User Roles and Permissions

Owner, admin, accountant, member, or viewer — see exactly what each role can do so you grant the right access.

Updated April 4, 2026

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Every person in your organization has a role that controls what they can see and do in NP Ledger. This page explains the five roles, what each one allows, and how to figure out which role someone needs.

  • You must be an admin or owner to invite new members or change someone's role.
  • Roles are set per organization. If someone belongs to multiple organizations, they can have a different role in each one.
  • There is always at least one owner per organization.

NP Ledger has five roles, listed from most to least access:

Role What They Can Do Best For
Owner Everything. Full control over the organization, billing, and all settings. Can revoke support sessions, reopen closed periods, and delete the organization. Founders, executive directors, board treasurers
Admin Most things. Can manage org settings, team members, accounts, funds, budgets, billing, donation connections, and receipts. Cannot reopen closed periods or revoke support sessions. Operations managers, finance staff, bookkeepers
Accountant Financial oversight. Everything a member can do, plus view the audit log, access full data export, and edit Form 990 filings. Cannot manage org settings, team members, billing, or chart of accounts. External CPAs, auditors, accountants
Member Day-to-day work. Can create and edit transactions, run reports, reconcile bank statements, use Quick Entry, Voice Entry, and AI Help. Cannot change org settings, billing, or manage team members. Staff who record transactions and run reports
Viewer Read-only. Can view the dashboard, transactions, reports, and AI Help responses. Cannot create or change anything. Board members, auditors, or anyone who needs visibility without edit access

Here's a detailed breakdown of what each role can do:

Transactions and Bookkeeping

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
View transactions and reports Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Create and edit transactions Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Use Quick Entry Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Use Voice Entry Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Import bank statements / spreadsheets Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Reconcile bank statements Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Post transactions Yes Yes No No No
Void transactions Yes Yes No No No

Accounting Setup

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
View chart of accounts Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Create or edit accounts Yes Yes No No No
Create or edit funds and programs Yes Yes No No No
Manage budgets Yes Yes No No No
View budgets and Budget vs Actual Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Close an accounting period Yes Yes No No No
Reopen a closed period Yes No No No No
Manage in-kind contribution categories Yes Yes No No No

Organization Settings

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
Edit org profile (name, EIN, address) Yes Yes No No No
Manage officers and directors Yes Yes No No No
Change accounting settings (fiscal year, default fund) Yes Yes No No No
Configure donation receipts Yes Yes No No No
Manage donation connections (webhooks) Yes Yes No No No
Manage fund allocation rules Yes Yes No No No
Toggle security settings Yes Yes No No No
View team members Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Billing and Subscription

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
View current plan Yes Yes No No No
Change plan or manage billing Yes Yes No No No
Access Stripe billing portal Yes Yes No No No
Cancel subscription Yes Yes No No No

Tax and Compliance

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
View Form 990 filings Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Start or edit a 990 filing Yes Yes Yes No No
Submit a 990 filing Yes Yes Yes No No
Run IRS compliance checks Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Support and Help

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
Use AI Help Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Authorize support access Yes Yes No No No
Revoke an active support session Yes No No No No
View support access history Yes Yes No No No

Data Export

Action Owner Admin Accountant Member Viewer
Export all data (CSV ZIP) Yes Yes Yes No No
View audit log Yes Yes Yes No No

"Why can't I see billing?"

Only owners and admins can access the billing page. If you're a member or viewer, ask an owner or admin on your team.

"Why can't I edit this transaction?"

If you're a viewer, you have read-only access. If you're a member and the transaction is posted, only admins and owners can edit posted transactions (and only if the security setting allows it).

"Why can't I change organization settings?"

Organization settings require admin or owner access. Members and viewers can see the team list but cannot change settings.

"Can I have different roles in different organizations?"

Yes. If you belong to multiple organizations, your role is set independently in each one. You might be an owner of one organization and a member of another.

  • To see your own role, look at the Team Members section on the Organization Settings page -- your name and role are listed there.
  • If someone reports they can't access a feature, check their role in the Team Members list.
  • If you need to change someone's role, contact an owner or admin on the account.
  • Giving everyone the owner role. Only one or two trusted people should be owners. Use admin for finance staff and member for day-to-day users. This protects against accidental changes to critical settings.
  • Making board members "members" instead of "viewers." Board members who only review reports don't need edit access. Viewer keeps your books safe from accidental edits.
  • Forgetting that billing requires admin access. If a new team member needs to manage the subscription, they need at least the admin role.
  • Giving your CPA the admin role. Use the accountant role instead. It gives CPAs full financial visibility, audit log access, data export, and 990 editing without exposing org settings, billing, or team management.

Accountant Note: In nonprofit accounting, segregation of duties is a key internal control. Use roles to separate who records transactions (members) from who approves and posts them (admins). The accountant role is designed for external CPAs and auditors — it provides full financial read access and the ability to create adjusting entries and edit 990 filings, without access to administrative functions. This creates a natural review process: members enter data, accountants review and adjust, admins approve and post, and the audit trail tracks who did what.

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