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User Roles and Permissions

This guide explains the five user roles in Fiskl and the specific permissions each role grants, helping you assign appropriate access levels to your team members.

Understanding Role-Based Access​

Fiskl uses role-based access control to manage what team members can see and do. Each role grants a specific set of permissions designed for common business functions.

Why roles matter:

  • Protect sensitive financial information
  • Prevent accidental changes to accounting records
  • Enable delegation without compromising security
  • Meet compliance requirements for access control
  • Simplify permission management

The Five Roles​

Owner​

The Owner is the account creator and has complete control over the Fiskl account.

Full permissions:

  • All features and data access
  • Manage subscriptions and billing
  • Invite, modify, and remove all users
  • Access all financial records and reports
  • Modify company settings
  • Connect and disconnect banks
  • Manage integrations
  • Export all data

Unique capabilities:

  • Only role that can delete the entire account
  • Only role that can change subscription plans
  • Only role that can update payment methods
  • Can transfer ownership to another user

Limitations:

  • Only one Owner per account
  • Cannot be deactivated (only transferred)

Common use case: The business founder or primary decision-maker who manages subscriptions and overall financial strategy.

Admin​

Admins have nearly the same access as Owners but cannot manage subscriptions or billing.

Full permissions:

  • All features except subscription/billing
  • Invite and manage all users (except Owner modifications)
  • Access all financial records and reports
  • Modify company settings
  • Connect and disconnect banks
  • Manage integrations
  • Export all data
  • Create and manage all transaction types

Cannot access:

  • Subscription plans and changes
  • Payment method management
  • Billing history
  • Account deletion

Limitations:

  • Cannot modify the Owner's role or status
  • Cannot transfer ownership

Common use case: Office manager, financial controller, or operations manager who handles day-to-day financial operations.

Billing User​

Billing Users focus on client-facing activities like invoicing and expense submission.

Can access:

  • Create, edit, and send invoices
  • Create and manage quotes
  • Add and edit clients
  • Create expenses (own only)
  • Log time entries (own only)
  • Add mileage (own only)
  • View invoices and quotes
  • View own submitted expenses, time, and mileage

Cannot access:

  • Accounting features (Chart of Accounts, journals)
  • Financial reports
  • Banking and transactions
  • Other users' expenses, time, or mileage
  • Company settings
  • User management
  • Subscription or billing information

Limitations:

  • Cannot see the Dashboard financial metrics
  • Cannot categorize transactions
  • Cannot reconcile bank accounts
  • Cannot view or modify other users' submissions

Common use case: Sales team members, project managers, or client service representatives who create invoices and submit their own expenses.

User​

Users have the most restricted access, limited to submitting their own expenses, time, and mileage.

Can access:

  • Create expenses (own only)
  • Log time entries (own only)
  • Add mileage (own only)
  • View own submitted items
  • Edit own items (if not yet approved)

Cannot access:

  • Invoicing features
  • Client management
  • Financial reports
  • Accounting features
  • Banking and transactions
  • Other users' submissions
  • Company settings
  • User management

Limitations:

  • Cannot create invoices
  • Cannot view Dashboard
  • Cannot see financial metrics
  • Cannot access any reports

Common use case: Field workers, contractors, or remote employees who need to submit expenses and track time but don't need access to invoicing or financial data.

Accountant​

Accountants have read-only access to all financial records, perfect for external accounting professionals.

Can access:

  • View Chart of Accounts
  • View all transactions
  • View and export all reports
  • View invoices, expenses, and payments
  • View banking connections and transactions
  • View client and vendor lists

Can generate and export:

  • Profit & Loss statements
  • Balance Sheets
  • Cash Flow reports
  • Transaction reports
  • Tax reports
  • Custom reports

Cannot do:

  • Create or edit any records
  • Delete transactions
  • Modify Chart of Accounts
  • Change company settings
  • Invite or manage users
  • Access subscription or billing

Limitations:

  • Strictly read-only access
  • Cannot initiate any transactions
  • Cannot modify existing records

Common use case: External accountant or bookkeeper who reviews records, prepares tax returns, or provides financial advice.

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Accountants are included in all Fiskl plans at no additional cost. You can invite your accounting professional without worrying about extra fees.

Permission Comparison Table​

FeatureOwnerAdminBilling User
Invoicing
Create/edit invoices✓✓✓
Send invoices✓✓✓
View invoices✓✓✓
Expenses & Time
Create own expenses✓✓✓
View own expenses✓✓✓
View all expenses✓✓✗
Log own time✓✓✓
View all time✓✓✗
Clients & Vendors
Manage clients✓✓✓
View clients✓✓✓
Manage vendors✓✓✗
View vendors✓✓✗
Accounting
Chart of Accounts✓✓✗
Journal entries✓✓✗
View transactions✓✓✗
Categorize transactions✓✓✗
Banking
Connect banks✓✓✗
View banking✓✓✗
Reconcile accounts✓✓✗
Reports
View all reports✓✓✗
Export reports✓✓✗
Dashboard metrics✓✓✗
Settings
Company settings✓✓✗
User management✓✓✗
Subscription/billing✓✗✗
Delete account✓✗✗

Choosing the Right Role​

Use this decision tree to select appropriate roles:

Does this person need to manage subscriptions or billing?

  • Yes → Owner (only one allowed)
  • No → Continue

Does this person need full access to all financial data?

  • Yes, and they need to modify records → Admin
  • Yes, but read-only access is sufficient → Accountant
  • No → Continue

Does this person need to create invoices?

  • Yes → Billing User
  • No → Continue

Does this person only need to submit expenses and time?

  • Yes → User

Special Considerations​

Multiple Admins​

You can have multiple Admins. This is useful for:

  • Redundancy if the primary Admin is unavailable
  • Large teams with multiple managers
  • Separating duties while maintaining full access

Best practice: Limit Admins to those who genuinely need full access. More Admins means more people with access to sensitive data.

External Accountants​

Always use the Accountant role for external accounting professionals:

  • They get all the data they need for reports and tax prep
  • They cannot accidentally modify your records
  • You don't pay extra fees for accountant users
  • They can work independently without your supervision

Transitioning Roles​

As team members grow in responsibility, upgrade their roles:

  • User → Billing User: When they start handling client invoicing
  • Billing User → Admin: When they take on financial management duties

To change roles: See Inviting and Managing Users

Common Role Assignment Scenarios​

Small Business (1-5 people)​

  • Owner: Business owner
  • Admin: Office manager or spouse who handles finances
  • Billing User: Sales person or assistant who invoices clients
  • Accountant: External CPA or bookkeeper

Growing Business (6-20 people)​

  • Owner: Founder or CEO
  • Admin: CFO or controller, office manager
  • Billing User: Account managers, project managers
  • User: Field technicians, contractors
  • Accountant: External CPA

Agency or Professional Services​

  • Owner: Managing partner
  • Admin: Operations manager, finance manager
  • Billing User: Project leads who invoice clients
  • User: All other team members who log time
  • Accountant: External accountant for tax prep

Security Best Practices​

Follow least privilege: Assign the minimum role needed for each person's job function. You can always upgrade later.

Review roles quarterly: As responsibilities change, roles should change too. Review every few months.

Use Accountant role for external professionals: Never give external accountants Admin or Owner access. The Accountant role provides everything they need.

Limit Owner and Admin roles: Keep these roles restricted to 1-3 trusted individuals maximum.

Deactivate immediately: When someone leaves your organization, deactivate their account the same day.

Don't share logins: Each person should have their own account. Shared logins make it impossible to track who did what.