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Member Roles and Permissions in Uku

Understanding member roles and permissions is essential for maintaining security and efficiency in your accounting firm. This guide explains how to control who can access client data, manage invoices, and modify company settings.

Maria Müürsepp avatar
Written by Maria Müürsepp
Updated today

Uku has four company-wide roles (Owner, Admin, User, and Inactive) and two client-level permissions (Admin and Member). Company roles control access to settings and member management, while client permissions determine who can edit client data and invoices.

Additional billing permissions can be configured in Settings & Apps → Billing → Settings.
Read about Billing Settings.

Company-Wide Member Roles

Every member in your Uku account has one of four company-wide roles. This role determines their access to system settings, member management, and overall company features.


Member roles are visible under Members:

  1. Owner

The Owner is the person who created the company's Uku account. There can only be one Owner per company.

What the Owner can do:

  • Delete clients and the entire company account

  • Invite new members to the company

  • Assign and change roles for all members

  • Deactivate members

  • Change the company size and subscription plan

  • Activate or deactivate apps in Settings & Apps

  • Set time estimation and checklist completion as mandatory

  • Create, edit, and delete company templates

  • Delete and modify time entries tracked by any team member

  • Access all billing features and settings

  • Lock company settings to prevent changes by other members

Special Owner privileges:

  • Transfer ownership to another member if needed (contact uku@getuku.com)

  • Final authority on all company decisions and settings

  • Automatically assigned as default user when other members are deactivated

2. Admin

Admins have broad access to company features and can see all clients in the system, but they cannot delete the company or clients.

What Admins can do:

  • See all company clients regardless of assignment

  • Invite new members to the company

  • Assign and change roles for Users (but not for other Admins or the Owner)

  • Deactivate members

  • Change the company size

  • Set time estimation and checklist completion as mandatory

  • Create, edit, and delete company templates

  • Delete and modify time entries tracked by other members

  • Manage billing features if granted permission in billing settings

  • View and manage audit logs (on Elite plan)

What Admins cannot do:

  • Delete clients or the company account

  • Override certain company-wide settings locked by the Owner

3. User

Users are regular team members who only see clients assigned to them. This role is appropriate for accountants who work on a specific client portfolio.

What Users can do:

  • See only clients assigned to them

  • Add new clients (which become assigned to them automatically)

  • Deactivate clients they manage

  • Track time on their tasks

  • Create magic buttons for quick task entry

  • Modify their own time entries

  • Access features based on client-level permissions

  • Join user groups and receive group-assigned tasks

  • Follow other members' tasks to stay updated

What Users cannot do:

  • Invite new users to the company

  • See clients not assigned to them

  • Create or modify company-wide templates

  • Delete or change time entries tracked by other members

  • Access company settings or member management

  • View billing information unless specifically granted permission

5. Inactive

Inactive members are team members who have been deactivated but whose historical data remains in the system.

Characteristics of Inactive members:

  • Cannot access the company account

  • Cannot log in to Uku

  • History of their work remains visible in reports

  • Time entries and task assignments are preserved

  • Can be reactivated at any time by Owner or Admin

  • Do not count toward the company's member limit

Client-Level Permissions

In addition to company-wide roles, you can assign specific permissions to team members for individual clients. These permissions control what each member can do with a particular client's data.

How Client Permissions Work

When you assign a team member to a client, you choose their permission level for that client. Client permissions are independent of company roles, meaning a User can have Admin permissions for their assigned clients.

NB!: An Admin (company-wide role) automatically has Admin permissions for all clients and these permissions cannot be reduced at the client level.

Client Admin Permission

Team members with Admin permission for a client have full access to that client's information and billing.

What Client Admins can do:

  • Edit all client information and custom fields

  • Modify the client's plan and service arrangements

  • Create, edit, and delete notes on the client profile

  • Change task assignments and deadlines

  • Edit client contracts (if billing permissions are enabled)

  • Create and modify invoices (if billing permissions are enabled)

  • Add and remove other team members from the client

  • Access all client documents and communications

  • Delete tasks for that client

Client Member Permission

Team members with Member permission have limited access to the client. They can work on tasks but cannot modify core client information.

What Client Members can do:

  • View client basic information

  • Work on tasks assigned to them

  • Track time on the client's tasks

  • Add comments and checklist items to tasks

  • Upload documents to tasks

  • View client notes (read-only)

What Client Members cannot do:

  • Edit client information or custom fields

  • Change the client's plan

  • Delete or modify notes created by others

  • Edit invoices or contracts

  • Remove other team members from the client

  • Delete client tasks

How to Assign Member Roles

Changing Company-Wide Roles

NB! Only the Owner and Admins can change member roles.

To change a member's role:

  1. Click on Members

  2. Find the member whose role you want to change

  3. Click on the pencil icon

  4. Tick/untick the "Administartor" box

  5. Save the changes.

Setting Client-Level Permissions

Client permissions are set when assigning a member to a client or can be modified afterward.

To assign a member to a client:

  1. Go to Clients from the left sidebar

  2. Open the client profile

  3. Click Edit in the client profile

  4. Scroll to the Members section

  5. Click Add member

  6. Select the team member

  7. Choose their permission level: Admin or Member

  8. Click Save

To change existing client permissions:

  1. Navigate to Clients → Select the client

  2. Click Edit

  3. Find the member in the Members list

  4. Click on their current permission level (Admin or Member)

  5. Select the new permission from the dropdown

  6. Click Save

User Groups

User Groups allow you to assign tasks to multiple team members at once, making collaboration easier.

How to create user groups:

  1. Go to Members

  2. Click on the Groups tab

  3. Click Add Group

  4. Enter a group name (e.g., "Tax Team", "Bookkeeping Team")

  5. Add members to the group

  6. Save the group

Using groups:

  • Assign tasks to the entire group instead of individual members

  • All group members see the task on their dashboard

  • Useful for shared responsibilities

  • Members can be in multiple groups

Limited Members

Limited members are team members you're setting up in Uku but who don't have access yet. This lets you configure everything before inviting them, without paying for their seat.

How to add limited members:

  1. Go to Members

  2. Click Add member

  3. Enter their name and email

  4. Select Limited as the status

  5. Assign them to clients and set up their permissions

  6. When read, arrange payment for the new member and then change their status to Active and send the invitation

Benefits of limited members:

  • Set up team structure before official launch

  • Prepare client assignments in advance

  • No cost until they're activated

  • Assign them to workflows and projects ahead of time


How to Check Member Permissions

If you need to verify what access a team member has:

Checking Company-Wide Role

  1. Go to Members

  2. Find the member in the list

  3. Look at the Role column (Owner, Admin, or User)

Checking Client Permissions

  1. Go to Clients from the left sidebar

  2. Open the specific client profile

  3. Click Edit

  4. Scroll to the Members section

  5. Review each member's permission level (Admin or Member)

Permission Troubleshooting

"I can't see a client in my list"

Problem: You're a User and the client isn't assigned to you.

Solution: Ask an Admin or Owner to assign you to the client with the appropriate permission level.

"I can't edit this invoice"

Problem: You don't have the right permissions for billing.

Solution:

  1. Check if you have Admin permission for that client

  2. Ask an Admin to enable billing permissions in Settings & Apps → Billing → Settings or

  3. Refer to How to Edit an Invoice in Uku for detailed steps

"I can't invite new members"

Problem: You're a User, not an Admin or Owner.

Solution: Only Owners and Admins can invite new members. Request an Admin or Owner to send the invitation.

"I can't delete a template"

Problem: You're a User and don't have permission to manage company templates.

Solution: Ask an Admin or Owner to delete the template or change your role if you need regular access to template management.'

General Security Tips

  • Review member permissions quarterly

  • Remove access immediately when team members leave

  • Use Client Member permission as the default, only granting Client Admin when necessary

  • Enable company setting to lock critical configurations

  • Use the Audit Log (Elite plan) to track all permission changes

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between a company Admin and a client Admin?

A: A company Admin is a company-wide role that gives access to all clients and system settings. A client Admin is a permission level for a specific client, allowing that member to edit that client's data and invoices. You can be a User at the company level but have Admin permission for your assigned clients.

Q: Can I have multiple Owners?

A: No, there can only be one Owner per Uku company account. However, the Owner can transfer ownership to another member if needed. Multiple Admins can be assigned to share management responsibilities.

Q: What happens to a member's clients when they're deactivated?

A: When a member is deactivated, their client assignments are automatically transferred to the company Owner. An Admin can then reassign these clients to other appropriate team members. All historical data (time entries, tasks, notes) remains in the system.

Q: Can a User create invoices?

A: By default, no. Users need specific permissions enabled by the company Admin in Settings & Apps → Billing → Settings. The Admin can choose from three billing permission options depending on how much access Users should have.

Q: How do I know if someone has permission to edit a specific invoice?

A: Check two things: (1) Do they have Admin permission for that client? Go to Clients → Client profile → Edit → Members section. (2) Are company-wide billing permissions enabled? Go to Settings & Apps → Billing → Settings. Both may be required depending on your company's configuration.

Q: Can I restrict access to specific client groups?

A: Not directly through client groups, but you can control access by only assigning members to specific clients. Members with the User role only see clients assigned to them, which effectively creates restricted access based on assignments rather than groups.

Q: What's the difference between Inactive and Limited members?

A: Inactive members are former team members who have been deactivated – they previously had access but no longer do, and their historical work remains in the system. Limited members are new team members you're setting up who haven't been given access yet. Limited members have never logged in, while Inactive members have a full work history.

Q: How do User Groups work with permissions?

A: User Groups don't change permissions – they're for task assignment only. When you assign a task to a group, all members of that group see the task on their dashboard. Each member still needs appropriate client permissions to work with the client and task.

Q: Do I need to pay for Limited members?

A: No. Limited members don't count toward your subscription until they're activated. This allows you to set up your team structure without incurring costs until members actually start using Uku.

Q: Can I give someone permission to edit invoices but not client information?

A: No. Client Admin permission grants access to both client information and invoices (if billing permissions are enabled). If you only want someone to have read access, use the "Allow members to view their client invoices" setting in billing permissions, but they won't be able to edit.

Q: What permissions are needed to use the Client Portal features?

A: Any member assigned to a client can work with Client Portal features for that client, regardless of whether they're a Client Admin or Client Member. However, company Admins or Owners may need to set up the initial Client Portal configuration in Settings & Apps → Client Portal.

Getting Help

  • Permission issues: Contact uku@getuku.com if you're unable to resolve permission problems

  • More guides: Visit the Uku Help Center for additional articles

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