# Create, edit or deactivate a department

> Go to Admin → Departments and select Create department, or open a department's menu to edit or deactivate it. People you add as approvers or HR contacts get extra access.

- Product: Company admin › Employees and departments
- Who can do this: Super admins, Admins with the manage departments permissions, Other admins (view only)

- Where: Admin dashboard
- Last checked: 15 Oct 2026
- Web page: https://www.vantagecircle.com/en/help/company-admin/employees-and-departments/create-edit-or-deactivate-a-department/

**Admin → Departments** lists your company's active departments. Any admin who can open Admin can see the list. To create, edit or deactivate a department, you need to be a super admin or have the **Manage departments** permission. Without it, there's no **Create department** button and no row menu.

Departments are also created when an employee file names a department that doesn't exist yet. See [Add, update or deactivate employees](/en/help/company-admin/employees-and-departments/add-update-or-deactivate-employees/). The employee file is also how you move people into a department.

## Create a department

1. Go to **Admin → Departments** and select **Create department**.
2. Enter a **Department name** of up to 300 characters. It can't match another active department. **Description** is optional, up to 500 characters.
3. Under **Department contacts and approvals**, search for people by name or email:
   - **Approvers**: each person gets Approver access.
   - **HR contacts**: each person gets HR Report Viewer access.
   - **Department leaders**
   - **Department contact**: one person only.

   ![The Department contacts and approvals card with Approvers, HR contacts, Department leaders and Department contact, each with a search box](https://cdn.vantagecircle.com/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/v1792133354/vantagecircle/help-centre/en/company-admin/employees-and-departments/admin-department-contacts-72c61cdc6750eca6.png)

4. Under **Department email addresses**, add a **Broadcast email** and a **CC email** if you use them. Both are optional.
5. Select **Create department**.

If you added approvers or HR contacts, a box called **This will change account access** lists who gets which access. Select **Save and update access** to go ahead, or **Go back** to change your choices.

You'll see **Department created** and the list again.

## Edit a department

Open the department's menu and select **Edit**. Make your changes and select **Save changes**. Until you change something, the footer says "No changes to save."

- Removing someone from **Approvers** takes away their Approver access completely, even if they also approve for another department.
- Removing someone from **HR contacts** doesn't take away their HR Report Viewer access. Check their access in [Roles and permissions](/en/help/company-admin/roles-and-permissions/).

## Deactivate a department

1. Open the department's menu and select **Deactivate**.
2. The box **Deactivate Customer Success?** says employees can no longer be assigned to it. Move anyone in it to another department first, by uploading their rows with the new department name.
3. Select **Deactivate department**.

You'll see **Department deactivated**. The department leaves the list, and its approvers lose their Approver access.

You can't reactivate a department from this page. Its name is free again, so you can create a new department with the same name. An employee file that names it creates a new department too.

## If something goes wrong

**"A department with this name already exists."**
Another active department has this name. Choose a different one.

**"Your changes were not saved. If the name or description contains emoji or non-Latin characters, remove them and try again."**
Take out emoji and characters outside the Latin alphabet, then save again.

**"Enter a valid department distribution email." or "Enter a valid CC email."**
Fix the address, or leave the field empty.

**"Add at least one HR contact and one department leader."**
Your company requires both on every department. Add them and save again.

**"Department not found"**
It may have been deactivated, or you may not have access to it. Select **Back to Departments**.

**"We couldn't confirm whether the department was saved. Reload it before trying again."**
Reload the list before saving again, so you don't create the department twice.