Users and Accounts

WHMCS 8.0 and later introduced a new user management system. It allows a single user access to multiple client accounts. It clearly separates authentication and authorization from services, billing, and support.

Admins can view information about individual accounts and their associated users. For more information, see Client Management and Users.

Accounts and Users

Accounts (formerly "clients") own products and services. They represent a billable party, like a business.

Users have with one or more associated accounts that they can access and manage. Whenever a new account is created, a new user is created based on the account profile and becomes the account owner (see below). Separate controls manage users' access to each account.

For example, each of a web designer's customers could represent a distinct account. The web designer could log in and access each of these accounts using a single set of credentials. However, the accounts themselves would not be connected.

Account Owners

Each account is associated with a single account owner. Account owners have all of the possible permissions that a user can possess. They are also the only user who can send invitations from the account to other new or existing users.

During checkout, authenticated users can choose to create a new account for the items in the cart. In this case, the system will assign account ownership for the new account to that user.

Account and User Management

Accounts (and associated users) can manage users and their permissions from the User Management section of the Client Area. For more information, see Adding and Managing Users.

Admins can also manage them from the Users tab in the client profile in the Admin Area. Account ownership can only be transferred between users through the Admin Area.

Users can also be removed via these two interfaces.

Invitations

To connect a user to multiple accounts, send an invitation from each account to that user or email address at any time. The invitee will receive an email and must click the included link and log in or create an account.

Note
Invitations expire after 7 days.

Accounts (and users controlling them) can send invitations from the User Management section of the Client Area. Admins can also send them from the Users tab in the client profile in the Admin Area. The invitations can go to new or existing users and accounts.

For steps to send invitations, see Users and Adding and Managing Users.

Upgrading to WHMCS 8.0

On upgrade to WHMCS 8.0, contacts will remain associated with each account.

Sub-Accounts will become user accounts that can access their associated account. The primary client account will also become a user who is the account owner.

The upgrade will not automatically combine or associate any users or accounts beyond what's discussed in this document. Use invitations, as described above, to associate users with accounts.