Roles explained
A full breakdown of Owner, Admin, Manager, and Member — the capability tiers and exactly what each role can see and do.
Hoursmith has four roles, ranked Owner > Admin > Manager > Member. Each higher role can do everything the role below it can, plus more. This page is the definitive reference for who can do what.
The capability tiers
Permissions group into a few tiers:
- Owner-only: close the workspace, transfer ownership.
- Owner + Admin: workspace settings, branding, billing, payments, imports, and email.
- Manage tier (Owner + Admin + Manager): clients, projects, invoices, expenses (Manager and up), and team invites.
- Member: track their own time and work on tasks assigned to them.
Capability matrix
| Capability | Owner | Admin | Manager | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track time on assigned projects | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Edit a task | Any task | Any task | Any task | Only tasks assigned to them |
| Archive or delete a task | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browse all clients & projects | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Create / edit clients & projects | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Create & send invoices | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| View money & reports | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Expenses | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Record / accept / refund payments, connect Stripe | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Invite, change roles, remove members | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Edit workspace settings, run imports, manage billing | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Close workspace, transfer ownership | Yes | No | No | No |
Two important details on the matrix above:
- Members can edit a task only if it's assigned to them, and they can never archive or delete a task.
- Invite, change-role, and remove actions always apply at or below your own rank — you can't act on someone above you. See Change roles.
What each role is for
Owner
The account holder. The Owner can do everything, including the two Owner-only actions: closing the workspace and transferring ownership. There is exactly one Owner per workspace.
Admin
A trusted partner who runs the business with you. Admins cover the Owner + Admin tier — workspace settings, branding, billing, payments, imports, and email — and everything in the manage tier. They can record, accept, and refund payments and connect Stripe. They can't close the workspace or transfer ownership.
Manager
A team lead handling day-to-day delivery. Managers cover the manage tier: clients, projects, invoices, expenses, and inviting teammates. They cannot edit workspace settings, manage billing, run imports, or handle payments (no recording, accepting, refunding, or connecting Stripe).
Member
Contractors and staff. Members track their own time and work on assigned tasks only. They can edit a task that's assigned to them, but can't archive or delete tasks. They have no access to clients or invoices, never see money or reports, and only see the projects they're added to. See Money-blindness.
Accept an invite
Join a Hoursmith workspace from an invite link. Set a password if you're new, or sign in on the invited email if you already have an account.
Change roles
Promote or demote teammates from Settings → Team. You can only manage people at or below your rank, and you can't promote anyone to Owner.