Account Owner vs. Full Admin Access

What is the difference between Account Owner and Full Admin access?

Purpose: In BambooHR, you will only have one Account Owner. However, you can grant Full Admin access to as many users as needed. This guide will help you understand the differences in access between the Account Owner and Full Admin user(s) in your account.

Table of Contents

Full Admin

Full Admin access level grants a user full administrative rights within BambooHR. Individuals with Full Admin access are able to do the following:

  • View and edit all data for all employees.
  • Add custom fields to the account.
  • Add and terminate employees.
  • Create, delete, and generate all Reports.
  • Upload, rename, share, delete, etc. Files and Documents.
  • Create templates and request signatures.
  • View and update Job Openings and candidates.
  • Utilize and make changes to features in Settings (with the exceptions listed below). 
  • View and update widgets on Home.
  • Define access for and grant access to other users.
  • View access level change history.
  • Export access level assignments.
  • Update Accounts Payable Contacts. 

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: When a new Full Admin is added they will automatically be made a Billing Contact. Click here for more information on what that means, and how to remove that access if needed.

Due to the nature of the access available to a Full Admin user, we recommend granting this type of access only to those needing full administrative privileges. If the Full Admin access level is unnecessary for a user, you can assign them to custom access levels.

Adding an employee

You can assign an employee to the Full Admin access level from two locations in BambooHR: Access Level Settings or their employee profile.

Go to Settings > Access Levels > Full Admin > +Add Employee and select the employee you want to be a Full Admin user for your BambooHR account.

Charlotte Abbott - Personal

Another option of adding a user to the Full Admin access level is on the employee profile. Navigate to the user's employee profile and click on the three-dot icon. Within the dropdown menu, select Manage Access and click Full Admin. Once you select Update Access, the system will automatically assign the employee to the Full Admin access level.

Adding a non-employee user 

Adding a non-employee user is also an option in Access Level Settings. If you need to add one, navigate to Settings > Access Levels > Full Admin and click on the gear icon. Within the dropdown menu, select Add a Non-Employee BambooHR User. Fill out the information about the user and click Save. Once saved, the user will appear in the list for this access level.

New admin email notification

The Account Owner will be notified when an employee is added as a Full Admin user.

Account Owner

Since there is a limitation of one Account Owner in BambooHR, this access level can only be granted to another user by a current Account Owner through Settings. Under extenuating circumstances, they can grant access with written authorization from the President or CEO of a company.

Account Owner access differs slightly from Full Admin access. In addition to the Full Admin capabilities mentioned above, only the Account Owner can do the following:

Delete an employee's profile

The Account Owner can delete an employee by going to the action menu on the employee's profile. When a user properly terminates an employee, their data will remain in BambooHR. However, deleting an employee's profile can be done when a user has accidentally created a duplicate employee profile, and the Account Owner needs to remove it.

When you delete an employee's profile, it permanently erases all data and documentation tied to the specific employee. 

Specific account settings

Only an Account Owner can make the following changes to the account:

  1. Change to a new Account Owner: Once an Account Owner changes this setting, they will no longer have access to change the Account Owner.

2. Add or remove billing contacts

3. Add or edit accounts payable contacts

Account Info

4.  Add job openings

5. Upgrade the account subscription

General Settings > Allow editing and deleting of history line items

Under General Settings in the Account section of Settings, the Account Owner can define editing and deleting capabilities in table data.

When this setting is unchecked, no one (including the Account Owner) can edit or delete any existing table data. Having this setting unchecked would help in specific situations, such as an audit being in progress, and it prevents data changes during the process.

Re-routed emails

Certain email notifications will be re-routed to the Account Owner if the designated receiver in BambooHR no longer has access or is inactive. Below is a list of these email notifications:

If any designated approver in a custom approval workflow doesn't have access or is inactive, the Account Owner will receive an email notification like the one above so they can update the workflow.

How do Account Owner and Full Admin access compare?
  Account Owner Full Admin
View and edit all data for all employees. X X
Add and terminate employees. X X
Add custom fields to the account. X X
Create, delete, and generate all reports. X X
Upload, rename, share, delete, etc., files and documents. X X
Create templates and request signatures. X X
View and update job openings and candidates. X X
Export access level assignments X X
Add an additional number of job openings. X  
Cancel any additional number of job openings that have previously been added. X X
Upgrade account subscription. X  
Utilize and make changes to certain features in Settings. X X
View and update widgets on Home. X X
Define access for and grant access to other users. X X
Edit timesheets after they have been approved. X X
Edit time off requests. X X
Cancel account. X X
Add/cancel add-ons. X X
Install/uninstall integrations. X X
*With the exception of Google SSO*
Change Account Owner. X  
Delete an employee. X  
Update company credit card. X X
*If the Full Admin is a Billing Contact, they will be able to update the credit card*
Add/remove billing contacts. X  
Add/remove accounts payable emails X X
General Settings > Allow editing and deleting of line items on all tables X  
Authorize account splits/merges. X  
What if I create a custom access level and grant access to everything?

In addition to Account Owner access and Full Admin access, you have the option to create a custom access level and grant access to everything available. It is another great option, but there are some restrictions that a user will have. Here is a list of what WILL NOT be available with this setup:

Settings
  • Account Settings
    • No access to Account Info.
    • No access to ACA Settings.
    • No access to General Settings.
    • No access to iCalender Feeds.
    • No access to edit EEO Job Categories
    • No access to add or edit levels and bands
  • Access Levels
    • Unable to create or update settings for any access level.
    • Unable to assign employees an access level (only can grant employee access.)
    • Unable to change access for Full Admin, custom access level, and manager access level users.
    • Unable to view access level change history or export current access level assignments.
  • Company Directory
    • No access to update settings for the company directory.
  • Apps
    • No access to Apps in Settings.
  • Employee Satisfaction (Advantage, Core, & Pro packages)
    • No access to update Employee Satisfaction settings.
  • Employee Wellbeing (Advantage, Core, & Pro packages)
    • No access to update Employee Wellbeing settings.
  • Payroll (Add-on)
    • No access to Payroll settings.
  • Performance (Pro package)
    • No access to unlock Performance assessments.
  • Time Tracking (Add-on)
    • No access to edit approved timesheets.
Employees
  • Add New Employee
    • Unable to customize the Add Employee form.
  • Employee Actions
    • Unable to preview as another user.
  • Time Off 
    • Unable to edit or delete History. Please note that custom access level users are able to edit unapproved time off requests from the past. 
    • If the user has Edit access to Time Off, they will receive inbox notifications for all future time off requests. These users can also edit future requests regardless of the request's approval status. 
  • Employee Profile
Reports
  • No automatic access to standard reports. Instead, another user will have to share each report individually with the user.
  • Unable to access the following reports because they are only available to Full Admins and Account Owners: 
    • Audit Trail
    • Change History
    • EEO-1
    • Point-in-Time
  • No access to manage reports.
  • Unable to edit, delete, or share created custom reports that another user shared with the user.
  • Only able to access shared files on the Signed Documents report.
Files
  • Unable to create new file folders.
  • Need to share any newly created folders individually with the user to access.  
Other
  • Unable to view all tasks assigned to the company in the inbox.
  • Unable to see time off request details when hovering over a time off request in the Who's Out calendar.
  • The user will not receive an email for BambooHR product announcements unless they subscribe.