---
search:
  tags:
    - employees
    - PATCH
seo:
  description: >-
    Partially updates an existing employee. Only the fields you provide will be…
    Reference for the PATCH /employees/{id} endpoint in the Leadtime Public API
    API.
sidebar:
  badge: PATCH
  label: Update employee
title: Update employee
type: openapi-operation
---
Partially updates an existing employee. Only the fields you provide will be updated; all other fields remain unchanged.

**How updates work:**
- **Personal information** (firstName, lastName, email, phone, address, birth date, title, degree, position):
  - Updates the employee record
  - If email, firstName, or lastName changes, the associated user account is automatically synced
- **Access settings** (canLogin, roleId):
  - Updates the user account permissions
  - If `canLogin` changes from `false` to `true`:
    - User account is created if it doesn't exist
    - User status becomes Active
    - In ready workspaces, an invitation email is sent automatically
    - During initial workspace setup, invitation email delivery is deferred until setup is finished
  - If email is changed and a HelpdeskUser with that email exists, it will be upgraded to Employee type
- **Team assignments** (teams):
  - Replaces the entire team assignment list
  - Provide an empty array to remove all team assignments
  - Omit `teams` to leave team assignments unchanged
- **Avatar** (avatarId):
  - Set to a file ID from POST /workspace/upload to update the avatar
  - Set to `null` to remove the avatar
- **Working conditions** (chargeableHoursDayGoal):
  - Updates the chargeable (billable) hours per day goal
  - Used for time tracking targets and notifications
  - Set to `null` to remove the goal

**Custom fields:**
Employees do not support custom fields through this API.

**Update process:**
1. Verify the employee exists (returns 404 if not found)
2. Update personal information if provided
3. Update access settings if provided
4. Update team assignments if provided
5. Update working conditions if provided
6. Return the updated employee with all current data

**Note:** All updates are validated and will fail if validation rules are violated (e.g., email must be unique). The response includes the complete updated employee record.

<Operation source="api-reference" id="employeescontroller-updateemployee" />