QuickBooks Desktop users and restrictions

This article serves as a guide on how to add, edit, and troubleshoot QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier user login and restrictions.

Set up users and roles

1. Go to the Company menu, select Set Up Users and Password and then Set up Users.
2. Select Add User...
3. Fill out the User Name, Password, and Confirm Password fields, then select Next.
4. On the Access for user: (username) window, choose which area of QuickBooks the user has access to, then select Next.
   • If you choose Selected areas of QuickBooks, you can customize the restrictions for different areas of the company file for the newly created user by selecting No Access, Full Access, or Selective Access.
5. When done, select Finish.

Hide account balances from unauthorized users

The home page displays balances for accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank, and credit card accounts. To keep users from seeing the account balances, the user's access rights must be restricted.

1. From the Company menu, select Set Up Users and Password and then Set Up Users.
2. Highlight the user, then select Edit User...
3. Choose Selected areas of QuickBooks option, then keep selecting Next until you are on the Sensitive Accounting Activities page.
4. Select No Access.
5. Keep selecting Next until you reach the end, then select Finish.

Resolve unexpected results

Error: There is already a user with that name when adding a new QuickBooks user

Solution 1: Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release
Solution 2: Create or restore a QuickBooks portable company file
Solution 3: Resolve data damage on your company file

User with full access cannot open Payroll Setup

Even if they have full access and are in single-user mode, secondary users that are not the Admin or External Accountant cannot open the Payroll Setup. If they try to open the Payroll Setup, they will get the following error message:

Only the QuickBooks administrator or an External Accountant can perform this action. You must reopen the company file and login as the Admin or External Accountant to do this.

Restriction to the full payroll setup is as designed. Only the QuickBooks Administrator or an External Accountant can perform this action. If the secondary users have full access, they can still access the change payment method and change filing method portions of payroll setup from the payroll center.

Users without payroll permissions can see payroll information on reports and the calendar

To resolve this issue, you need to remove sensitive reporting.

1. Sign in as the QuickBooks Admin.
2. Go to the Company menu, then select Setup Users and Passwords and then Set Up Users.
3. Highlight the user, then select Edit User.
4. Follow the Change User Password and Access wizard to remove sensitive reporting access.

Note: If the user has access to sensitive accounting reports like Balance Sheet or Profit and Loss, they will still see the names and amounts on paychecks.