Understanding Time-Limited Roles in ServiceNow

[Its_Azar]

Giving permanent roles for short-term tasks increases security risk and leads to role sprawl.

This is exactly where Time-Limited Roles in ServiceNow come into play.

What Are Time-Limited Roles?

Time-Limited Roles allow administrators to assign a role to a user for a specific duration, after which ServiceNow automatically removes it.

Instead of manually tracking role removals or setting up reminders, the platform handles expiration for you.

This keeps access controlled, temporary, and audit-friendly.

 

Why Use Time-Limited Roles?

Benefit	Description
Improves security	Prevents unnecessary long-term privileged access
Reduces manual effort	Auto-removal means no follow-up work
Supports compliance	Useful for audits, least-privilege model & SOX controls
Clear tracking	You always know who has temporary access and until when

For teams following Zero-Trust or strong governance, time-based access is a best practice.

 

How Time-Limited Roles Work

When assigning a role to a user:

1. Go to sys_user record

2. Add a role under Roles

3. You will see the option to set Start date and End date

4. Save the record

ServiceNow automatically removes the role when the end date is reached.
No custom scripts required.

Note: You must use sys_user_has_role record to set dates — assigning roles directly via “Edit” button does not show the expiry option.

 

Where Are Time-Limited Roles Useful?

Some common use cases:

• Admin access for troubleshooting

               Admins can grant temporary admin role to a developer for 2 hours during an incident.

• Testing & UAT cycles

              Testers can have temporary approval roles only during testing cycles.

•  Contract staff

             Contractors can automatically lose access the day their contract ends.

• Emergency change window

            Change managers can give emergency access during maintenance windows only.

 

 Best Practices

• Assign time-limited roles through sys_user_has_role record, not via popup role editor

• Use short durations — extend only when needed

• Document justification for temporary access

• Periodically review temporary access reports

• Combine with approvals for sensitive roles (admin/security roles)

 

Final Thoughts

Time-Limited Roles may seem like a small feature, but they have a big impact on security and governance. In a world where least-privilege access and audit-readiness are becoming essential, this feature helps admins stay compliant without extra effort.

If you haven't already, start using time-based role assignments in your environment — it keeps access clean, temporary, and secure.