When a form requires approval, approvers can now deny a response — not just approve it. Denying a response lets the approver explain exactly what needs to be corrected, and the original responder can then edit and resubmit for re-approval. This creates a clean back-and-forth workflow until the response meets your standards.
📄 How It Works
The denial flow adds a new step to the existing form approval process:
A participant submits a form response that requires approval.
The assigned approver opens the response and reviews it.
If corrections are needed, the approver clicks Deny Response instead of Approve Response.
The approver writes a required comment explaining what needs to be fixed.
The responder receives a notification with the denial reason.
The responder edits the response and resubmits it.
The response returns to Awaiting Approval status for the approver to review again.
This cycle can repeat as many times as needed until the response is approved.
⚙️ What Approvers See
When reviewing a response that requires approval, approvers now see two action options at the bottom of the response:
Approve Response — Sign and approve as before.
Deny Response — Expand a comment field, write the reason for denial, and submit.
Only one action can be taken at a time — selecting one hides the other to keep the interface clean.
📋 What Responders See
When a response has been denied:
A red Denied badge appears on the response in the list view, with a tooltip showing the denial date.
The response detail page shows a red banner with the denial date, the name of the person who denied it, and their comment explaining what needs correction.
The responder can click Edit Response to make changes and resubmit. Resubmitting resets the status to Awaiting Approval.
✅ Benefits
Clear feedback loop — Approvers can explain exactly what's wrong instead of approving incomplete or incorrect responses.
Fewer workarounds — No more emailing corrections separately or leaving comments outside the system.
Full audit trail — Every denial is recorded with the date, the approver's name, and the reason.
Works for external respondents too — External parties who submitted a form can also receive denials and resubmit.
Works across accounts — Denials work correctly even when the approver and responder are on different accounts (e.g., umbrella accounts).
💡 Best Practices
Be specific in denial comments. Tell the responder exactly which questions need corrections and what's expected — this reduces back-and-forth cycles.
Use denial for corrections, not rejections. The flow is designed for a revise-and-resubmit workflow. If a response should be permanently removed, use Delete Response instead.
Check notifications. Responders receive an in-app notification when a response is denied, so they can act quickly.
Be aware of signature requirements. If the form requires a signature, editing a denied response will clear the original signature. The responder will need to re-sign before resubmitting.
❓ FAQs
Who can deny a response?
Any user listed as an approval subscriber on the form can deny responses that are awaiting approval.
Is the denial comment required?
Yes. Approvers must provide a reason when denying a response so the responder knows what to fix.
Can a denied response be denied again after resubmission?
Yes. The approve/deny cycle can repeat as many times as needed until the response meets your requirements.
Does the responder get notified?
Yes. The responder receives an in-app notification with the denial reason as soon as the response is denied.
Can external respondents resubmit denied responses?
Yes. External parties can edit and resubmit denied responses through the same link they used to submit originally.
What happens to the signature if a signed response is denied?
The original signature is cleared when the response is edited. The responder must re-sign the form before resubmitting.
Does this work for assessments?
This feature currently applies to form responses that require approval.