Understanding user states in Ramp

Note: This article primarily applies to Ramp Administrators. Cardholders may find other articles in the Ramp overview section to be more applicable.

Overview

When managing employees on Ramp, it is important to understand the different states a user can be in. This helps you know when to take action, troubleshoot access issues, and handle onboarding and offboarding correctly.

Primary lifecycle states

These are the main states that appear in the Company > People table.

Active

Users become Active once they accept their Ramp invite and complete onboarding. This is the default state for most users. Active users have full access to Ramp based on their assigned role, including:

• Spending on Ramp via cards or Bill Pay
• Submitting reimbursements
• Serving as approvers in approval policies and as delegates for others

Pending (invited)

A Pending user has been invited to Ramp but has not yet accepted. Pending users appear with a mail icon in the People table. They cannot access Ramp until they accept the invite and complete onboarding.

You can view pending invites on the People page. If your business uses SCIM or an HRIS integration, pending users appear under the Team updates button. Otherwise, they are listed under Pending invites.

For details on sending invites, see Inviting users to Ramp. If a user is stuck in Pending, see troubleshooting steps below.

Inactive (deactivated)

An Inactive user has been deactivated but not deleted from Ramp. Unlike deletion, deactivation is reversible.

When a user is deactivated:

• They cannot sign in to Ramp.
• They cannot spend on cards or funds.
• They will not receive Ramp notifications.
• Their name shows "(Inactive)" in the Company > People table.

However, their data is preserved:

• Their cards and funds are not terminated.
• They remain listed in workflows and as managers, but cannot perform those duties because they cannot sign in.
• They are not included in the Ramp Plus billing policy .

Upon reactivation, the user regains full access. For step-by-step instructions, see Deactivating and removing users from Ramp.

Note: Ramp does not automatically delete users or terminate their cards based on a SCIM instruction. To permanently delete a user, an admin must do so manually in Ramp. During deletion, admins can choose to terminate or reassign active cards and funds, and replace the user in active workflows. See Auto-termination with SCIM for details.

Terminated (deleted)

A user is Terminated when they have been permanently removed from Ramp. Unlike deactivation, deletion is final and cannot be undone.

When a user is deleted:

• Their physical cards and funds are terminated (if not transferred during the deletion process).
• Any open reimbursements are terminated.
• They are removed as approvers and delegates (if not transferred during deletion).

Spend locked (suspended)

A Spend locked user is Active but their cards and spending are temporarily locked. A lock icon appears next to their name in the People table. Unlike deactivation, the user can still sign in to Ramp and view their account — they just cannot make purchases. Suspension can be set manually by an admin or triggered automatically by compliance rules.

Why is my user stuck in pending?

If a user remains in a Pending state after being invited, check for the following causes.

Invite expired

Invites expire after 14 days by default (configurable by admin). Resend the invite from People > Pending invites to generate a new link.

Invite email bounced

The invite email could not be delivered. This appears as "Failed" in the Pending Invites view. Delete the failed invite and create a new one with the correct email address.

Invite pending Admin approval

When an admin invite uses an unverified email domain, Ramp sends an approval email to existing admins. The invite stays pending until an admin approves it from that email. Check with your other admins to confirm the approval email was received and acted on.

User started but did not finish onboarding

The user clicked the invite link but did not complete all onboarding steps (for example, adding a phone number or agreeing to terms). These users show a partial-circle warning icon in the People table. The user needs to sign in and complete the remaining steps.

SSO configuration issue

If your company uses SSO, the user may be unable to accept the invite because their email domain is not configured in the SSO provider. Verify that your SSO settings include the user's email domain.

SCIM-provisioned invite

If the user has not accepted a SCIM invite, you cannot delete it from the Ramp UI. Instead, deactivate the user in your identity provider first, then re-provision them to generate a fresh invite. For more details, see Setting up SCIM and managing user provisioning.

How users move between states

• Pending to Active: The user accepts the invite and completes onboarding.
• Active to Inactive: An admin deactivates the user (or the user is deactivated via SCIM).
• Inactive to Active: An admin reactivates the user.
• Active or Inactive to Terminated: An admin permanently deletes the user.
• Pending to Terminated: An admin deletes the invite and user record.

Terminated is a permanent, irreversible state. Deactivation is always preferred when you may need to restore access later.

Setting an expiration date to deactivate a user

Expiration dates allow you to invite contractors, consultants, seasonal workers, or job candidates without the hassle of manually deactivating them later.

To set an end date for a user's Ramp access:

1. Go to Company > People and select Invite people .
2. Enter the user's information.
3. Under the Details section, select a Deactivation date .
4. Send the invite.

Note: Deactivation dates are optional and can be set for all user roles, including Guests (Ramp Plus only).

What happens when a user expires?

• They lose access to sign-in and spending capabilities.
• Admins retain access to the user's reimbursements, cards, and vendor information.
• Admins can transfer their cards and vendor ownership to another user.
• The account can be reactivated at any time by an admin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a suspended user and a deactivated user?

Suspended (spend locked): The user can still sign in to Ramp but cannot make purchases. They retain access to view their account, submit reimbursements, and perform non-spending actions.

Deactivated (Inactive): The user cannot sign in to Ramp at all. Their data and approvals are preserved, and an admin can reactivate them at any time.

Use suspension to temporarily restrict spending while keeping the account accessible. Use deactivation when the user should have no access to Ramp.

Can I reactivate a terminated user?

No. Termination is permanent. If you may need to restore access later, deactivate the user instead. See Deactivating and removing users from Ramp for details.