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LinkedIn Ads User Roles: Who Can Do What, and How to Grant Access
LinkedIn Ads User Roles: Who Can Do What, and How to Grant Access
LinkedIn Campaign Manager has five ad account roles, and each grants a specific, widening set of permissions: a Viewer can only see reports, a Creative Manager can also build ads, a Campaign Manager can build campaigns, an Account Manager can also edit the account and add users, and a Billing Admin can do everything including manage billing. Only Account Managers and Billing Admins can add or remove other users, and there should be exactly one Billing Admin, the party actually billed for the account. The rule that keeps an account safe is least privilege: give each person the lowest role that still lets them do their job. This guide covers each role, how to add and remove users, how agencies get access, and how to assign roles sensibly.
Key takeaways
- LinkedIn Campaign Manager has five ad account roles: Viewer, Creative Manager, Campaign Manager, Account Manager, and Billing Admin.
- The roles widen in order: each one can do everything the one before it can, plus a bit more.
- Every role can view billing history, but only Account Managers and Billing Admins can view and print receipts, and only the Billing Admin manages the payment method.
- Only Account Managers and Billing Admins can add, edit, or remove users; there should be just one Billing Admin, the party billed for the account.
- Follow least privilege: assign the lowest role that lets each person do their job, and review access regularly.
What are the LinkedIn ad account roles?
LinkedIn Campaign Manager uses five roles, and they nest: each role includes everything the previous one can do and adds a layer. The table below lays out who can do what.
| Role | View reports | Create and edit ads | Create and edit campaigns | Edit account and manage users | Manage billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Creative Manager | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Campaign Manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Account Manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Billing Admin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A Viewer sees campaign data and reporting but changes nothing, which suits stakeholders and clients who only need visibility. A Creative Manager can build and edit ads but not campaigns, which fits a designer or copywriter. A Campaign Manager can build and edit campaigns and ads, which is the working role for whoever actually runs the account day to day. An Account Manager adds the ability to edit account settings and manage users. The Billing Admin can do all of that plus see and manage billing, and is the person or entity actually charged for the account.
Who can see billing and receipts?
Billing access is more layered than a single yes or no, so it is worth separating. Every role, even a Viewer, can see billing history, meaning how much has been spent. But only Account Managers and Billing Admins can view and print the actual receipts, and only the Billing Admin can change the payment method and billing details. This matters when a finance colleague needs receipts: adding them as a Viewer lets them see spend but not pull receipts, so give them at least Account Manager, or make them the Billing Admin if they own payment. Keep in mind that changing the Billing Admin puts the account on hold until the new admin enters billing information, so plan that switch rather than doing it mid-campaign.
Who can add or remove users?
Only two roles can manage access: Account Manager and Billing Admin. A Campaign Manager, Creative Manager, or Viewer cannot add, edit, or remove other users, which is by design, because user management is an account-control function rather than a campaign one. This is worth knowing before you hand someone a role: if a teammate needs to bring other people in, they need Account Manager, not just Campaign Manager. It also means you should never be left with only one Account Manager or Billing Admin who could leave, because losing your only access-manager makes it painful to add anyone new.
How do you add a user to a LinkedIn ad account?
Adding a user takes under a minute. Sign in to Campaign Manager and select the right account if you manage several. Open Account Settings, then Manage access, and click Add user (on some layouts you click Edit first, then Add user to account). Search for the person by name or, better, paste their LinkedIn profile URL and select the correct profile, since matching by profile URL avoids adding the wrong person. Choose the role you want to grant, then confirm. The person gets access immediately, tied to their personal LinkedIn profile, because LinkedIn ad account access is granted to individual members, not to email addresses or shared logins. To remove someone, return to the same Manage access screen and remove their entry, which you should do promptly whenever a person leaves the team or an engagement ends.
The least-privilege rule
The safest way to assign roles is to give each person the lowest role that still lets them do their job, a principle called least privilege. Over-granting is the common mistake: handing everyone Account Manager feels convenient, but it means more people can change settings, add users, and reshape the account than actually need to, which is how accounts drift and mistakes happen. Match the role to the job instead.
- Stakeholders, clients, or execs who only need to see results get Viewer.
- Designers and copywriters who build creative get Creative Manager.
- The person running campaigns day to day gets Campaign Manager.
- The team lead who owns the account and manages access gets Account Manager.
- Exactly one person or entity responsible for payment gets Billing Admin.
Assign a second Account Manager as a backup so you are never locked out, but keep the circle tight and review it on a schedule.
How do agencies get access to a client’s ad account?
There are two clean ways, depending on who creates the account. If the client already has an account, they add agency staff as users under Manage access with the right role. If the account does not exist yet, the agency can create it and then transfer ownership to the client, which is often the simplest route, or the client can create it themselves (choosing the account name, billing currency, and associated LinkedIn Page) and then grant the agency access. For managing access at scale, across many client accounts or a rotating team, LinkedIn’s Business Manager holds an organization’s ad accounts and Pages centrally and lets you grant partner or employee access through one structure that is easier to manage and revoke. Either way, the client keeps ownership and can remove access at any time.
Common access and role mistakes
Most access problems come from being either too generous or too careless. Giving everyone Account Manager removes any real control over who can change the account. Having only one Account Manager or Billing Admin, who then leaves, locks the team out of adding new users. Leaving former employees or finished agencies with active access is a security and spend risk. Sharing one login instead of granting individual roles breaks the audit trail and the security model, since access is meant to be tied to each person’s own profile. Adding a finance colleague as a Viewer and expecting them to pull receipts, which that role cannot do, is a smaller but common trip-up. And never reviewing access lets all of these quietly accumulate, which is why a periodic access review belongs on the calendar.
Right access, clean account, protected spend
Here is the thread. Roles are not bureaucracy; they are how you protect an account that spends real money and holds your performance data. Assign the lowest role each person needs, keep user management and billing to a trusted few, use Business Manager when you are running access at scale, and review who has access on a schedule. That keeps the account clean, the spend controlled, and the reporting trustworthy, which is the foundation for everything you do in Campaign Manager and for a tidy campaign structure. If you want your LinkedIn ad account set up with the right access and structure from the start, you can book a demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What are the user roles in LinkedIn Campaign Manager?
There are five ad account roles: Viewer (sees reports only), Creative Manager (also builds ads), Campaign Manager (also builds campaigns), Account Manager (also edits the account and manages users), and Billing Admin (also manages billing). The roles nest, so each one can do everything the previous role can plus more. The Billing Admin is the party actually billed for the account.
Q2. Who can add users to a LinkedIn ad account?
Only Account Managers and Billing Admins can add, edit, or remove users. Campaign Managers, Creative Managers, and Viewers cannot manage access, because that is an account-control function. If a teammate needs to bring other people into the account, they need the Account Manager role, not just Campaign Manager.
Q3. How do I give someone access to my LinkedIn ad account?
In Campaign Manager, open Account Settings, then Manage access, and click Add user (you may need to click Edit first). Search by name or paste the person’s LinkedIn profile URL, select their profile, choose a role, and confirm. Access is granted to their personal LinkedIn profile and takes effect immediately. Access is tied to individual members, not to email addresses or shared logins.
Q4. What is the difference between Account Manager and Campaign Manager roles?
A Campaign Manager can create and edit campaigns and ads and view reports and billing history, but cannot change account settings, manage users, or print receipts. An Account Manager can do all of that plus edit the account, add or remove users, and view and print receipts. In short, Campaign Manager runs campaigns, and Account Manager owns and administers the account.
Q5. Can everyone on the account see billing and spend?
Every role can see billing history, meaning how much has been spent, including a Viewer. But only Account Managers and Billing Admins can view and print the actual receipts, and only the Billing Admin can change the payment method and billing details. So a finance colleague who needs receipts should be at least an Account Manager, not just a Viewer.
Q6. What can a Billing Admin do on LinkedIn ads?
A Billing Admin can do everything an Account Manager can, plus manage billing, change the payment method and billing details, and view and print receipts, and this is the person or entity actually charged for the account. LinkedIn recommends exactly one Billing Admin per account. Note that changing the Billing Admin puts the account on hold until the new admin enters billing information.
Q7. How do I remove a user from my LinkedIn ad account?
Go to Account Settings, then Manage access, find the person in the list, and remove their entry. Only Account Managers and Billing Admins can do this. Remove access promptly when someone leaves the team or an agency engagement ends, since leaving former users or partners with active access is a security and spend risk.
Q8. How do agencies get access to a client’s LinkedIn ad account?
If the client has an account, they add agency staff as users under Manage access with the right role. If not, the agency can create the account and transfer ownership to the client, or the client creates it and grants access. For managing many accounts or a large team, Business Manager centralizes access and makes it easy to revoke. The client always keeps ownership.
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