# Approval matrix generator

> Build a purchase approval matrix: list your approvers and their limits, get the approval chain for every amount band, download it as CSV.

Updated 2026-11-06. Source: https://atta.sh/tools/approval-matrix

Type each approver and the most they may approve on their own. The table shows who signs off on each amount band, in order, and the CSV is ready for your policy doc or finance system.

## How the matrix is built

Approvers are sorted by their limit. Anything under the "goes through without approval" figure needs nobody. Each band above that needs every approver up to the first one whose limit covers it, so a bigger amount climbs the chain one step at a time.

With the defaults:

| Amount | Who approves |
| --- | --- |
| $0 to $100 | Nobody |
| $100 to $500 | Team lead |
| $500 to $5,000 | Team lead, then finance manager |
| Over $5,000 | Team lead, then finance manager, then CFO |

Two decisions to make before you publish one:

- **Does the top approver's limit end anywhere?** Here it doesn't: the CFO's band has no upper bound. If you want a board sign-off above a figure, add it as another approver.
- **Can a requester approve their own request?** A matrix doesn't say. In Atta they can't: a requester's own standing clears nothing on their own request, and a step only they could answer goes up to the next approver.

## Using it in Atta

The same bands are what Atta's approval rules hold. A request under the no-approval figure goes straight through if the workspace allows it; anything above opens a chain with one step per approver, answered in order, and nothing is paid until the last one says yes. See [purchase approvals](https://atta.sh/purchase-approvals).

## Questions

### What is an approval matrix?

A table of who must approve a purchase at each amount. It's usually part of a company's purchasing policy and sets the chain a request goes through.

### Is anything I type sent anywhere?

No. The tool runs in your browser and the CSV is built there too.