🔒 Why Can't I Access Account or Billing?

Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Oct 1, 2026

🧭 Overview

If you cannot find the Account menu or the Billing section in Search Atlas, the most common cause is that you are logged in as a team member on someone else's account. Team member accounts do not have billing permissions by default. This article walks you through the two most likely causes and how to fix each one.

✅ Step 1: Check Whether You Are the Account Owner

Billing and plan management are only available to the primary account owner — the person who originally created and pays for the Search Atlas subscription. If you were invited to the workspace by someone else, you are a team member and will not see billing options regardless of your role settings.

To confirm which type of account you have:

  1. Click your profile icon or initials in the top-right corner of the platform.
  2. Look for an Account or Billing option in the dropdown menu.
  3. If neither option appears, you are most likely logged in as a team member on another user's workspace.

If you do not see the Account menu at all, proceed to the resolution steps below before assuming a technical issue.

🔑 Step 2: Resolve Team Member Permission Restrictions

If you are a team member and need to upgrade the plan, you have two options:

  • Ask the account owner to upgrade the plan. Share this article with them. The account owner can log in to their own account, navigate to the Account menu, and select Billing to change the plan tier.
  • Create your own Search Atlas account. If you need independent billing control, sign up for a new account at searchatlas.com using your own credentials. You will then be the primary owner and have full access to billing and plan upgrades.

There is no setting inside Search Atlas that grants billing access to team members. This is by design to protect the account owner's payment information and subscription control.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.