Granular Payment Permissions in Sparkforge

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Sparkforge splits Payments access into six categories — Orders, Subscriptions, Transactions, Taxes, Products, and Payment Settings — each with View, Create, Update, Delete, Export, and Configure actions. Assign only what each role needs to protect refunds, tax rules, and catalog data.

Granular payment permissions break the old single Payments toggle into six focused categories. Each one supports a standard action set, so you can grant research access without refund rights, or subscription oversight without full payments control.

What granular payment permissions cover

The six categories are Orders, Subscriptions, Transactions, Taxes, Products, and Payment Settings. Every category supports the same actions: View, Create, Update, Delete, Export, Configure. Permissions are role-based and applied at the Location (sub-account) level.

Why this matters

Lower risk: keep refunds, deletions, and tax config with trusted users only.
Faster onboarding: assign just the categories a role needs.
Cleaner audits: narrow permissions make it easier to trace changes in Audit Logs.
Operational clarity: refunds vs. order edits live in obvious places.
Workflow control: bulk, import, and export tools may be gated on Create/Update access.

What changed

Re-homed permissions: refunds now live under Transactions, subscription management under Subscriptions.
Standardized actions: every category uses the same six actions for easier comparison.
UI-enforced dependencies: bulk product actions and CSV imports require Create/Update access.
Tighter control: explicit permission for refunds, subscription edits, and tax adjustments.

The six permission categories

Orders

One-time orders and charges from Payment Links, checkout pages, stores, and POS. Recommended for: fulfillment and support teams that look up and export orders, with edits reserved for senior owners.

Subscriptions

Recurring billing lifecycles — create plans, assign subscriptions, pause, resume, cancel, change payment methods. Recommended for: finance, billing, and account managers responsible for retention.

Transactions

Completed payments and refunds. Sensitive because it allows refunding money and downloading receipts. Recommended for: support gets View/Export/Receipts; refunds restricted to finance leads.

Taxes

Tax behavior, manual rates, and automatic tax calculation. Recommended for: accountants, controllers, and finance admins. Avoid Configure/Delete for non-finance users.

Products

Create, edit, duplicate, import/export, or delete products. Changes cascade to Payment Links, stores, and checkout. Recommended for: store or catalog owner for day-to-day; admins only for Import/Export/Delete.

Payment Settings

Global preferences — receipts, subscription defaults, payment notifications. Recommended for: administrators or brand/finance owners.

How to set up granular permissions

Go to Sub-Account Settings → My Staff, find the user, and click the pencil edit icon.
Expand Roles & Permissions and select the category.
For each category, toggle the actions the role needs (View, Create, Update, Delete, Export, Configure).
Click Save.
Optionally, click Copy Permissions to apply the same config to another user.
Have the user sign out and back in, then validate with a test record (open a product, view a transaction).

Suggested role presets

Role	Category	Actions
Billing Support	Transactions	View, Export, Download Receipt (no refund)
Billing Support	Subscriptions	View, Pause/Resume/Cancel
Fulfillment	Orders	View, Export, Update
Account Manager	Subscriptions	View, Create, Update, Pause/Resume/Cancel, Export
Accountant	Transactions	View, Export, Refund
Accountant	Taxes	View, Configure, Update, Delete
Administrator	All categories	All actions

Use Copy Permissions on the user record to replicate a tested config for similar roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do permissions affect CSV imports and exports in Payments?

Yes. Bulk import and export tools may be hidden if a user lacks Create, Update, or Export rights for that category. Have an admin review the role config.

Can someone research transactions without refund rights?

Yes. Grant Transactions View (and Export if needed) and leave the Refund action off. Refund rights stay with finance leads.

Will disabling Products permissions break existing checkout or payment links?

No. Live checkout and Payment Links keep working. The user just can't edit the underlying product or link records.

Where can I see who changed a payment setting or product?

Use Audit Logs. Agency admins can review at the agency level, and asset-level audit logs are available for funnels, websites, and stores.

Why are buttons greyed out in Payments for one of my users?

Almost always insufficient Create, Update, or Export permissions for that category. Review the role or test with an admin role to confirm.