Available On: Essential, Premium, Professional, Enterprise
When a work request is submitted in UpKeep — whether from an in-app requester or the Request Portal — it lands in your company's request queue for review. Only Administrators and Limited Administrators can approve, decline, or edit these requests before they become work orders.
This article walks you through how to manage work order requests on both web and mobile, including how to review details, add fields, and approve or decline requests efficiently.
💡 Technicians and other user types cannot approve work requests. Need a refresher on user roles? See UpKeep User Types: Roles and Responsibilities Overview.
🎬 Video Walkthrough
📋 The Work Request Approval Process
Here is how a work request moves through the system:
A work request is submitted by a requester user, portal visitor, or any other user type.
The request appears under the Requests tab for review.
An Administrator or Limited Administrator reviews the request — editing, adding details, or attaching assets and locations as needed.
The admin approves or declines the request.
Once approved, the request becomes a work order and can be assigned to a technician.
🖥️ How to Approve and Manage Requests on Web
Log in to UpKeep with your email and password.
Click Requests in the left navigation menu.
You will see a list of all pending work requests submitted to your account.
Click on any request to open it and review the details — including title, description, priority, location, asset, and any attached images.
As an admin, you can edit and update the request before approving:
Add or change the assigned user or team
Attach an asset or location
Update the priority level
Add categories, due date, or additional description details
Attach parts or other relevant information
When ready, click Approve to convert the request into a work order, or click Decline to reject it.
Once approved, the request becomes a work order. The requester will receive a notification when the status changes to Approved, In-Progress, On-Hold, or Complete.
💡 Best Practice: Add as much detail as possible before approving — the approved request becomes the work order, so include the assigned technician, priority, asset, and location to save time later.
📱 How to Approve and Manage Requests on Mobile
Open the UpKeep mobile app and log in.
Navigate to the Requests section.
You will see all pending work requests for your account.
Tap on a request to open it and review the submitted details.
Edit the request as needed — you can update fields like assigned user, asset, location, priority, and description.
Tap Approve to convert the request into a work order, or tap Decline to reject it.
The requester will receive a notification when the status changes to Approved, In-Progress, On-Hold, or Complete.
🔑 What Can Admins vs. Limited Admins Do?
Both Administrators and Limited Administrators can approve and manage work requests. Here is how their permissions compare:
Action | Administrator | Limited Administrator |
View and review work requests | ✅ | ✅ |
Approve or decline requests | ✅ | ✅ |
Edit request details before approval | ✅ | ✅ |
Assign users or teams to work orders | ✅ | ✅ |
Access People & Teams settings | ✅ | ❌ |
Access account Settings | ✅ | ❌ |
Edit/Delete work orders | ✅ | ✅ (only ones they created) |
📖 For a full breakdown, see Limited Administrator User Type Overview.
💡 Best Practices
Review requests promptly — pending requests can pile up and delay maintenance work. Set a daily or twice-daily cadence to clear the queue.
Add context before approving — attach the correct asset, location, and priority so the resulting work order is ready to assign immediately.
Use the Request Portal for non-UpKeep users — if you are on a Professional or Enterprise plan, share your Request Portal link so anyone can submit requests without needing a login. Learn more: How to Create and Manage Work Requests.
Leverage Location-Based Permissions — if your admins manage specific sites, use location-based permissions so they only see requests relevant to their locations. See Location Based Permissions for Users in UpKeep.
Decline with a reason — when declining a request, add a note so the requester understands why and can resubmit with better details if needed.
❓ FAQ
Can technicians approve work requests?
No. Only Administrators and Limited Administrators can approve or decline work requests. Technicians can submit requests but cannot manage them.
Is there a way to auto-approve work requests?
Yes. Admins can enable auto-approval under account settings > organization > automation so that submitted requests are automatically converted to work orders without manual review.
Can the requester edit their request after submitting it?
No. Once a request is submitted, only Admins and Limited Admins can edit it. The requester can add comments but cannot change the request fields.
What happens when a request is approved?
The request is converted into a work order. The requester receives a notification, and the work order appears in the Work Orders module ready to be completed.
Do Limited Admins receive the same notifications as full Admins?
Yes. Limited Admins receive the same notifications that full Admins do, including notifications for new work requests.
Where can I find additional resources on work requests?
See How to Create and Manage Work Requests for the full guide on submitting and managing requests across all user types.