FAQ - Custom Access Levels

The article addresses frequently asked questions about custom access levels in BambooHR. It includes topics such as visibility issues in Power Edit, implications of granting extensive access through custom levels, and distinctions between view and edit access for time off categories. The article outlines restrictions associated with custom access levels, including limitations on account settings, employee management, reporting, and file access. It clarifies that users may not have full visibility or control over certain features and actions, emphasizing the need for specific permissions to perform various tasks. The content aims to inform users about the capabilities and limitations of custom access levels, ensuring clarity in their usage within the BambooHR system.

  • Apr 27, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
FAQ - Custom Access Levels
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

What are the most frequently asked questions about custom access levels?

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Table of Contents

Why can't I see names in Power Edit?

Our power edit feature is designed to show employees' preferred names. If you can't see them, you might not have the necessary access permissions. We recommend contacting your HR administrator to resolve this.

What happens if I create a custom access level and grant users in this level access to everything in BambooHR?

In addition to Account Owner access and Full Admin access, you have the option to create a custom access level and grant users in that level access to everything available in BambooHR. 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 iCalendar 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
    • No access to update Employee Satisfaction settings
  • Employee Wellbeing
    • No access to update Employee Wellbeing settings
  • Payroll (Add-on)
    • No access to Payroll settings
  • Performance
    • No access to unlock Performance assessments
  • Time & Attendance (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.
What is the difference between View and Edit access to time off categories and policies?
  • To allow the user to record time off for a specific time off category, it is necessary to grant them View access to the time off category and access to "Manage Time Off Policy Assignments."
  • To allow the user to make manual balance adjustments for a specific time off category, you must also grant them Edit access to the time off category in addition to "Manage Time Off Policy Assignments."
  • In order for the user to assign policies, you will need to grant them Edit access to the specific policies on the Time Off tab.
  • Granting Edit access to a time off category will also give the user access to approve all time off requests for the specific time off category for all employees they have access to.
What does it mean when you say "users they have access to"?

In the What this Access Level Can See? section, you will determine which profiles users assigned to this access level can access and how we call out those specific permissions to perform actions for all employees. Some permissions in this section will allow assigned users to perform actions for all employees, regardless of the setting you have chosen here, but we will highlight those specifically. For the permissions that only grant users access to "users they have access to," the system will use your selection here.

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