Record who can sign for a company
Record each power of attorney, board delegation and bank mandate, who it empowers and up to what amount.
Screenshots are retaken from IQ Entities on every release. Updated 14 October 2026.
Sooner or later someone asks who can sign a contract, approve a payment or execute a deed for a company, and how much they can commit it to. The answer sits in powers of attorney, board resolutions and bank mandates. Recording each one on the company's Authorities page, with its holders and their limits, lets IQ Entities answer the question for any amount on any date.
An authority is recorded in two parts: the instrument that grants it, then the people or offices it empowers.
Record the instrument
Open the company and choose Authorities under Governance in the sidebar.
Click Record authority.
Give it a Title that someone else would recognise, choose the Instrument (for example Power of attorney, Board resolution or Mandate letter), and the Type if one applies.
Enter In force from, and Expires if the instrument has an end date. Add a Review by date for anything you want to look at again before it lapses.
Click Record authority.
Say who it empowers
On the new authority, click Add holder.
Choose who holds it under Held by, then the person, committee or office.
Under What they may do, click Add a limit, choose the kind of decision and enter the amount in Up to. Leave Up to empty for no ceiling.
Click Add holder.
| The instrument names | Choose under Held by |
|---|---|
| A named individual or company | Person or company |
| A board committee | Committee |
| "The finance director" or "any director", whoever that is at the time | Whoever holds an office |
| A law firm or registered agent outside the group | External body |
Read it back
Open Matrix to see every kind of decision against every holder, with the limit each may sign up to.
Open Who can sign?, choose What is being signed, enter the Amount and Currency, and click Ask. The answer combines every authority, limit and signing rule in force.
Tips from practice
- A dash in the matrix means nothing is recorded for that decision, not that it is forbidden. To record that something is expressly not permitted, add the limit and switch off Permitted.
- Amounts are never converted between currencies, so record each limit in the currency the instrument uses.
- Attach the signed instrument from the authority's menu with Attach a document, so the evidence sits with the record.
- Expires and Review by feed the compliance calendar, so a renewal can be raised before an authority lapses.
Next: Set up a bank mandate. When a holder leaves: End a leaver's authorities.