--- title: "Approve time registrations automatically with general automation" url: "https://help.capitech.no/en/article/new-article-c1cdd948-ab87-4b85-a8f1-9bea51dd602a" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-08-21T08:48:55.120Z" --- # Approve time registrations automatically with general automation With general automatic approval, Capitech Flow can approve time entries automatically when they meet specific criteria. This saves managers time and allows them to focus on the time entries that require manual review. ## What is general automatic approval used for? General automatic approval is used when time entries should be approved automatically based on selected criteria. This can be useful when you have time entries that are normally straightforward to review, such as entries with specific time categories or entries that do not contain overtime. The automation means that managers do not have to approve every time entry manually. Instead, they can focus on entries with deviations or those requiring additional review. ## Where do you create the automation job? Go to **Admin - Automation**. Click the **plus icon** in the upper-left corner to create a new automation job. ## Create an automation job When creating the job, select the job type **Hours - Approval.** Select subtype **General** when approval should be based on the criteria selected in the automation job. If approval should be assessed against scheduled duties in the operational plan, select the subtype **Plan** instead. Click Next. ### The General tab Give the automation job a descriptive name. You can also add a comment to explain what the job is used for. A clear name makes the job easier to understand later, especially if you have several automation jobs. ### The Selection tab Under **Selection**, select the employee groups to which the job should apply. The automation job can only approve time entries for employees who belong to the employee groups you add. ### The Conditions tab Under **Conditions**, specify the requirements that time entries must meet to be approved automatically. For example, the time entry may: - contain only permitted time category types - contain only permitted time categories Time entries that do not meet the conditions will not be approved by the automation job. Specify the days for which time entries should be approved. By default, all days are selected. This means that time entries can be approved on any day from monday through friday. Select in and out times, and what days the entries should be approved. You can also choose to skip approval on: - public holidays - custom days, such as the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday #### Approval Period Under **Approval period**, specify how far back in time the job should approve time entries. Examples: - **From 3 days ago through 1 day ago, inclusive** The job approves time entries for the previous three days. - **From 2 days ago through 2 days ago, inclusive** The job only approves time entries for the day before yesterday. ### The Schedule tab Under **Schedule**, select when and how often the automatic approval should run. This determines whether the job runs at a specified time each day or at fixed times each hour. ## Activate the job Once the automation job has been configured, you can activate it. Click the green **Activate** option on the automation job row to run the job automatically according to the selected frequency. ## Test the automation job To test the job without activating it, click the green **Run** option on the automation job row. The job runs once immediately without being scheduled to run automatically in the future. ## How can you tell that time entries were approved automatically? When a time entry is approved by an automation job, the approval is displayed as **Auto-X**. Hover over the approval icon on a registration to see who approved the entry. **X** is the ID number of the approval job. This makes it easier to see which automation job approved the time entry, especially if you have several approval jobs running. ## Edit the automation job To make changes to an automation job, you must first deactivate it. Click the green **Deactivate** option on the automation job row. You can then make the necessary changes. Once you have finished making changes, click **Activate** to run the job automatically again. ## Important information Several fixed conditions are always checked before time entries are approved automatically. Time entries are not approved if: - **absence** is registered for the day - the time entry does not have a **time category** - the time category is **inactive** - the entry is not linked to a **duty** ## Frequently asked questions **What does general automatic approval of time entries mean?** It means that Capitech Flow can approve time entries automatically when they meet the criteria in the automation job. **What is the difference between general and plan-based approval?** General approval uses the criteria in the automation job. Plan-based approval assesses time entries against scheduled duties in the operational plan. **How can you see which job approved the time entries?** Automatically approved time entries are marked with **Auto-X**, where **X** is the ID number of the automation job. Hover over the approval icon to see who approved the entry. **Why was the time entry not approved automatically?** Common reasons include the time entry not meeting the conditions, missing required dimensions, not belonging to the correct employee group, or the job not being activated.