Table of Contents
Introduction
This article explains how to create Overtime and Expense approval rules in the Approval System.
It begins with a step-by-step overview of the rule creation process, followed by detailed explanations of each section involved in the setup.
🧠 Use the links provided throughout the article to jump directly to the details relevant to the step you are working on.
Creating Rules
Go to Approval System > Overtime or Expense > Rules.
Select ➕ Add Rule.
You'll be redirected to the Add Overtime Rule page (or Add Expense Rule).
Fill in the fields in the following sections:
Select Save in the bottom right corner of the page.
The Rules screen will update automatically to show your newly created Overtime or Expense rule.
⚠️ Important: if you set a pay item to be claimable but don’t create an approval rule for it, any submitted expense requests will be set to Pending Blocked status. This happens because the system doesn’t know who should approve the expense.
Once you correct this, the request has to be cancelled and submitted anew.
Rule Settings Section Details
This section is common to both Overtime and Expense. The Rule Type field will tell you if you're setting up an Overtime or an Expense rule.
Fill in the fields according to your needs:
Name: enter a name for your new rule.
Submission Type: choose whether the rule applies to self submitted requests (Self), to those submitted on behalf of others (On Behalf Of), or Both.
Active: you can toggle this switch to activate or deactivate a rule. By default, a new rule is set to Active.
Remark: enter any information, such as a description of the rule if needed.
Settings Criteria Section Details
In the Settings Criteria section, use the Type, Field, Operator, and Value dropdowns to define the conditions that trigger a rule. The options available in each field depend on the selections made in the preceding fields.
If you feel you need more details, expand the collapsible sections below to learn more about the possible criteria combinations for both Overtime and Expense rules.
Overtime Rules Criteria Combinations
Overtime Rules Criteria Combinations
For Overtime rules, in the Type dropdown, you can choose between Overtime, User, or Employee related scenarios. The values in the Field and Operator dropdowns will adjust accordingly.
Type: Overtime
Field: choose from Type, Hours, Date, Time From, Time To, Day, Month, Cost Centre, Reason, and Was Reason Given.
Operator: varies depending on what is chosen in Field.
Field: Type, Day or Month
Choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of.
Field: Hours, Date or Day
Choose from Equal To, Not Equal To, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal To, Less Than, Less Than or Equal To.
Value: shows list, calendar, or time to be entered, depending on what is chosen in Field.
Type: User
Field: choose from User Role, Permission Set, Permission.
Operator: choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of, Contains, Does Not Contain, Equal To, Not Equal To.
Value: allows you to choose from a list, according to what is chosen in Field.
Type: Employee
Field: Specific Employee Code, Work Schedule Profile Code, Work Schedule Profile Description, Occupation Code, Occupation Description, etc.
Operator: choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of, Contains, Does Not Contain, Equal To, Not Equal To.
Value: allows you to choose from a list, according to what is chosen in Field.
Expense Rules Criteria Combinations
Expense Rules Criteria Combinations
For Expense rules, in the Type dropdown, you can choose from Expense, User, or Employee related scenarios. The values in the Field and Operator dropdowns will adjust accordingly.
Type: Expense
Field: choose from Pay Item, Amount.
Operator: varies depending on what is chosen in Field.
Field: Pay Item
Choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of.
Field: Amount
Choose from Equal To, Not Equal To, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal To, Less Than, Less Than or Equal To.
Value: shows a selection field or a value has to be manually entered depending on what is chosen in Field.
Type: User
Field: choose from User Role, Permission Set, Permission.
Operator: choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of, Contains, Does Not Contain, Equal To, Not Equal To.
Value: allows you to choose from a list, according to what is chosen in Field.
Type: Employee
Field: choose from Specific Employee Code, Work Schedule Profile Code, Work Schedule Profile Description, Occupation Code, Occupation Description, etc.
Operator: choose from Is Any Of, Is None Of, Contains, Does Not Contain, Equal To, Not Equal To.
Value: allows you to choose from a list, according to what is chosen in Field.
💡 Tip: to create a more complex rule, select the circled plus icon at the far right of the first line. The added lines will be related to the previous ones through an AND condition.
Approvers Section Details
The Approvers section works the same way for both Overtime and Expense rules. It consists of two parts:
The top part contains options that determine the approval behaviour.
The bottom part lets you select an approver for that rule.
Approval Behaviour
In the top-right corner, choose one of the following options: Auto Approve, Auto Reject, or Configure.
Selecting Configure enables additional approval methods: All Must Approve, Anyone Can Approve, Approved in Sequence, and Approved by Priority.
The table below explains the outcome of each option and approval method.
Approval Setting | Outcome |
Auto Approve | Requests that meet the rule conditions are approved automatically. |
Auto Reject | Requests that meet the rule conditions are rejected automatically. |
Configure > All Must Approve | All assigned approvers must approve the request. |
Configure > Anyone Can Approve | The request is approved as soon as any assigned approver approves it. |
*Configure > Approved in Sequence | Approvers review the request in a predetermined order. |
*Configure > Approved by Priority | Approvers have a priority order, with higher-priority approvers taking precedence. |
*Learn more about Approved in Sequence and Approved by Priority in ➡️ this article.
Approver Selection
To set up this part of the Approvers section, select a value for the Type (E.g. Manager) and Level (e.g. 1st Level Manager) fields. Add as many Approver entries as required.
Type
Manager:
in Level, choose 1st Level Manager for the requesting employee's direct superior.
Choose 2nd Level Manager for any manager further up the Organisation Chart hierarchy than the employee's direct superior.
Employee With Occupation: lets you choose a specific occupation from a list, such as manager. This means any employee with the specified position can approve the request.
Set Employee: choose an individual employee in your company to approve the request.
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