Assign User Access Permissions

Last updated: May 1, 2026, 4:42 PM

Assigning access permissions to your employees defines what features your employees have access to on both the POS and in Toast Web.

In this Article:

 

Before you begin

Who can assign permissions: Only employees with the 8.2 User Permissions permission enabled on their profile. Being an owner or administrator does not automatically grant this ability.

 

Important: You can only assign or edit permissions you already hold yourself. If a permission is enabled for the employee you are editing but not for your own profile, Toast will block the change — even if you are the account owner. This is the most common reason admins and owners are unable to update another employee's permissions.

 

Where to work: All permission changes are made in Toast Web. POS devices do not have a permissions editor.

 

Note for Toast Payroll access: Toast Payroll permissions are managed separately. See Toast Payroll: Manage Security Roles to learn more.

 

Back to top

 

Assign job-based permissions

Job-based permissions are the recommended approach for most restaurants. You configure a default permission set for each job role — for example, Server, Cashier, Manager, or a custom job code — and every employee assigned that job inherits those permissions automatically. Updating a job's permissions changes access for all employees in that role at once.

 

To find the permission number that controls a specific feature, see the Permissions Reference Guide.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Jobs.
  2. Select the job you want to update, or select + Add Job to create a new one.
  3. Scroll to the Default User Permissions section.
  4. Select the checkboxes next to the permissions you want to enable. Deselect to remove a permission.
  5. Select Save.

 

Expected outcome: All employees assigned to this job now have the updated permissions. Changes take effect after each employee's next login. If an employee is currently logged in on a POS device, ask them to log out and log back in, or resync the device (see After you save: sync your POS devices).

 

Back to top

 

Override permissions for an individual employee

Use individual overrides when one employee needs different access than their job role provides — for example, giving one cashier the ability to process voids without updating the entire Cashier job, or removing a specific permission for one manager. Individual overrides do not affect other employees assigned to the same job.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees.
  2. Select the employee's name, then select the pencil icon to edit their profile.
  3. Select the Jobs and Permissions tab, then select Edit Jobs. [Navigation path requires validation]
  4. In the Default User Permissions section, select or deselect permissions for this employee.
    • Gray checkboxes are inherited from the employee's job role and are already active. You do not need to override them. [Suggested approach – requires validation]
    • Blue checkboxes are individual overrides set at the employee level.
  5. Select Save.

 

Expected outcome: The employee's permissions are updated. If they are currently logged in on a POS device, they may need to log out and log back in for changes to take effect.

 

Note: If an employee holds more than one job, they receive the combined permissions of all their jobs. [Suggested approach – requires validation] Changing one job's permissions affects the employee's full access profile across all assigned jobs.

 

Back to top

 

Assign group-level permissions for multilocation restaurants

Restaurants using Toast Multilocation Management (MLM) can assign permissions at the restaurant group level. This is most useful for regional managers or staff who need consistent reporting or configuration access across multiple locations without requiring individual changes at each location.

 

Users with 8.2 User Permissions at the group level can manage group-level permissions for others. If you are just getting started with MLM permissions and need to assign someone this role, contact Customer Care.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to the employee's Jobs and Permissions page and select Add Group / Restaurant Permissions.
  2. Select the restaurant group or location for which you want to assign permissions.
  3. Select the group or restaurant name to expand the permissions menu.
  4. Select or deselect the desired permissions.
  5. Select Save.

 

Expected outcome: The employee now has the updated permissions for the selected group or location.

 

Important: Group-level permissions provide back-end (Toast Web) access only. If an employee also needs to log in on a POS device at a specific location, they must be added as an employee at that location separately — group-level access alone is not sufficient for POS device login.

 

To revoke all group-level access for an employee, select the trash can icon on the collapsed group permissions table.

 

For complex group structures or multi-level setups, contact Customer Care. For full MLM permissions documentation, see Manage User Jobs & Permissions With MLM.

 

Back to top

 

After you save: sync your POS devices

Permission changes made in Toast Web do not always apply immediately on POS devices. If an employee's access does not change after you save:

 

  1. On the POS device, select Switch User to go to the passcode screen.
  2. Select the overflow menu (three dots) in the top-right corner.
  3. Select Resync Data from the dropdown.

 

Expected outcome: The device pulls the latest permission settings from Toast Web. The employee should now have the updated access.

 

If permissions still do not take effect after resyncing, see Get Help With User Permissions for Toast POS.

 

Back to top

 

FAQ

I'm the owner or admin, but I can't assign permissions to another employee. Why?

To assign or edit another employee's permissions, you must hold every permission that employee has, plus the 8.2 User Permissions permission. Even account owners are subject to this rule. If a permission is enabled on the employee's profile but not on yours, Toast will block the change.

 

For step-by-step troubleshooting, see Get Help With User Permissions for Toast POS.

 

What permission number do I need for a specific feature?

See the Permissions Reference Guide for a complete list of all permission numbers organized by category (POS Access, Manager, Restaurant Admin, Account Admin, and more) and the features each one controls.

 

An employee changed jobs, and now their permissions are different. Is that expected?

Yes. When you assign an employee to a new job, they inherit the permissions of that job. If the new job has fewer permissions than the previous one, the employee loses access to those features. If an employee holds more than one job, they receive the combined permissions of all their jobs. [Suggested approach – requires validation]

 

To restore specific access, add an individual permission override (see Override permissions for an individual employee), or update the job's default permissions to include the needed access.

 

I saved permission changes, but the employee still doesn't have access. What should I do?

Two common causes:

  • POS not synced: Resync the POS device using the steps in After you save: sync your POS devices.
  • Duplicate employee profile: The employee may have two profiles in Toast Web. Navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees and search their name. Update the profile they actually use to log in.

 

If the issue continues, see Get Help With User Permissions for Toast POS.

 

How do I give an employee full owner-level access?

An existing owner or admin must log in to Toast Web and manually enable all permissions on the employee's profile, or assign them to a job that has all permissions enabled. Customer Care cannot make this change on your behalf — it must come from someone at your restaurant who already holds owner-level access.

 

Can I copy one employee's permissions to another employee?

Toast does not support cloning or mirroring a permission profile automatically. To match another employee's access, assign them the same job roles at the same locations. Using job-based permissions — rather than individual overrides — keeps access consistent and easier to maintain across your team.

 

Back to top

 

Related articles

 

Back to top