Account role types and permissions

Roles availableBrex roles overviewChanging a user’s role typePermissions

This article refers to a feature that might not be available in your current Brex plan. If you'd like to learn more about this feature and how to unlock additional capabilities in Brex's upgraded plans, please have your account or card admin reach out to Brex Support by clicking on Support in your dashboard.

Roles available

Role

With a Brex business account

Without a Brex business account

Account admin
Card admin
User management admin
Travel admin
Bookkeeper
AP clerk
Employee
Employee - reimbursement only
Account admin

This role type is only available for accounts with a Brex business account.

As an account admin, you’ll have complete access to your company’s Brex business account and overall account settings. You'll have visibility into all transactions, statements, limits, and balances, and are the only role type that’s able to make mobile deposits.

You'll also have the ability to freely initiate transfers both in and out of your Brex business account, and manage bank connections. In addition, you’ll control user permissions and account settings, including new user invitations, integration settings, and rewards redemption.

All of these abilities apply to both your Brex business account and standard card accounts.

Account admins can also create expense policies, approve bill payment drafts, and submit limit increase requests.

Card admin

Card admins have the same permissions as the account admin as it relates to Brex cards, but you aren’t able to access the company’s Brex business account. This includes viewing Brex business account transfer history or statements. Similarly, you won't be able to initiate any transfers or payments from within your dashboard. Card admins also do not have the ability to manage access of other account admins.

User management admin Premium Enterprise

The user management admin is a role type designed for those in your company who’ll be managing other users or employees. They’ll be able to set up organizations, invite and manage users, and manage the access of non-admin users. In general, they’ll be able to view and customize anything in your Team tab.

Unlike the other admin role types, user management admins won’t be able to view high-level account information, such as billing and bank connections.

Travel admin Premium Enterprise Smart card

The travel admin role is designed to manage and organize your company’s travel requirements. This includes planning and managing employee travel and gathering travel insights.

To make a user a travel admin, go to the Teams page, click the user, and toggle on Manage company travel under Access travel.

Bookkeeper

Bookkeepers can manage a company’s accounting, download statements, and download transaction reports. They’ll have read-only access to some records in your Brex account; such as Brex business account information, but cannot make changes to account or user settings. By default, bookkeepers don’t have cardholder capabilities. They can request a spend limit, however, and an account or card admin can enable card capabilities for them.

AP clerk

This role type is only available for accounts with a Brex business account.

An AP clerk has visibility into the Brex business account, where you’ll be able to see statements and all Brex business account transactions. You won't be able to add funds to your Brex business account but, with admin approval, you can send outbound transfers.

For card transactions, you'll only have visibility into those made on your own cards. You can add receipts and memos to these transactions, as well as re-categorize them if you’d like.

You can issue yourself virtual cards for spend limits assigned to you, as well as a physical card. While you won't have the ability to see your overall account limit, you can view the limits of the non-hidden spend limits assigned to you, and can always see your personal spend.

Employee

As an employee, you can view transactions made on your own cards. You have the ability to add receipts and memos to these transactions, as well as re-categorize them. You can issue yourself virtual cards for spend limits assigned to you, as well as a physical card, depending on your card access level. While you won't have the ability to see your overall account limit, you can view the limits of the spend limits assigned to you, and can always see your personal spend. Note: For information about user roles relating to Brex API access, please see our developer documentation.


Brex roles overview

This table provides more details about the permissions of each role.

Card account management
PermissionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel adminAP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
See all account transactionsPersonal transactionsPersonal transactions and travel transactionsPersonal transactionsPersonal transactions
See company account’s current balance, available spend, and statement period
Connect bank accounts to Brex
Make payments
Download statements/transaction reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reports
Request to change account details
Set up/manage accounting software integrations
Recategorize account transactionsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reports
Attach receipts/memos to account transactionsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reportsPersonal reports
View and redeem Brex points
Brex business account management
PermissionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel adminAP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
Assign the account and card admin role
View Brex business account statements, balance, and transactions
View Brex business account details
Add memos to Brex business account transactions
Download Brex business account statements/transaction reports
Send money from Brex business account With approval
Add funds to Brex business account via ACH or wire
Deposit a check into a Brex business account
User management
PermissionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel adminAP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
See personal monthly spend and assigned spend limits PersonalPersonal and travel spend limitsPersonalPersonalPersonal
Deactivate and Reactivate usersTravel user access
Can set up and manage org via HRIS, SCIM, CSV import
Can create departments, locations, cost centers, and legal entities
Manage access of non-admin roles such as employees, bookkeepers, AP clerks**if you have a Brex business account, this excludes bookkeepersManage travel access
Manage access of admin roles**if you have a Brex business account, this excludes account admins
View Teams and Integrations tab Teams tab only
View Travel page
Card management

As an admin, you can customize your team members’ card permissions by following the steps below. If you don’t see this option, please contact Brex Support.

PermissionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel adminAP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
Have access to Brex cardsif card access toggled on if card access toggled on if card access toggled on if card access toggled on if card access toggled on
Issue new Brex cardsfor self and othersfor self and othersfor self and others if card access is toggled onfor self and others if card access is toggled on for self if card access is toggled on for self if card access is toggled on for self if card access is toggled on

Travel management Premium Enterprise Smart card

If you have Brex travel enabled, the Access travel toggle allows users to mange employee travel access, book trips, manage company travel, or do both. A more detailed overview of these roles and permissions can be found below. Having both Brex travel enabled and Manage company travel toggled on lets a user book trips and manage company travel.

PermissionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel admin (Manage company travel toggled on)AP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
View and book your own trips
View trips for others (outside of copilot mode)
Edit trips for others (outside of copilot mode)
View travel insights
Set up direct pricing
Update user access for travel to book trips
Personal card reimbursement for travel Reimbursement-only users
View travel billing changes and invoices Invoices only
View and redeem unused tickets Redeem onlyRedeem only Redeem only
Set preferred travel vendors
Bill pay management

Below is an overview of the default actions each role type can take to manage bills. However, account and card admins can customize these permissions for any role. The details of these permission toggles are in the Permissions section to follow.

Default actionsAccount adminCard adminUser management adminTravel adminAP clerkBookkeeperEmployee
Manage permissions
View/manage settings
View drafts/bills
View Brex card details for bill payment if assigned as a cardholder
Create drafts through email forwarding
Approve bills if assigned as an approver based on the policy (except the last required approval for payment)

Changing a user’s role type

Account and card admins can change a user’s role by following the steps in this help article. If you have trouble, please reach out to Brex Support.


Permissions

While the permissions any given team member has on your account are determined by their role type, there are additional permissions that you can assign to your users regardless of their role type.

Individual permissions

Account, card, and user management admins can customize a user’s permission at the time of invitation. To update permissions later on, admins can do so from the dashboard by following the steps below. Step 1: In your dashboard, go to Team. Step 2: Click on the team member whose permissions you want to adjust. Step 3: Expand the Roles & access section, and toggle on or off any of the following:

  • Spend on a Brex card: Toggling this on lets a user transact using assigned Brex cards. For admin roles, this is toggled on by default. If this is toggled off, the user will be considered a reimbursement-only user.
    • Employee and virtual cards: Checking this box allows the user to hold the following:
      • Both digital and physical employee cards that can be assigned to any spend limits
      • Virtual cards that can be permanently assigned to one spend limit
    • Virtual cards only: Checking this box allows the user to hold virtual cards that are permanently assigned to one spend limit.
  • Submit reimbursements: Toggling this on lets a user request reimbursements for business spend on their personal cards. This is toggled on by default for all role types.
  • Manage bills: Toggling this on lets you check whether you want to let a user draft bills, approve payments, or both. The exact actions this will allow your team member to complete are outlined in the table below.

By default, account and card admins have both Draft bills enabled and Approve payments enabled. AP clerks have Draft bills enabled. However, you can toggle these permissions on or off for a user of any role type. The table below lists the permissions you’d need to enable for any given user to complete the corresponding task.

PermissionDraft bills enabledApprove payments enabled
View drafts/bills
Create or update vendors
Create/draft bills
Edit/update bills√*√*
Cancel bills√*√*
Delete drafts and duplicates
Submit drafts for approval/schedule for payment
View spend limit and amount√**√**
View account balance visibility in bill intake
Mark drafts as paid externally and submit for approval
Approve bill payment if assigned as a last approver based on the policy
Resync bill after approval and paid out

*Bookkeeper, AP clerk, User management admin, Travel admin, and Employee roles actions are limited to bills you created. **AP clerk, User management admin, Travel admin, and Employee are limited to spend limits you’re a member/owner of. Premium Enterprise Access Brex travel: Toggling this on allows users to access Brex travel. To customize this, you can also adjust the following:

  • Book trips: Toggling this on lets the user book trips for themselves through the Brex travel portal.
  • Manage company travel: Toggling this on allows the user to manage and organize the company’s travel, including planning and managing employee travel.
    • Once assigned, you can view a user’s access in their Access column on the Teams page.
PermissionBook trips enabledManage company travel enabled
View and book your own trips
View and edit trips for others (outside of copilot mode)
View travel insights
Set up direct pricing
Set up user provisioning for travel
Personal card reimbursement for travel
View travel billing changes and invoices
View and redeem unused tickets
Set preferred travel vendors
Was this article helpful?