Custom roles

OverviewEnabling custom rolesCreating rolesManaging rolesAssigning users to rolesProduct capabilitiesExamples of custom roles

Overview

PremiumEnterprise

New for Spring Early access

You can customize our roles for precise access permissions by defining, managing, and assigning exact capabilities to users. For example, besides our standard account, card, and user management admins, you can create specific role types to assign to finance managers, policy administrators, IT systems administrators, HR managers, or even auditors.


Enabling custom roles

Admins can enable custom roles in their Brex dashboard. Step 1: Go to Company Settings > Beta features.

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Step 2: Toggle on Custom roles and click Enable.

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Creating roles

Account admins and card admins can define, edit, and assign custom roles to grant users access to the features they need. Step 1: Go to Security > Admin roles > Create custom role.

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Step 2: Add a role name (e.g., “Budget Admin”) and an optional description, and click Next.

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Step 3: Choose the role’s capabilities: For help, see Existing capabilities below. Step 4: Review your role and click Next.

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Managing roles

You can make adjustments to an existing custom admin role by following these steps: Step 1: Go to Security > Admin roles. Step 2: Click on the custom admin role you want to edit. Step 3: Click Edit and make your adjustments to the role’s capabilities. Note: Built-in Brex role types cannot be edited.


Assigning users to roles

Step 1: Go to Team and click on the user you want to edit to open the side menu and go to Roles & Access.

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Step 2: In the details window, go to Brex role and click the text box. Step 3: Select one of the existing roles to change the user's current role.

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Note: The following permissions under Product access must be configured on a user-by-user basis.

  • Bill pay
    • Approve payment
    • Draft bills
  • Travel
    • Manage company travel
    • Book trips
  • Card
    • Spend on a Brex card

Product capabilities

Here are product capabilities that can be assigned to a custom admin role and the effects each one has within the product. We’ll continue adding more capabilities to give you further product customization options.

Spend

Budgets

  • View budgets: View all budgets across the organization
    • Allows the user to view all the organization's budgets. Unchecking this option prevents the user from accessing the organization’s budget information. Users can manage any budgets they own.
  • Manage budgets: Create, edit, and delete budgets across the organization
    • Allows creating, editing, and deleting budgets. View budgets is a prerequisite to this capability. Unchecking this option limits the user to viewing budgets only (if View budgets is enabled).

Cards and limits

  • View cards and limits: View all cards and limits across the organization
    • Allows viewing information about cards and limits across the organization. Unchecking this option prevents access to the organization’s cards and limits. Users can access their own cards and limits in their Wallet.
  • Manage cards and limits: Create, edit, and delete cards and limits
    • Allows creating, editing, and deleting cards and their limits. View cards and limits is a prerequisite to this capability.

Policy

  • View policies: View all policies across the organization
    • Allows viewing all spending policies within the organization.
  • Manage policies: Create, edit, and delete policies
    • Allows creating, editing, and deleting spending policies within the organization. View policies is a prerequisite to this capability.

Expenses

  • View expenses: View all expenses across the organization
    • Allows the user to view all the organization's expenses. Without this capability, the user cannot access expense reports or view transactions. Users will still have visibility into their expenses and the expenses of their direct reports.
  • Manage expenses: Edit, approve, and reject expenses
    • Allows editing, approving, and rejecting expenses. "View expenses" is a prerequisite to this capability. Users will still have visibility into their expenses and the expenses of their direct reports.
Accounting

Accounting settings

  • Manage accounting integration: Setup or edit the organization’s ERP configuration
    • Allows configuring or editing ERP integrations.

Mappings, fields, and rules

  • Manage mappings, fields, and rules: Create, edit, and delete all accounting mappings, fields, and rules
    • Allows creating, editing, and deleting mappings, fields, and automations. View mappings, fields, and rules is a prerequisite to this capability.

Prepare and export

  • View transactions: View all accounting transactions
    • Allows viewing all accounting transactions. Unchecking this option prevents access to these transactions.
  • Prepare transactions for review: Prepare and send transactions to review
    • Allows preparing and sending transactions for review. View transactions is a prerequisite to this capability.
  • Review and export transactions: Review and export transactions to the connected ERP
    • Allows reviewing and exporting transactions to the connected ERP. View transactions is a prerequisite to this capability.
  • Unexport transactions: Move exported transactions back to prepare
    • Allows moving exported transactions back to review. View transactions is a prerequisite to this capability.
Team

Organization

  • View organization fields: View all fields and values across the organization
    • Allows viewing all the organization's fields and values. Unchecking this option prevents access to this information.
  • Manage organization fields: Create, edit, and delete fields and values
    • Allows creating, editing, and deleting organization fields and values. View organization fields is a prerequisite to this capability.

Users

  • View users: View all existing and historical users on Brex
    • Allows viewing all existing and historical users in Brex.
  • Manage copilots: Set and remove copilots for all users
    • Allows assigning and removing copilots for all users.
  • Manage accounting firms: Add and remove accounting firms to the organization for Pro Access
    • Allows configuring and removing accounting firms for Pro Access.
  • Invite users: Add and invite users to Brex
    • Allows adding and inviting new users to Brex.
  • Update user access: Set a user’s role and ways to spend
    • Allows setting a user's roles and spending permissions.
  • Deactivate users: Deactivate and reactivate users
    • Allows deactivating and reactivating users. Without this permission, the administrator cannot change user status.
  • Manage users: Set and remove fields on a user
    • Allows creating and removing fields associated with users.

Entities

  • View entities: View all entities across the organization
    • Allows viewing all the organization's legal entities.
  • Manage entities: Create, edit, verify, and delete entities
    • Allows creating, editing, verifying, and deleting legal entities. View entities is a prerequisite to this capability.

HRIS integrations

  • Manage HRIS connection: Setup or edit the organization’s HRIS configuration
    • Allows configuring or editing connections with HR systems.
Security

Audit trail

  • View audit trail: View all activities across the organization
    • Allows viewing all activities performed in the organization.
Reporting

Reports

  • Manage reports: Create and manage shared reports
    • Allows creating and managing shared reports. View expenses is a prerequisite to this capability.

Examples of custom roles

Below are some examples that you can create using this feature. Regularly review the user’s access to ensure alignment with their responsibilities.

Finance Manager

Ideal for users managing budgets, expenses, and accounting-related tasks. Limit these permissions to key finance personnel to ensure accurate budgeting and compliance. Permissions:

  • View budgets and manage budgets
  • View expenses and manage expenses
  • View mappings, fields, and rules and manage mappings, fields, and rules
  • View transactions, prepare transactions for review, and review transactions for export
  • Manage ERP connection
Policy Administrator

Designed for users responsible for enforcing spending policies. Encourage collaboration with Finance or HR to align policies with organizational goals. Permissions:

  • View policies and manage policies
  • View users and update user access
IT Systems Administrator

Perfect for users managing integrations and technical configurations. Permissions:

  • Manage ERP connection
  • Manage HRIS connection
  • View audit trail
HR Manager

Suitable for users overseeing employee roles and organizational fields. Use this role to streamline user management and ensure accurate access control across departments.

Permissions:

  • View organization fields and manage organization fields
  • View users, Invite users, update user access, and deactivate users
  • Manage copilots and manage accounting firms
Auditor

Designed for users responsible for reviewing financial data and compliance. Assign this role to internal or external auditors for oversight purposes. Ensure permissions are read-only to maintain the integrity of your data. Permissions:

  • View budgets
  • View expenses
  • View mappings, fields, and rules
  • View audit trail

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