. If the policy restricts negative balances, the request is blocked at submission and won't reach you.
#### What does "Auto-approved" mean on a request?
The policy has an auto-approval rule, and the request was under the day threshold, so it was approved without an approver. The request shows "Auto-approved" with the date instead of an approver's name.
#### Can a team lead approve requests for anyone in the workspace?
No. Team leads can approve only for members of their own teams. Admins can approve for anyone.
#### What happens when I reject a request?
The member sees the status **Rejected** and your rejection reason under their time off entries. They can submit a new request with corrected dates or amounts. The rejected request stays in the history.
#### Can I undo an approval?
No. Once approved, the request stays approved. If it needs to change, ask the member to cancel it from their Your time off and submit a new request. You can also log corrected time off for them directly.
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