CharlieHR 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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CharlieHR is the HR software many small companies use for time off, payslips, documents and team profiles. Inside the product it simply calls itself Charlie. Your Charlie login belongs to your employer's company account, and that matters for two-factor authentication (2FA): if you lose your authenticator, CharlieHR's own team won't switch it off for you. Only a Super Admin at your company can (CharlieHR).
Charlie's second factor is an authenticator app. Its help doesn't describe text-message or email codes. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the CharlieHR steps come from CharlieHR's own help center, including the screen recordings in its articles, which we read on October 24, 2026. We haven't tested them on a CharlieHR account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Is it required?
That depends on your company. Any employee can turn 2FA on for their own profile. A Super Admin can also require it, either for admins only or for everyone, under Company > Settings > Two-factor authentication, then Save two-factor setting (CharlieHR). The older personal 2FA article still says a company-wide requirement isn't possible. The newer organization article replaces that.
If your company requires it, Charlie emails you and asks you to set it up at your next login. New starters are asked during onboarding (CharlieHR).
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
It's easiest on a computer, with your iPhone next to it (CharlieHR):
- Go to Your Profile and open the Settings tab.
- In the Two-factor Authentication section, select Make my account more secure.
- Read the instructions, then select Ok, Turn two step on! and confirm with Enable Two-Factor.
- Charlie shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it.
- When the recovery codes appear under Backup Codes!, save them with Copy codes or Download codes, then select Continue to Charlie.
If your company requires 2FA, you start from a page called Set up two-factor authentication at login instead. Select Set up two-factor, and the QR code and backup codes follow.
Charlie's help doesn't mention a text key to type in, and the recordings only show the QR code. If you open Charlie on your iPhone, take a screenshot of the code, then tap + and Choose a photo in Novaz. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone. The setup screen says the codes have 6 digits, change every 30 seconds and appear under the name CharlieHR. That matches what Novaz makes by default.
Keep your backup codes
The 2026 setup screen in CharlieHR's organization article shows five recovery codes, each usable once, for when you lose your device. The older personal article doesn't mention them (CharlieHR). Novaz keeps its keys on the iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file, and even with a backup these codes get you in if it's out of date. Store them in a password manager or on paper, away from your phone. Charlie's help doesn't explain where to type a recovery code at login or how to get new ones. See 2FA backup codes.
When Charlie asks for a code
Once 2FA is on, you need a code from your app as well as your email and password each time you log in. The setup screen also warns that single sign-on, such as Log in with Google, won't be available for your account any more (CharlieHR).
If Charlie rejects your code
Charlie's help has no advice on rejected codes. Check your iPhone's clock first: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
If you lose your authenticator
Try a backup code first. Without one, ask a Super Admin at your company. CharlieHR's article is blunt that support won't step in: "The Charlie team will not do this on your behalf" (CharlieHR).
The Super Admin opens your profile, goes to the Settings tab and selects Reset 2FA, then confirms. You get an email about the change and can log in with your email and password. If your company requires 2FA, Charlie asks you to set it up again (CharlieHR). Charlie's help doesn't say what to do if you are your company's only Super Admin, so save your backup codes carefully in that case.
More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Changing phones
Charlie's reset screen names a new phone as one reason for a Super Admin to reset 2FA (CharlieHR). You can also turn 2FA off yourself and set it up again on the new phone, while you can still log in. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead. Without one, keep the old phone until the new one works. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
Turning 2FA off
You or a Super Admin can turn it off from your profile's Settings tab (CharlieHR). The article calls it a toggle in a security section, while its screenshot shows a Turn off two-factor authentication button, so labels may differ. In a recording of a company that requires 2FA, that button is grayed out (CharlieHR).
