Setting up draft users
This feature applies to Ramp Administrators and Owners.
Overview
Draft users let you create and configure users in Ramp before sending invites. Import your org chart, assign managers and approvers, and build workflows — then publish users when you are ready to go live.
When to use draft users
Draft users are designed for onboarding scenarios where you need to configure Ramp before anyone receives an invite. Common patterns include:
- Phased department rollouts — Finance goes live first while the rest of the company is staged for later waves.
- Multi-entity migrations — Each entity has different approval workflows and GL coding. Import everyone as drafts, configure each entity separately, and publish them on their own timelines.
- SCIM-first enterprise onboarding — Provision thousands of users from Okta or another identity provider, build the full org chart in Ramp, and publish once approvals and Spend Programs are validated.
- Pilot-first rollouts — Test Ramp with a small group before rolling out company-wide. Import all users as drafts, publish the pilot cohort, validate, then expand.
What you can configure before inviting
While users are in draft, you can set up the following without triggering invites or notifications:
| Configuration | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Manager chains | Yes | Assign managers so the full org chart is in place before go-live. |
| Groups | Yes | Create groups and add draft users as members. |
| Spend Programs | Yes | Assign draft users directly or through group membership. |
| Approval workflows | Yes | Reference draft users as approvers or in routing conditions. |
| Org attributes | Yes | Department, location, role, custom fields, and custom records (including via SFTP). |
| Approval matrices | Yes | Fully configurable. Anything possible for pending users also works for draft users. |
| Funds and spend limits | Not yet | Cannot add funds from the user drawer. Use other issuance paths such as the Issue action on the homepage. |
Draft users cannot sign in, spend, approve, or receive any Ramp communications until they are published.
How to create draft users
Via SCIM (Okta, Entra ID, or other identity providers)
- Enable the Create SCIM users as draft setting in Ramp. No changes are needed on the identity provider side.
- Provision users from your identity provider. Users land in Ramp as drafts with their SCIM attributes.
- Review imported data on the People page.
- Configure approval workflows, groups, and Spend Programs.
- When ready, publish the relevant users to send invites.
Via CSV import
- Import users via CSV. Users land in Ramp as drafts.
- Review imported records on the People page and clean up any assignments.
- Configure approval workflows, groups, and Spend Programs.
- When ready, publish the relevant users.
Via manual add
- Add users through the invite drawer on the People page and keep them in draft.
- Fill in role, department, location, and manager details.
- When ready, publish the relevant users.
Via HRIS import
- Import users and org structure from your HRIS. Users land as drafts.
- Review imported data and configure workflows.
- When ready, publish the relevant users.
Note: When publishing, consider publishing managers and approvers first so that approval workflows route correctly before employees start submitting. You can also schedule invites for a future date and time.
Things to know
- SCIM sync continues in draft. Manager, department, location, and custom fields keep syncing from your identity provider. The exception is email changes — if a user's email changes while in draft, delete the draft and recreate the user.
- Publishing triggers an invite. The user receives an invite email (if enabled), can accept via SSO, and can spend assigned funds once onboarded.
- Deprovisioning does not remove drafts. If a user is deprovisioned in your identity provider while in draft, the draft remains. Publishing it marks the user as inactive immediately.
- Physical cards ship immediately. If you enter a mailing address at card issuance time, the card ships even if the user is still in draft. Wait to issue physical cards until after publishing.
- Draft is stricter than suppressed invites. Draft users are blocked from all acceptance — including SSO — until published.
- Funds cannot be added from the user drawer yet. Use other issuance paths such as the Issue action on the homepage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a draft user and a pending user?
A pending user has been invited and can accept. A draft user has not been invited and cannot sign in or accept any invite until an admin publishes them. See Understanding user states in Ramp.
Can I use draft users with Okta or another identity provider?
Yes. Enable the SCIM draft setting and users provisioned from your identity provider land as drafts. See Setting up SCIM and managing user provisioning.
What happens if I publish employees before their managers?
Approval workflows may fall back to a broader group (such as any admin) until the manager is also published. Publish managers and approvers first to avoid this.