My assignment still says Pending — why hasn't Ascen approved it?
Last updated: September 23, 2026
Applies to: staffing Partners creating and submitting assignments in the Ascen platform.
Summary: Pending means the assignment is still with you. It has not been sent to us, it is not in our approval queue, and we cannot see it or act on it. Only an assignment showing Awaiting approval has reached Ascen. Open the assignment, use the pencil (edit) icon to finish the remaining steps, and submit it — the status then changes to Awaiting approval and the review checks begin.
The status tells you whose side it is on
Every assignment moves through a fixed sequence, and the status is the fastest way to tell whether you are waiting on us or we are waiting on you.
Pending — created, but not fully submitted. With you. Ascen cannot review or approve it at this stage.
Awaiting approval — submitted. With Ascen. The approval checks run, and you should have had a confirmation email when it moved here.
Live — approved. Work can start and the worker’s onboarding invites go out.
Complete — the assignment has ended.
Denied — we were not able to approve it. This does not drop back to Pending, so email us rather than waiting or resubmitting.
So if you are chasing an assignment and it still reads Pending, nothing is queued on our side yet. That is usually good news — it is normally a few seconds of work to release it.
Finishing the submission
Open Assignments and click the assignment.
Click the pencil (edit) icon to reopen the assignment flow.
Work through any steps that are still incomplete. Required details include the job, the contractor, the start date, the pay and bill rates, and a work location (or work-from-home).
Submit on the final step. The status changes to Awaiting approval.
Three things that leave an assignment sitting in Pending
A required detail was never filled in. Most assignment fields can only be set while the assignment is still pending, and the flow will not let you submit until the required ones are there. Stepping back through with the pencil icon is what surfaces the gap.
You created it by copying another assignment. A copy is created as a new pending assignment with the settings carried over but no contractor attached. Add the worker before you try to submit.
It was submitted and then withdrawn. Withdrawing a submitted assignment puts it back to Pending, so an assignment you remember sending can legitimately be sitting with you again.
If it already says Awaiting approval
Then it is with us and the review checks are running — that is a different question, and the timings and the common hold-ups are in How long does it take for an assignment to be approved? and Creating clients, jobs, and assignments — what's required and what can delay going live.
When the start date is close
Submit first, then tell us. An assignment cannot be prioritised while it is still Pending, because it has not reached the queue. Once it shows Awaiting approval, email support@ascen.com with the assignment and the start date and we can tell you exactly which check it is waiting on. Do not hold the submission back waiting for a reply from us.