Who this article is for: Authority Users
Overview
Before a tester can submit test reports to your organization, they must be approved by an authority user. Approval confirms you've reviewed the tester and authorized them to submit work to your program.
For most organizations, approval is a simple one-click action — no expiration date required. Once approved, a tester stays approved until you manually deny them or their certifications change and they return to your review queue.
What Approval Controls
Approval gates which testers can be listed as the tester of record on submitted test reports. Here's what each status means:
Status | Can Submit? | Can View / Edit Reports? | Can Pay for Tests? |
Pending | No | Yes | Yes |
Approved | Yes (if certs are valid) | Yes | Yes |
Denied | No | Yes | Yes |
Note: A pending or denied tester can still view, edit, and pay for test reports that are already in progress — only the ability to submit a new report as the tester of record is blocked.
How Approval Works (Most Organizations)
Approval is status-only. When you click Approve:
The tester's status changes from pending (or denied) to approved.
They can immediately submit test reports to your organization — as long as they also have at least one valid, unexpired certification that meets your requirements.
The approval has no expiration date. It stays active until you manually deny the tester or they appear in your Re-Review queue due to a certification change.
What You'll See in SwiftComply
Approve button (green) on the DETAILS tab of the tester's profile.
Deny button (red) on the same tab.
How Approval Works for Legacy Organizations (Approved Until Date)
Some organizations track time-limited approvals using the Approved Until Date setting. This is typically used when testers must hold a city-specific business license or registration that expires independently of their state certification.
For these organizations:
The Approve button opens a date picker.
The stored date is enforced at submission — an approved tester with an expired "Approved Until" date cannot be the tester of record on a new submission.
The "Approved Until" column is visible in the SP Users table and the Service Provider Testers List report.
Testers with a passed "Approved Until" date appear in the Service Provider Users To Re-Review queue automatically.
If you're not sure whether your organization uses this setting, check with the SwiftComply team at help@swiftcomply.com.
Approving a Tester
Click Notifications in the left navigation and open Service Provider Users To Review.
Click into the tester and review:
On the DETAILS tab, click Approve.
The tester is immediately approved.
If their certifications don't check out, click Deny and let the tester know they need to upload current credentials before being approved.
Denying a Tester
Click Deny on the DETAILS tab when you've reviewed a tester and decided not to let them submit to your organization — for example, their credentials are invalid, or they're not licensed in your service area.
Denial does not delete the tester's profile. Their history stays intact.
You can re-approve them at any time by clicking Approve again.
Denying at your organization does not affect their status at any other organization they work with.
The Re-Review Queue
Testers land in Service Provider Users To Re-Review when one of their certifications was updated, renewed, or added — the system flags them so you can confirm their credentials are still valid before they continue submitting.
Work the re-review queue the same way as the initial review queue: open the tester, check certifications, and either approve or deny.
Note (Legacy orgs): Testers also appear in Re-Review when their stored Approved Until date passes.
FAQ
Q: If there's no expiration date, how do I know when to re-review a tester?
A: The system tells you. When a tester's certification changes — renewed, updated, or newly added — they automatically land in your Service Provider Users To Re-Review queue. You don't need to track a separate calendar date.
Q: A tester is approved but still can't submit. What's wrong?
A: Most likely their certifications don't satisfy your organization's requirements — they may be expired or the required type isn't on file. Open the tester's profile, go to the CERTIFICATIONS tab, and look for an orange warning icon on the Required Certifications panel. Fix the cert issue (or ask the tester to update from their profile), and submission will unblock.
Q: What's the difference between a pending tester and a denied tester?
A: Both are blocked from submitting. Pending means the tester is new and hasn't been reviewed yet. Denied means they were reviewed and not approved. Both can still view, edit, and pay for reports already in progress.
Q: Does denying a tester affect their other organizations?
A: No. Each organization manages its own approval independently. Denying a tester at your authority only blocks submission to you.