Account Owner vs. Full Admin Access

This article outlines the differences between the Account Owner and Full Admin access levels in BambooHR. The Account Owner is a singular role with unique privileges, including the ability to delete employee profiles and manage specific account settings. In contrast, Full Admin access can be granted to multiple users and includes comprehensive administrative rights, such as viewing and editing employee data, adding employees, and generating reports. The article details how to assign Full Admin access, the notifications sent when changes are made, and a comparative table illustrating the specific capabilities of each role. Understanding these distinctions is essential for effective user management within BambooHR.

Jul 8, 2026
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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
Account Owner
How do Account Owner and Full Admin access compare?

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 and folders.
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: Once a new Full Admin user is added, they will automatically have full access to BambooHR and 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.

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 New Non-Employee User. Fill out the information about the user and click Save and Grant Access. 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:

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

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 and folders	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
Request Time Clock sales call.	X
Can set up BambooHR Time Kiosk app.	X	X
Remove time & attendance devices from account.	X	X

Are you considering creating a custom access level and granting access to everything? View the permission restrictions in our FAQ guide.

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