> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getlemma.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Approval rules

> Require an owner to sign off on a transfer before any money leaves your account.

Approval rules add a layer of oversight to outgoing money. When a rule is in place, a transfer above the amount you set is held until an owner reviews and approves it. Use this to catch mistakes before funds move, while letting smaller, routine payments go through without friction.

This applies to every way money leaves your account: ACH, wires, and other external transfers, transfers between your own Lemma accounts, and mailed checks such as [patient refunds](/billing/patient-refunds).

## Setting up a rule

Only owners can configuring approval rules.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open approval rules">
    Go to [Move Money > Requests > Configure rules](https://app.getlemma.com/_/requests/configure-rules).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a threshold">
    Enter the amount above which a transfer must be approved. Rules apply per
    payment rail, so you can choose which kinds of transfers are subject to review
    — for example, you can auto-approve transfers between accounts in the same
    legal entity.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Save your changes. The new rule takes effect immediately and applies to every
    transfer requested from then on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Approving transfers

Only **owners** can approve transfers. A team member with a different role can
request a transfer, but it cannot be sent until an owner approves it. No one —
not even an owner<sup>\*</sup> — can approve a transfer they requested themselves, so a
second person always signs off.

When a transfer needs approval, it appears on the [requests page](https://app.getlemma.com/_/requests), and the owners on the account are notified by email. Owners can disable notification emails from the [notification settings page](https://app.getlemma.com/_/settings/profile/notifications).

*\* If you are a PC or PLLC entity, the physician owner is able to self-approve
transfers. This exception is required to comply with corporate practice of
medicine laws.*

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the request">
    Go to [Move Money > Requests](https://app.getlemma.com/_/requests) and select the pending
    transfer. You'll see who requested it, the amount, and where the money is
    going.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve or reject">
    As an owner, approve the request to send the transfer, or reject it to cancel
    it. The funds are held while the request is pending and are released back to
    your available balance if it is rejected.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Cash sweeps

A [cash sweep](/guides/cash-sweeps) moves money automatically on a schedule. Whenever any approval rule is active, creating or editing a sweep will require an owner's approval before the sweep takes effect. Once a sweep is approved, it runs on its schedule without opening a new request each time it moves money.