Approval Request
An Approval Request in Salesforce is the platform record that represents one step's worth of approval activity on a submitted record.
Definition
An Approval Request in Salesforce is the platform record that represents one step's worth of approval activity on a submitted record. When a record enters an Approval Process and reaches a step, Salesforce creates an Approval Request and assigns it to the named approver (a user, a queue, or a public group). The approver sees the request in their Notifications tray, on the home page's Items to Approve list, or through an email alert. Approving, rejecting, or reassigning the request advances the underlying Approval Process to its next step or final outcome. Approval Requests are stored on the ProcessInstanceStep, ProcessInstanceWorkitem, and ProcessInstance objects, all of which are queryable for reporting and integration.
Approval Requests are the user-facing surface of Salesforce's Approval framework. Where the Approval Process is the configuration and the Approval Step is the logical node, the Approval Request is what an approver actually interacts with. Each request shows the submitted record's key fields, the approval history so far, the comments other approvers left, and the action buttons (Approve, Reject, Reassign). The approver's decision is captured on the Approval Request and propagated back to the Approval Process, which then routes the record forward. Most approvers experience Salesforce through this surface long before they ever open a record directly.
How Approval Requests reach approvers and capture decisions
The lifecycle of a single request
A record enters an Approval Process and reaches a step. Salesforce creates an Approval Request and assigns it to the step's approver. The approver receives a notification. The approver opens the request, reviews the record, optionally adds comments, and clicks Approve or Reject. The decision updates the ProcessInstanceWorkitem; the Approval Process advances to the next step or terminates.
Notifications and approver UX
Approvers see pending Approval Requests in three places: the bell icon Notifications tray, the Items to Approve component on the Lightning home page, and the original Email Alert sent at request creation. Email alerts include Approve and Reject reply-to links so approvers can act without opening Salesforce. The same approval can be acted on from any of the three surfaces.
Approve, Reject, Reassign, Recall
The available actions on an Approval Request are Approve (move forward), Reject (terminate with rejection), and Reassign (transfer to another approver). The submitter has a separate Recall action that pulls back the record before any approver decides. Reassignment is per-request; the underlying Approval Process configuration is unaffected.
Email Approval Response
The Email Approval Response feature lets approvers reply Approve or Reject to the email alert. The system parses the reply, validates the approver, and applies the decision. Comments included in the reply attach to the Approval Request. Email Approval Response requires configuration in Setup and an approver email address that matches the User record.
Delegated approval
Users can delegate their incoming Approval Requests to another user (vacation coverage, leadership rotation). Setup, User, Personal Information, Delegated Approver. While delegation is active, the named delegate also receives the requests. Most production orgs enforce a policy that vacation absences require delegated approval setup.
ProcessInstance, ProcessInstanceStep, ProcessInstanceWorkitem
The three standard objects store the data. ProcessInstance is one row per submitted record per process. ProcessInstanceStep is one row per step that has executed. ProcessInstanceWorkitem is one row per pending request. The three are queryable through SOQL, which is how custom dashboards report on approval cycle time and approver throughput.
Reporting on Approval Requests
Standard report types cover Process Instances, Process Instance Steps, and Process Instance Workitems. Common reports include average cycle time per approver, pending requests by approver, and rejection rate by step. Custom report types that join ProcessInstance to the submitted record's object expose richer analysis.
Approval Requests in mobile and Slack
The Salesforce Mobile App surfaces Approval Requests in the Notifications tray; tapping launches the approve/reject UI inline. The Salesforce-for-Slack integration routes approval requests into Slack DMs so approvers can decide without leaving their messaging app. Both surfaces ride on the same ProcessInstanceWorkitem records underneath.
How to respond to an Approval Request
Most users learn the approval surface from the receiving side. Knowing the actions, channels, and delegation options matters more than understanding the underlying objects.
- Find the request
Check the Notifications tray, the Items to Approve home component, or the Email Alert. Any of the three lets you act on the same request.
- Review the submitted record
Open the parent record from the request. Check the relevant fields, prior approval comments, and any attachments. Decide based on the policy the process implements.
- Approve, Reject, or Reassign
Click the right action. Add a comment if the decision is non-obvious or the next reviewer needs context. Reassign only if a different approver is genuinely better placed to decide.
- Set up delegated approval before extended absence
Personal Settings, Personal Information, Delegated Approver. Set the delegate before vacation so pending approvals do not stall.
- Audit approval activity
For managers, build a Process Instance Workitem report to see pending approvals by team member. Pending requests older than a few days usually signal an absent or overloaded approver.
- Email Approval Response needs configuration plus a verified approver email. Without setup, approve-by-email replies are silently dropped.
- Queue-based approvers route the request to a queue, not a single user. Members of the queue all see the request; the first one to act resolves it.
- Delegated approvers receive copies of incoming requests but the original approver remains valid. Both can act; the first decision wins.
- Reassign is a per-request action. To permanently change who approves a step, edit the underlying Approval Process configuration.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Respond to an Approval RequestSalesforce Help
- Email Approval ResponseSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Approval Request.
- ProcessInstanceWorkitem API ReferenceSalesforce Developer Docs
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Approval Request.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. Where does an Approval Request appear for the approver?
Q2. Why include key record fields in the Approval Request email template?
Q3. What can an approver do when they receive an Approval Request?
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