# Approval rules

> Academium SMS Help › Employees
> For: School Owner, School Admin
> Web page: https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-approval-rules
> Last updated: 2026-10-06

**Approval rules** make certain actions wait until the right people have agreed. Today, approval rules apply to **writing off fees**. Payroll has its own approval steps; see [Payroll approvals](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-payroll-approvals.md).

## Setting up a rule

The School Owner opens **Employees → Approval Rules**.

1. Choose the action, for example writing off fees.
2. Add one or more **levels**. Each level is held by a **role** (anyone in that role can approve) or a **named person**.

When someone tries to write off fees, the request waits until every level has approved it.

## Approving requests

Open **Approvals** to see:

- **Waiting on me**: requests you can approve or reject;
- **My requests**: requests you made, and where they are;
- **Decided**: requests that have been approved or rejected.

Each request shows the whole chain of levels. When the last level approves, the action runs, and the request shows what actually happened. For example, if a family paid some of the fees while the write-off was waiting, only the remaining balance is written off.

## Good to know

- The **School Owner** does not need approval and may approve any level. When they do, it is recorded as an override.
- If the person who made the request also holds a level, they approve that level as a separate step.

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