Relay offers five advisor permission levels: Super Admin, Admin, Manager, Bill Payer, and Read-only. You pick one for each accountant or bookkeeper you invite to your Relay Account.
Who this is for
This article is for business owners who invite an accountant, bookkeeper, or advisory-firm staff member into their Relay Account. It's relevant if you:
Work with an accountant, bookkeeper, or fractional CFO who needs access to your books
Get service from an accounting or bookkeeping firm that uses the Relay Partner Portal
Want to separate day-to-day bookkeeping tasks from payment authority
Need a view-only login for a tax preparer, reviewer, or auditor
Want to change what an existing advisor can do inside your Relay Account
What is an advisor permission level?
An advisor permission level is a preset role you grant to an accountant, bookkeeper, or firm staff member you invite to your Relay Account. Each level defines exactly which accounts they can see, what payments they can send or approve, whether they can manage cards, and whether they can connect integrations like QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Every advisor signs in with their own unique login. You keep control of the permission level from your Relay Account, and you can change it at any time.
What are the five advisor permission levels?
Relay offers five advisor permission levels, ordered from most access to least.
Super Admin
Super Admin is full access. A Super Admin can:
View and manage every checking and savings account
Send payments and approve bills
Create, freeze, and manage cards
Connect and manage integrations
Manage other team members and advisors
Update business information
Grant Super Admin only to advisors you fully trust with payment authority.
Admin
Admin is broad access without the ability to originate new payments. An Admin can:
View every checking and savings account
Approve bills that other users initiate
View card activity (with limited card management)
Connect and manage integrations
Update most business information
An Admin cannot send outgoing payments on their own.
Manager
Manager is bookkeeping-focused access. A Manager can:
View accounts and transactions
Approve bills that fall within pre-set rules
Manage integrations to accounting tools
Categorize transactions and add notes
A Manager cannot send new payments or manage cards.
Bill Payer
Bill Payer is payment-only access, tied to bills that have already been pre-approved. A Bill Payer can:
Initiate payments for bills that have already been pre-approved by a user with payment authority
A Bill Payer cannot browse other transactions, manage cards, or change account settings.
Read-only
Read-only is view-only access. A Read-only advisor can:
View accounts, balances, and transactions
View business information
A Read-only advisor cannot move money, manage cards, or edit anything.
How do I change an advisor's permission level?
You change an advisor's permission level from the Team members area of your Relay Account. Open the advisor's profile, choose the new level from the permission dropdown, and save. The change takes effect the next time the advisor signs in.
For step-by-step instructions with screenshots, see Editing permission levels.
What if none of the five levels fit?
If your accountant or bookkeeper belongs to a firm that uses the Relay Partner Portal, the firm administrator can create custom advisor roles and assign them per client. Custom roles let firm administrators turn individual permissions on or off, so a role can sit between two of the standard levels.
For the full flow, see Creating custom roles in Relay.
Frequently asked questions
How many advisor permission levels does Relay offer?
Five: Super Admin, Admin, Manager, Bill Payer, and Read-only. You pick one for each advisor you invite.
Which advisor role can send payments on Relay?
Super Admin can send any payment. Bill Payer can only initiate payments tied to a bill that has already been pre-approved. Admin, Manager, and Read-only cannot originate outgoing payments.
Can an advisor use their own login to access my Relay Account?
Yes. Every advisor signs in with their own unique login. You never share your own credentials. You keep control of the advisor's permission level from your Relay Account.
Can I change an advisor's permission level after inviting them?
Yes. You can change an advisor's permission level at any time from the Team members area of your Relay Account. The change takes effect the next time the advisor signs in.
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