> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.memberply.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.memberply.com/membership-applications/review-and-approve-applicants.md).

# Review and approve applicants

Use the application inbox to decide whether a customer qualifies for the connected membership tier.

## Find an application

1. In Memberply, open **Applications > Inbox** under **Membership**.
2. Search by applicant or business details when needed.
3. Filter by application program or status.
4. Select **Review** for a pending application or **View** for an application with another status to open its details.

The detail page shows:

* Every submitted answer
* The connected application program and membership tier
* Available business verification information
* Current application status
* Submission and decision history
* Private notes added by your team

## Make a decision

Choose one of the available actions:

* **Approve** when the applicant meets your eligibility policy.
* **Request information** when you need clarification or more evidence before deciding.
* **Reject** when the applicant does not qualify.

Add a private note when your team should understand why the decision was made. Private notes are not sent to the applicant.

### Correct submitted details

Select **Edit details** to correct an applicant's answers before approving. You can also clear an incorrect value, such as a phone number that Shopify rejected, even when that field was required on the applicant-facing form. Memberply records which fields were changed in the application history.

Details can be edited while an application is **Pending**, **Needs information**, **Rejected**, or **Approval expired**. The application email and verified business identifier cannot be changed because they control Shopify customer matching and business verification. Ask the applicant to submit a new application if either identity field is wrong.

You can revise a decision before membership activation:

* Approve an application that was previously rejected or marked **Needs information**.
* Change an **Approved awaiting payment** application to **Needs information** or **Rejected**.
* Approve an application again after its previous paid approval expired.

An unused paid approval means that you approved the application for a paid membership tier, but the customer has not completed payment. Memberply has authorized that customer to purchase the tier, and the application shows **Approved awaiting payment**.

If you change an unused paid approval to **Needs information** or **Rejected**, Memberply removes the customer's permission to purchase the gated membership and clears the approval expiry date. Their previous private purchase link will no longer pass checkout validation.

An **Active** application cannot be returned to review or rejected from the application page because its membership has already been activated. Cancel or manage the active membership from the Members page instead.

{% hint style="info" %}
Business verification supports your review but does not replace it. Your team remains responsible for deciding whether the applicant meets the program's eligibility and commercial requirements.
{% endhint %}

## What happens after approval

For a free tier, Memberply:

1. Creates or matches the Shopify customer.
2. Activates the membership.
3. Applies the membership tags and customer metafields.
4. Makes the tier's configured benefits available.
5. Sends the free membership activation email when enabled.

For a paid tier, Memberply:

1. Creates or matches the Shopify customer.
2. Creates purchase authorization for the exact application and tier.
3. Sends the applicant's private purchase invitation when enabled.
4. Activates membership only after the approved purchase is paid.

The status shows **Processing approval** while Memberply completes the required Shopify work. Temporary Shopify or network failures are retried. If Shopify rejects an editable customer detail, such as an invalid phone number, the application returns to **Pending** immediately and shows what needs attention. Select **Edit details**, update or remove the rejected value, then approve the application again. If Shopify rejects the application email, correct or create the customer in Shopify or ask the applicant to submit again. Other failures return the application to **Pending** after the retry limit and are recorded in its history.

If processing takes longer than two minutes, Memberply shows a delayed-processing notice and continues trying automatically. If the operation is still stuck after 15 minutes, **Retry approval** becomes available. This safely reschedules the existing operation and does not create a second approval. If the original operation can no longer be recovered, Memberply returns the application to **Pending** so you can review and approve it again.

When you approve an application again after changing a previous unused paid approval, Memberply creates a new purchase invitation for that approval. Retrying the same approval operation does not create duplicate invitations.

## Application statuses

Common statuses include:

* **Pending:** Ready for review.
* **Needs information:** Waiting for more details from the applicant.
* **Processing approval:** Memberply is completing the approval operation.
* **Rejected:** The merchant declined the application.
* **Approved awaiting payment:** The applicant can purchase the approved paid tier.
* **Active:** Membership has been activated.
* **Approval expired:** The paid approval expired before purchase.

Memberply blocks a second active application for the same email address and program. This prevents duplicate submissions while an application is under review, awaiting payment, or active.