> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smartbills.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Roles & Permissions

> What each role can do, and why your colleague sees things you do not

## Overview

Everyone in a business has one role. The role decides what appears in the sidebar and what you are allowed to do.

Roles are set in **Settings > Workspace > Team**, and only Administrators can change them.

## The five roles

| Role              | Who it is for                        | What they can do                                                                                                                                |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Member**        | Anyone claiming expenses             | Their own expenses, reports, and mileage. Nothing belonging to anyone else.                                                                     |
| **Finance Team**  | AP clerks and bookkeepers            | Everything a Member can do, plus reviewing business expenses and uploading bills. Cannot approve or pay anything.                               |
| **Manager**       | People managers                      | Everything a Member can do, plus approving and rejecting their team's expense reports. Cannot pay them out.                                     |
| **Finance Admin** | Controllers and finance managers     | Approves, rejects, and reimburses reports. Full access to bills, vendors, the vault, and most settings. Cannot invite people or change billing. |
| **Administrator** | Business owners and operations leads | Everything, including inviting people, changing roles, billing, and business settings.                                                          |

<Note>
  There is no Owner role. Everything an owner would need, including billing and the ability to change who has access, belongs to **Administrator**.
</Note>

## Approving and paying are separate on purpose

A Manager can approve an expense report but cannot reimburse it. Releasing money is limited to Finance Admins and Administrators.

This is deliberate. It means no single person can both authorise a claim and pay it, which is the control most auditors look for. It is also the reason a Manager who has approved a report still sees it sitting there afterwards: it is waiting on finance, not on them.

## Why your sidebar looks different from a colleague's

The business section of the sidebar only appears if your role gives you access to something in it. A Member has access to none of it, which is why they see only Dashboard, Mileage Trips, Expenses, and Expense Reports.

The same applies inside Settings. A Finance Admin sees Categories, Departments, and Employees. A Member sees only Vehicles and Delegation, because those two are personal rather than business-wide.

This is also why the sidebar can change when you switch between businesses. Your role is per business, so being an Administrator in one grants you nothing in another. See [Switching between businesses](/guides/web-app/switching-businesses).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I cannot see Bills, Vendors, or the Vault">
    Those need Finance Admin or Administrator. Managers and Members do not have them. Ask an Administrator if you need access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I approved a report but cannot mark it reimbursed">
    You are a Manager. Approval and payment are split, so the report now needs a Finance Admin or Administrator to pay it out.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I cannot invite a new team member">
    Only Administrators can invite people or change roles. Finance Admins cannot, even though they can change most other settings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I am a Finance Admin and cannot submit my own expense report">
    This is a known limitation. Finance Admins can approve and reimburse other people's reports but cannot submit or delete their own.

    If your controllers also need to claim their own expenses, contact Smartbills support. Do not work around it by making them an Administrator, since that grants far more than they need.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Someone needs to cover for me while I am away">
    Use delegation rather than changing their role. It lets them act for you temporarily, keeps the record of who did what, and is easy to undo. See [Delegation](/guides/web-app/settings/delegation).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Change someone's role

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open team settings">
    Go to **Settings > Workspace > Team**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the person and the new role">
    The change takes effect straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To add someone new, use **Invite** and choose their role at the same time. Only Administrators can do this.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Invite team members" icon="user-plus" href="/guides/web-app/team/invite-members">
    Add people to your business
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delegation" icon="user-shield" href="/guides/web-app/settings/delegation">
    Let someone act for you
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit log" icon="scroll" href="/guides/web-app/settings/audit-log">
    Check who approved or paid something
  </Card>

  <Card title="Switching businesses" icon="repeat" href="/guides/web-app/switching-businesses">
    Why your access differs per business
  </Card>
</CardGroup>