--- title: How to Assign Substitutes When Deactivating a User or Removing Roles description: When you deactivate a user, it is prudent to set up a substitute to assign revision and matching processes for the inactive user’s documents and activities within the Precoro system.  --- [Skip to content](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#main-content) [Contact us](https://help.precoro.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [Customer portal](https://help.precoro.com/tickets-view?hsLang=en) [![Property 1=Default](https://help.precoro.com/hubfs/Property%201=Default.svg)](https://app.precoro.com/login) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://help.precoro.com/kb-tickets/new) - [Customer portal](https://help.precoro.com/tickets-view) - [Contact Us](https://share.hsforms.com/1-5JilMA_Qv6AOSVjFtNhDg14slf) [Contact Us](https://share.hsforms.com/1-5JilMA_Qv6AOSVjFtNhDg14slf) Hi there! 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[User Management](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#user-management) # How to Assign Substitutes When Deactivating a User or Removing Roles ## Learn how to delegate documents in Precoro by assigning substitute users when deactivating or updating roles. #### TABLE OF CONTENTS - [When the Delegation Window Opens and How to Use It](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#delegation-window) - [Who Can Be Selected as a Substitute](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#who-can-be-selected) - [Actions the Assigned Substitutes Can Perform](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#actions-to-perform) - [Set Your Email Preferences for Substitute User Letters](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#emails) ### **When the Delegation Window Opens and How to Use It** The delegation window opens when the user has work to hand off and you do one of the following: - **Deactivate a user.** Turn off the **User is Active** toggle in the **User Management** page. The window lists all of the user’s work, including every approval step they’re on and their substitute rights. See [How to Deactivate a User in Precoro](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-delete-/-disable-a-user-in-precoro#step-3) for the full steps. ![deactivate](https://help.precoro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/deactivate.png?width=670&height=319&name=deactivate.png) - **Remove user roles.** The window lists only the work tied to the removed roles. 1. Go to **Configuration → User Management** and click **Edit** next to the user. 2. On the **Roles** tab, clear the roles you want to remove. 3. Click **Update**. ![Role delegation](https://help.precoro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Role%20delegation.png?width=670&height=318&name=Role%20delegation.png) It groups the user’s work into sections, such as **Documents**, **Supplier Management**, **Budgets**, and **Approval Flow**. Each removed role brings these items into the delegation window: - **Create** role for a document type → the user’s documents of that type - **Approve** role → approval steps for the document types whose **Approve** role you remove - **Configuration** role → webhooks and billing notifications - **AP Inbox** role → AP Inbox - **Reports** role → custom reports - **Budgets** role → budgets - **Supplier** roles → **Supplier Management**, only when the user is left with neither role 💡 **Please note:** You can’t remove the **Create** role for a document type while the user is a default creator for it. For example, if the user is the default purchaser, you can’t remove their **Create** role for purchase orders. Make another user the default creator first. To hand off a whole section to one user, select them in the **All** row. To split the work, select a user for each item. ![all-transfer](https://help.precoro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/all-transfer.jpg?width=670&height=136&name=all-transfer.jpg) ### Who Can Be Selected as a Substitute Each **Transfer to** list shows only the users who qualify. The same rules apply when you deactivate a user and when you remove roles. One user can take over several items. Legal entity access is checked only when **Set Up Access by Legal Entity** is enabled. | **Transferred user's data** | **Who can be selected** | | --- | --- | | Documents | A user with the **Create** role for that document type, and the same or wider access to locations, custom document fields, and legal entities (if enabled) | | Default Сreator Roles (deactivation only) | A user with the **Create** role for the document type they create by default, and access to all locations, custom document fields, and legal entities | | Supplier Management | A user with the **Suppliers** role (**View** or **Create**) | | Budgets | A user with the **Budgets** role | | Custom reports | A user with the **Reports** role | | Webhooks | A user with the **Configuration** role | | AP Inbox | A user with the **AP Inbox** role | | Billing notifications | A user with the **Configuration** role | | Approval steps | A user with **approval rights** for the step, and access to the locations and custom document fields it requires | | Substitute rights | A user with **the same roles and access** as the person who needs a substitute | If the deactivated user has documents in a disabled module, the selector for that document type shows the **Inactive** label. For this selector: - The substitute doesn’t need the Create role for that document type. If they don’t have it, Precoro assigns it to them. - The substitute needs the same access to locations, custom document fields, and legal entities as the deactivated user, or wider. ### Actions the Assigned Substitutes Can Perform Each selected user takes over only the process you chose them for. A user selected for purchase orders, for example, gets the deactivated user’s purchase orders. | **Transferred user's data** | **What the substitute can do** | | --- | --- | | Documents | Acts as the creator of the user’s documents of that type. See more details in [Documents](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#documents). | | Default creator roles (deactivation only) | Acts as the default purchaser, default PunchOut purchaser, or default PunchOut invoice creator in the user’s place | | Supplier Management | Owns the user’s suppliers, supplier registration forms, contracts, and unfinished supplier questionnaires, and gets contract notifications. Completed questionnaires stay as they are. | | Budgets | Edits and deletes the user’s budgets, and acts as the **Budget Holder** where the user was one | | Custom reports | Owns the user’s custom reports, with full access to edit and delete them | | Webhooks | Owns the user’s webhooks | | Billing notifications | Gets billing notifications in the user’s place | | AP Inbox | Acts as the default creator of invoices that AP Inbox creates automatically | | Approval Flow | Approves, rejects, or sends documents for revision on the user’s approval steps. See more details in [Approval Steps](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#approval-steps). | | Substitute rights | Acts as the substitute user in [vacation mode](https://help.precoro.com/vacation-mode-in-precoro?hsLang=en) in the user’s place. Backup approver roles aren’t transferred: Precoro removes the user from them. | ##### Documents The substitute becomes the creator of the user’s documents, including **Completed** and **Recurring** ones, and the **Requestor**, **Purchaser**, or **Issuer** field changes to the substitute. They can: - Revise the documents - Confirm changes to documents in **Matching** status - Take any other action available to the document creator - Get notifications about these documents. Transferred documents get the **Delegated** status. Hover over the tag to see the original creator. [![doc-delegated](https://help.precoro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/doc-delegated.jpg?width=670&height=291&name=doc-delegated.jpg)](https://help.precoro.com/hubfs/doc-delegated.jpg?hsLang=en) Some documents aren’t transferred: - **Cancelled** and **Rejected** documents stay with the user. - **Draft** documents are deleted when you deactivate a user, and stay with the user when you remove roles. - Document attachments aren’t transferred. Anyone with access to a document can edit its attachments. **✍️ Note:** If you reactivate the user and they gain the **Create** role for that document type, the delegated documents return to them. ##### Approval Steps When you deactivate a user or remove their **Approve** role, the user you select for an approval step replaces them in the approval workflow. The selected user: - Permanently replaces the original user on that step, in every approval workflow where the step appears. - Approves, rejects, or sends documents for revision on that step, the same way the original user did. See [What Happens to Approval Steps](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-delete-/-disable-a-user-in-precoro#approval-steps) to learn what happens to pending documents when no one is selected for a step. ### Set Your Email Preferences for Substitute User Letters When a company administrator deactivates a user and appoints a substitute, that person receives an email notification. You can easily manage those notifications by going to Email Preferences → **Misc** → **Notification about being selected as a Substitute** checkbox. If the checkbox is activated, a substitute user will receive an email notification. If it is disabled, they will not. ### FAQs **Why don't I see the user I need in the list?** Each selector shows only the users who have the role and access that process requires. Check that the user has: - The role for that process, such as the Create role for a document type or the Budgets role - For documents, access to the same locations, custom document fields, and legal entities as the deactivated user, or wider. Legal entity access is checked only when **Set Up Access by Legal Entity** is enabled. For documents in a disabled module, the user doesn't need the Create role, but the same access is still required. Once you update the user's roles or access, repeat the steps to select them. See [Who Can Be Selected as a Substitute](https://help.precoro.com/how-to-set-up-a-substitute-when-deactivating-a-user#who-can-be-selected-as-a-substitute) for the full rules.   - [Precoro Setup](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Configurations](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#configurations) - [User Management](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#user-management) - [Custom Fields and Forms](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#custom-fields-and-forms) - [Supplier management](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#supplier-management) - [Working with Items](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#working-with-items) - [Approval Workflow](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#approval-workflow) - [Location Management](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#location-management) - [Precoro Payments](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#precoro-payments) - [Two-factor authentication](https://help.precoro.com/precoro-setup?hsLang=en#two-factor-authentication) - 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