User role deep-dive: Assistant
Overview
The Assistant permission lets one user (e.g. an Executive Assistant) perform tasks on behalf of another user (e.g. an Executive) — from submitting expenses and booking travel to requesting funds. It's not a separate user role. It's a permission added to an existing account. Businesses on Ramp Plus can also configure exactly which actions each Assistant is allowed to perform.
Available on all plans: Fund requests, card/billing detail visibility, expense management on behalf of assigned users
Requires Ramp Plus: Configurable Assistant permissions (Reimbursements, Transactions, Travel toggles)
The Assistant permission can be added to a user with any base role — there are no base role restrictions for receiving Assistant capabilities.
For an overview of all roles on Ramp and how they work together, see User Roles Overview.
What can the assistant user do?
Assistants can do the following on behalf of their assigned user(s):
- View transactions
- Submit receipts
- Fill out the transaction memo
- Code accounting fields that are required by their Expense Policy
- Submit/edit reimbursements
- Request policy exceptions or add attendees
- Book travel (only if Ramp Travel is enabled for all employees)
- Edit traveler profile (only if Ramp Travel is enabled for all employees)
- Request virtual cards, physical cards, and travel funds on behalf of their assigned user(s). The request follows the same intake and approval flow as standard requests. Approval routing is based on the assigned user's reporting line, not the Assistant's. The assigned user is notified when a request is made on their behalf.
- View their assigned user's card details (card number, CVV), billing addresses, and available fund balances. Viewing card details requires step-up authentication (re-entering your password) for security.
Notable limitations at this time:
- Assistants can create reimbursements on behalf of their assigned user(s), but they cannot add personal bank accounts on their behalf. Each user must link their own bank account. See our How do I add/change my personal bank account details? article for more.
- If an Assistant forwards a receipt on behalf of their assigned user to [email protected] , Ramp first searches for matching transactions among the Assistant's own transactions. If no match is found, Ramp will then search the transactions of the user(s) the Assistant is assigned to.
- Assistants cannot approve requests or transactions on behalf of their assigned user(s). Approval authority is managed separately through delegate approvers.
Tip: If you need to manage receipts or edit expenses for another user's transactions — including transactions on shared funds — the Assistant role is the way to do this. Co-owners of shared funds can view other members' transactions but cannot edit them or attach receipts. See Shared funds for more on co-owner permissions.
What can the assistant user see?
The Assistant can see the transactions and related information for the user(s) who have assigned them as Assistant. This includes card details (card number, CVV), billing addresses, and available fund balances. Viewing card details requires step-up authentication (re-entering your password).
Assistants are not able to see activity beyond their designated scope, such as the transactions of other users that the user(s) they're assisting can see, even if they are assigned to an Admin user.
Assistants will also be notified of their assigned user's missing items in their weekly "Missing Items" email.
Configuring assistant permissions
Available on Ramp Plus. See Ramp Plus overview for plan details.
If your business is on Ramp Plus, Admins and Executives can control exactly which actions an Assistant is allowed to perform. Permissions can be toggled individually, and changes apply immediately.
The available permission toggles are:
| Permission | What the Assistant can do |
|---|---|
| Reimbursements | Create and submit reimbursement requests on behalf of the assigned user |
| Transactions | Complete transaction requirements (receipts, memos, coding) on behalf of the assigned user |
| Travel | Search for and book flights, hotels, and rental cars on behalf of the assigned user |
Each Assistant's permissions are configured independently. Different Assistants can have different permission sets for the same user, and the same Assistant can have different permissions for different users they support.
To configure as an executive:
- Visit Profile (top right) > My Settings > Delegation tab
- Next to your Assistant's name, toggle the permissions you want to enable or disable
To configure as an Admin:
- Visit the People tab on the left side of your Ramp dashboard
- Select the user whose Assistant permissions you want to configure
- Click Edit Profile, then adjust the Assistant permission toggles
Note: If all permissions are turned off, the Assistant remains assigned but cannot perform any actions until at least one permission is re-enabled.
Setting up an assistant
Any user can assign one or more Assistants to their Ramp account. Any user can be granted Assistant permissions. One user can have multiple Assistants, and one Assistant can be assigned to multiple users. Admins can assign any user as an Assistant to any other user on Ramp.
Assigning your own assistant
- Visit Profile (top right) > My Settings > Delegation tab
- Click on the Assistant Role, begin typing the name of your assistant
- Click on the user you want to assign, and you're done
- If your business is on Ramp Plus, you can also configure which actions your Assistant is allowed to perform. Toggle the individual permissions (Reimbursements, Transactions, Travel) from this same screen. See "Configuring Assistant permissions" above for details.
Assigning assistants to others (Admin)
- Visit the People tab on the left side of your Ramp dashboard
- Select the user who needs an Assistant assigned to them, then click Edit Profile
- Click on the Company tab of the Edit Profile drawer and begin typing the Assistant's name in the "Assistants" field
- Click on the Assistant you want to assign, and you're done
- If your business is on Ramp Plus, you can also configure which actions the Assistant is allowed to perform from the same screen. Toggle the individual permissions (Reimbursements, Transactions, Travel) as needed. See "Configuring Assistant permissions" above for details.
Using assistant mode
To view and act on behalf of your assigned user, click Profile on the top right. You'll see a section titled "View as..." with your name and the names of the users you are an Assistant for in Ramp. Click on the user's name to view their Ramp account as their Assistant.
From here you can perform any of the actions your permissions allow, including submitting expenses, requesting funds, and booking travel on their behalf.
Audit trail
Ramp keeps an audit trail of all Assistant actions. Edits to transactions and requests made by an Assistant are logged with the Assistant's identity, so the assigned user and Admins can see exactly who made each change.
Frequently asked questions
Can different Assistants have different permissions?
Yes. Each Assistant's permissions are configured independently per assigned user.
Can an Assistant support multiple users?
Yes. An Assistant can be assigned to multiple users, with separate permission configurations for each.
Can an Assistant approve on behalf of their assigned user?
No. Approval authority is handled separately through delegate approvers.
Does the assigned user see what the Assistant did?
Yes. Actions taken by an Assistant are attributed to the assigned user but logged with the Assistant's identity for audit purposes. The assigned user is notified when requests are made on their behalf.
How does the Assistant receive notifications about the assigned user's missing items?
Assistants receive their assigned user's action items (such as missing business items) in their weekly digest. The assigned user may also set email filters to automatically forward Ramp notification emails to their Assistant.