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Add and manage custom roles in QuickBooks Online Advanced

SOLVED•by QuickBooks•654•Updated 6 days ago

Learn how to create and manage custom roles for your QuickBooks Online Advanced users.

Note:

  • Only administrators can manage users. Learn about becoming the primary admin.
  • Some fields are read-only and are automatically included in a role for your information.

With custom roles, you can manage user access in QuickBooks and give users only the access needed for their role. Choose what users can see and do within different areas of QuickBooks like banking, sales, payroll, expenses, reports, budgets, and inventory.

When you set up a new role, you have the option to:

  • Create a new role and choose what the role can access.
  • Choose a predefined custom role, like Sales Manager or Expense Manager.
  • Choose from the list of QuickBooks roles, like Company admin or Time tracking only.

Add a new role

If you’d like to create a new custom role, you just need to add the role and choose the different areas the role can access.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select the Roles tab, then select Add role.
  3. Enter a Role name and Role description.
  4. Select what the user role can access in QuickBooks, then select Save Role.

If you have business across different locations, you can create a role with different sales access for each. This way, your users can manage sales transactions based on their location.

Note: If you haven’t yet, make sure to set up and add a location for your company.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙, then select Manage users.
  2. Select the Roles tab, then select Add role.
  3. Enter a Role name and Role description.
  4. Select Sales.
  5. From the All locations ▼ dropdown menu, select one or more locations.
  6. Select what your user can access.
  7. Select Save Role.

Assign a role to a new user

If you have a new user, you’ll need to add them in QuickBooks and assign a role.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select Users tab, then select Add user.
  3. Enter the user’s First name, Last name, and Email.
  4. From the ▼ dropdown under the Roles menu, select the role you want to assign to the user.
  5. Review the permissions this role has and select Send invitation.

The user will get an email invite and will need to select Let’s go! to sign in.

Note: If your user forgot their password, they can reset their own password.

Assign a custom role to a new user

If you have a new user, you’ll need to add them in QuickBooks and assign a custom role.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select Users tab, then select Add user.
  3. Enter the user’s First name, Last name, and Email.
  4. From the Roles, select View all permissions, then assign the custom permissions you want to assign to the user.
  5. Review the permissions, then select Send invitation.
  6. You’ll be asked to Create a custom role, since you have used custom permissions.
  7. Enter the Custom role name and Role description.
  8. Select Save role.

The user will get an email invite and will need to select Let’s go! to sign in.

Note: If your user forgot their password, they can reset their own password.

Edit access for a role

Once the user accepts your email invite, you can edit the access of the roles you created at any time. Here’s how.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select the Roles tab. In the Action column, select Edit.
  3. Select access for a role.
  4. Enter a Role name and description, then select Save Role.

Edit a user’s role

Sometimes your user’s roles will change or you may need to allow a user more access. Here’s how to edit a user’s role.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select the Users tab, then find the user you want to edit.
  3. Select Edit from the Action column.
  4. Choose from the existing custom or QuickBooks roles.
  5. Select Save. If you edited permissions after selecting the role, you’ll be asked to save a new custom role. Enter a Role name and description, then select Save Role.

Reactivate or deactivate a user’s role

You can activate or deactivate a user role if needed.
Note: Before you can make a role inactive, you have to assign any associated users to a different role.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
  2. Select the Roles tab, then find the role you want to edit.
  3. In the Action column, select ⋮ next to Edit, then select Deactivate.
  4. Select Deactivate.

If the user role is already deactivated, select Reactivate. Then select Reactivate Role.

If you need to reduce your users, you can delete them so you won’t reach your usage limit. Learn more about usage limits.

Custom roles and access

Custom roles let you assign detailed permissions to different areas of QuickBooks that define:

  • What features a user can access in QuickBooks
  • What actions they can perform within those features, like view only, create, edit, delete, approve, and all access
  • What data restrictions apply to their access, like restricting sales data by location

Here’s more info about access control for different areas and permissions:

All sales

You can:

  • Enter estimates, invoices, sales receipts, credit memos, and refunds
  • Enter charges and credits
  • Create and delete statements
  • Receive payments from customers
  • Fill out timesheets for anyone
  • Add, edit, and delete customers, products, and services
  • View tax rates and agency settings
  • Use and adjust tax in sales transactions and general journal entries, including manually overriding calculated tax amounts
  • Add, edit, and delete currencies
  • Edit exchange rates

You cannot:

  • Print checks (including refunds)
  • Make bills and purchases billable to customers
  • Add, edit, and delete accounts and quantity on hand
  • View bank registers
  • See total income and expense amounts on home, vendor, or customer pages
  • Run tax reports or view tax history
  • Prepare or file a sales tax return or record sales payments
  • Set up new or change existing tax agencies or settings
  • Set up multicurrency
  • Perform home currency adjustments
  • View all reports

Invoices

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, delete, and approve invoices based on action level permissions.
  • Access all products, services, and customers.

You cannot:

  • Apply billable time, expenses, or delayed credits and charges with invoice-only access.
  • Access other transactions or reports unless given separate permission.

Estimates

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete estimates based on action level permissions.
  • Access all products, services, and customers.

You cannot:

  • Access other transactions or reports unless given separate permission.

Sales Receipts

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete sales receipts based on action level permissions.
  • Access all products and services.
  • Send payment links if QuickBooks Payments is enabled.

You cannot:

  • Access other transactions or reports unless given separate permission.
  • Sign up for QuickBooks Payments.

Receive Payments

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete invoice payments based on action level permissions.
  • View invoices.
  • Access all products and services.
  • Send payment links if QuickBooks Payments is enabled.

You cannot:

  • Access other transactions or reports unless given separate permission.
  • Sign up for QuickBooks Payments.

Credit Memo

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete credit memo transactions based on action level permissions.
  • View invoices and invoice payments.
  • Access all products and services.
  • Send payment links if QuickBooks Payments is enabled.

You cannot:

  • Access other transactions or reports unless given separate permission.
  • Sign up for QuickBooks Payments.

You can also assign action-level permissions on sales transactions: 

Action permissionsDescription
ViewView transactions without the ability to modify or delete them
CreateView and create new transactions. Modify the transactions you create but not those created by others
EditView, create, and edit transactions without the ability to delete them
DeleteView and delete transactions
ApproveApprove transactions if you are the assigned approver. Workflows need to be set up. 
Note: Currently only available for invoices.
All accessPerform all actions on the transactions the user has been assigned access to

Restriction: Location

If you have business across different locations, you can create a role with different sales access for each. This way, your users can manage sales transactions based on their location.

  • You’ll need to turn on locations and once set up, add your locations. 
  • You can then restrict a user’s sales access to specific locations in the Manage users display. 
  • Once you restrict access to sales by location, they can only view and operate on sales transactions that belong to the location assigned. If they can create transactions, they’re required to assign the location they have access to.

All Expenses

You can:

  • Enter bills from vendors.
  • Enter cash and credit card purchases
  • Pay bills, write checks, and view check detail reports
  • Print checks (except refunds)
  • Add, edit, and delete vendors, products, and services
  • View tax rates and agency settings
  • Use and adjust sales tax in purchase, credit card, and banking transactions, including manually overriding calculated sales tax amounts.
  • Prepare or file a sales tax return or record sales tax payments
  • Add, edit, and delete currencies
  • Edit exchange rates

You cannot:

  • Add, edit, or delete accounts and quantity on hand
  • View bank registers
  • Set up new tax agencies or change tax settings
  • Set up multicurrency
  • Perform home currency adjustments
  • See total income and expense amounts on home, vendor, or customer pages
  • View all reports

Bills

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and void bills based on action-level permissions.
  • Order checks.
  • View expenses with bill type.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Pay bills.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Checks

You can:

  • View, write, copy, edit, and void checks based on action-level permissions.
  • Print checks only if you have full access to checks.
  • View expenses with check type and view Bill Payment (check).
  • View vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Update details of Bill Payment (check).
  • View the sidebar on the create check page to link to a bill.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Expenses

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete expenses based on action-level permissions.
  • Order checks.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Pay bills or print checks.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Bill Payments

You can:

  • Mark bills as paid with ‘create’ permissions
  • Pay bills online using QB Bill Pay if you have the ‘pay’ permission
  • View, copy, edit, and delete bill payment transactions based on action-level permissions
  • View bills
  • Order checks
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Print checks.
  • View other transaction types under expenses apart from bills and bill payments.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Expense claims

You can:

  • Upload or submit expense claims for review.

You cannot:

  • Add or update expenses or bills.
  • View other expense transaction types
  • Access vendors list or prepare 1099 forms for vendors

Vendor Credits

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete vendor credits based on action-level permissions
  • Order checks.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Pay bills or print checks.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Credit card credits

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete credit card credits based on action-level permissions
  • Order checks.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Pay bills or print checks.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

Purchase orders

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete purchase orders based on action-level permissions
  • Order checks.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Pay bills or print checks.
  • View other transaction types under expenses.
  • Update Vendor details.
  • Make the vendor inactive.
  • Prepare a 1099 form for a vendor.

You can also assign action-level permissions on expense transactions. 

Action permissionsDescription
ViewView transactions without the ability to modify or delete it.
CreateView and create new transactions. And modify those transactions, but not those created by others. 
EditView, create, and edit transactions without the ability to delete them.
DeleteView and delete transactions.
ApproveApprove transactions for which they have been assigned as approver. Approval workflows need to be set up. Currently this permission is available for bills.
SubmitAllows the user to submit transactions for review. Currently this permission is available for expense claims.
PayAllows user to pay bills online using QuickBooks Bill Pay.
All accessAllows a user to perform all actions on the transactions they have been assigned.

All inventory access

You can:

  • View and edit the Product and Services list.
  • Manage categories.
  • Adjust inventory.
  • View the inventory asset account, income account, and expense account.
  • View and update vendor details.

You cannot:

  • Add a new inventory asset account, inventory adjustment account, income account, or expense account.
  • Run reports.
  • Do batch actions for Email and Pay bills.
  • Prepare 1099.
  • Create new transactions for a vendor.

You can control access to certain lists in QuickBooks as part of custom roles. When you assign access to transactions, users may automatically get access to lists like customers and vendors. Be sure to check when you create or edit roles.

Customers

You can:

  • View, create, edit, and make inactive based on action-level permissions.
  • View the customers page.

You cannot:

  • Create invoices or other sales transactions (need separate permissions).
  • View other transaction types under sales or expenses.
  • Create statements.
  • View or modify vendors.

Vendors

You can:

  • View, create, edit, and make inactive based on action-level permissions.
  • View the vendors page.

You cannot:

  • Create bills or other expense transactions (need separate permissions).
  • View other transaction types under sales or expenses.
  • View and manage contractors. 
  • View or modify customers.

You can also assign action-level permissions to lists

Action permissionsDescription
ViewView lists like customers or vendors without the ability to create, modify, or delete.
CreateView and create new customers or vendors and modify those customers or vendors, but not those created by others.
EditView, create, and edit lists they have access to like customers or vendors without the ability to delete them.
DeleteView and delete (make inactive) customers or vendors.
All accessLets a user perform all actions on lists they have access to like customers or vendors.

All bookkeeping access

You can:

  • Access all banking transactions. This role also gets access to sales, expenses, and lists.
  • Connect a bank or credit card to bring in transactions (only if the admin created an account in Chart of Accounts).
  • Create a new rule and edit existing rules.
  • Upload and export receipts.
  • Set up receipt forwarding.
  • View bank registers (checking, savings, and credit cards only).
  • Add, match, and record transactions.
  • Create, edit, and delete bank deposits.

You cannot:

  • View the Chart of Accounts.
  • Edit bank registers.
  • Create a journal entry.
  • View Reconcile, Budgeting, or Audit Log.
  • Adjust inventory.
  • View all reports.

Bank deposit

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete transfers based on action-level permissions
  • Order checks.

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card
  • View banking transactions
  • View and edit bank registers
  • View rules and receipts
  • Access other sales or expense transactions

Transfers

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete transfers based on action-level permissions
  • Order checks.

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card.
  • View banking transactions.
  • View and edit bank registers.
  • View rules and receipts.
  • Access other sales or expense transactions.

Bank transactions

You can:

  • Access to all banking transactions. This role will also get access to sales, expenses, and lists
  • Create a new rule and edit existing rules
  • View bank registers (checking, savings, and credit cards only)
  • Add, match, and record transactions
  • Create, edit, and delete bank deposits

You cannot:

  • View the Chart of Accounts
  • Connect a bank or credit card to bring in transactions
  • Edit bank registers
  • Create a journal entry
  • View Reconcile, Budgeting, or Audit Log
  • Adjust inventory
  • View all reports

Chart of accounts

You can:

  • Access the chart of accounts list page.
  • View, create, or edit accounts depending on action-level permissions.

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card
  • Reconcile accounts
  • View registers
  • Access other sales or expense transactions

Reconciliation

You can:

  • Reconcile accounts.
  • View registers and chart of accounts.
  • Access sales and expense transactions.
  • Access bank deposits, transfers, or view journal entries.

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card.

Registers

You can:

  • View registers and chart of accounts
  • Access sales and expense transactions 
  • Access bank deposits, transfers, or view journal entries

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card.
  • Reconcile accounts.

Journal entries

You can:

  • View, create, copy, edit, and delete journal entries based on action-level permissions
  • Access other sales or expense transactions
  • Access bank deposits and transfers
  • View, create, copy, edit, or delete journal entries.
  • Access other sales or expense transactions.
  • Access bank deposits and transfers.

You cannot:

  • Connect a bank account or credit card.
  • View banking transactions.
  • View and edit bank registers.
  • View rules and receipts.

You can also assign action-level permissions to accounting features. 

Action permissionsDescription
ViewView accounts or transactions without the ability to modify or delete them.
CreateView and create new accounts or transactions. And modify them, but not those created by others. 
EditView, create, and edit accounts or transactions without the ability to delete them.
DeleteView and delete accounts or transactions.
All accessAllows a user to perform all actions on the accounts and transactions they have access to.

If you have a payroll subscription, you'll have to complete some prerequisite steps to let your employee run payroll.

All payroll access

You can:

  • Add employees and run payroll
  • Change payroll schedule
  • Access to all expense transactions and vendor lists
  • View payroll reports
  • View the paycheck list
  • Fill out timesheets for anyone
  • View and edit payroll settings
  • Pay contractors

You cannot:

  • View bank registers or bank info
  • Create journal entries
  • Enter estimates, bank deposits, invoices, sales receipts, credit memos, or refunds
  • View all reports (except payroll)
  • Set up multicurrency
  • Perform home currency adjustments

Custom roles let you to assign detailed permissions to different standard reports in QuickBooks Online like:

  • Which groups of reports a user can access in QuickBooks.
  • Which specific reports a user can access in QuickBooks. 
  • What actions users can perform with reports like view only or customize.

Understand the action level permissions in more detail: 

View

You can:

  • View the report.
  • Filter dates, export, and schedule reports.

You cannot: 

  • Modify the look and feel of the report using grouping and filtering options.
  • Change the contents of the report using the custom report builder tool.
  • Create new custom reports from scratch.

Customize

You can:

  • View the report. 
  • Edit the report by reordering report columns.
  • Format numbers in reports.
  • Filter data in reports.
  • Sort data in reports.
  • Arrange data in summary reports.
  • Save a custom report created by customizing the standard report.

You cannot: 

  • Add new entities to the report.
  • Add new attributes to the report.
  • Create new custom reports from scratch with report builder.

Full

Combines access of both view and customize.

Note: 

  • Custom roles let users manage access only to standard reports and not custom reports created by other users.
  • Some report groups and reports may not yet be available for custom access so you may not see the checkboxes to manage with custom roles. 
  • If QuickBooks adds any new reporting options, your custom role users won't have access unless you give it to them. We'll notify you when new reports are available.

Custom roles lets you turn on and set up time tracking to track and bill customers for the number of hours spent on a project or activity. 

This lets you also track reports for your workers, customers, and unbilled time.

Custom roles can’t be saved with account management access only. You need to select at least one more type of access for this role.

Edit company info

Make changes to your company name, type, contact info, and address.

Access subscription

Either view or manage your company’s subscription in QuickBooks.

You can:

  • Create new budgets.
  • View, edit, delete, and archive existing budgets.

You cannot:

  • Run any report.
  • View the Chart of Accounts.

You can also assign action-level permissions on budgets. 

Action permissionsDescription
ViewView budgets without the ability to modify or delete them.
CreateView and create budgets. Modify the budgets you create but not those created by others.
EditUser can view, create, edit, duplicate, import and archive budgets
User can't delete budgets.
DeleteUser can view and delete budgets.
Full accessUser has full permission to view, create, edit, and delete all budgets but can’t run budget reports.

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