Learn about the different options for user roles and access permissions.
When you add a user in QuickBooks Online, you can manage their roles and limit their access to specific tasks. You can also choose what users can see and do within different areas of QuickBooks, like customers and sales, or suppliers and purchases.
In this article, you'll learn about:
Learn more about user roles
QuickBooks user roles are customisable permissions you can give your team. User roles are either billable or non-billable. Billable users count toward your user limit, while non-billable users don’t. Learn more about user limits for your subscription.
You can also invite your accountant as a firm user so they can review your QuickBooks company file.
Roles that count toward user limits
Learn more about each billable user role that counts toward your user limits.
Primary admin
The primary admin is the main user who has access to every part of the QuickBooks account. They can manage all users and other admin tasks. By default, the primary admin is the person who initially set up the account.
If you need to assign a new primary admin, you can transfer the role to another user.
Company admin
A company admin has access to every part of the QuickBooks account. They can do everything the primary admin can do, except edit or remove the primary admin's access.
Standard user
You can set different levels of access for this user. They can work with customers, sales, suppliers, and expenses. These users can enter timesheets, add users, update company info, or manage subscriptions.
Note: These users cannot customise invoice templates.
Roles that don’t count toward user limits
Learn more about the user roles that don't count toward your user limits.
Track time only user
If you have employees or suppliers that need to track time, you can make them a track time-only user. They can only enter timesheets for themselves. And they will only have access to timesheets and time reports.
This user role isn't available to QuickBooks Online accounts that are connected to QuickBooks Time. The track time-only user role is removed when QuickBooks Time is integrated.
Take payments-only user (GoCardless only)
If you have QuickBooks GoCardless, you can give a user access to take payments without giving them access to QuickBooks. They can take payments through GoCardless that sync in real time with your QuickBooks account.
Standard user role access rights
Primary admins and company admins get all access rights. When you assign the standard user role, QuickBooks lets you choose the user’s access rights. You can choose to give them all access, limited access, or none.
When you add a new standard user, you'll see what they can or can't do on the screen. Here's a summary of what the access options allow.
Standard all access
This user can see and do everything with:
- Customers and sales
- Suppliers and purchases
They can also:
- Add, edit, and delete employees
- Add, edit, and delete payroll transactions
- Change preferences
- View activity log
- Create, edit, and delete budgets
- Add, edit, and delete accounts
- Make deposits and transfer funds
- Reconcile accounts and make journal entries
- View all reports
- Turn on VAT for the company
- Change the setup for existing VAT information
- Make VAT adjustments and file VAT returns
- Set up multicurrency
- Perform home currency adjustments
- Forward receipts and bills from the email
Standard limited customers only
When you select Limited access, then Customers, the user can:
- Enter estimates, invoices, sales receipts, credit notes, and refunds
- Enter charges and credits
- Create and delete statements
- Receive payments from customers
- Add, edit, and delete customers, products, and services
- View customer registers and A/R reports
- View customer and debtors reports
- View VAT rates and agency settings
- Use and adjust VAT in sales transactions and general journal entries (i.e. manually overriding calculated VAT amounts)
- Add, edit, and delete currencies
- Edit exchange rates
This user can't:
- Add, edit, and delete accounts and quantity on hand
- View Account history
- See total income and expense amounts on Home, Supplier, and Customer pages
- Run tax reports or view tax history
- Prepare a sales tax return, record a sales tax payment or refund, or file taxes
- Set up new or change existing sales tax agencies or settings
- Set up multicurrency
- Perform home currency adjustments
- Create, edit, and delete budgets
Standard limited suppliers only
When you select Limited access, then Suppliers, the user can:
- Enter bills from suppliers
- Enter cash and credit card purchases
- Pay bills, write cheques, and view cheque detail reports
- Add, edit, and delete suppliers, products, and services
- View supplier and A/P reports
- View VAT rates and agency settings
- Use and adjust VAT in the purchase, credit card, and banking transactions (i.e. manually overriding calculated VAT amounts)
- Run tax reports or view tax history
- Prepare a VAT return, record a payment or refund, or file taxes
- Add, edit, and delete currencies
- Edit exchange rates
This user can't:
- Add, edit, and delete accounts and quantity on hand
- View account histories
- Set up new or change existing sales tax rates, sales tax methods, or agency settings
- Set up multicurrency
- Perform home currency adjustments
- See total income and expense amounts on Home, Supplier, and Customer pages
- Create, edit, and delete budgets
Standard limited customers and suppliers
When you select Limited access, then select both Customers and Suppliers, the user can:
- Enter estimates, invoices, sales receipts, credit notes, refunds, charges, and credits
- Create and delete statements
- Receive payments from customers
- Fill out timesheets for anyone
- Add, edit, and delete customers, suppliers, products, and services
- View customer registers
- View customer and A/R reports
- View supplier and A/P reports
- Enter bills from suppliers
- Pay bills, write and print cheques, and view cheques reports
- Make bills and purchases billable to customers
- Enter cash and credit card purchases
This user can't:
- Add, edit, and delete accounts and quantity on hand
- View account history
- See total income and expense amounts on the Home, Supplier, and Customer pages
- Create, edit, and delete budgets
Standard no access
This user can't use any of the accounting features in QuickBooks Online. They can only submit timesheets.
User settings for the standard user role
After you’ve chosen a standard user role’s access rights, you’ll also be able to select their user settings. You can give them permission to manage users, edit company info, or manage subscriptions. Or you can choose a view-only option or no permission at all.
