Understanding Primary Profile

Every Balance account has one primary profile - the account owner. This guide explains what the primary profile is, what makes it special, and why it can’t be deleted.

What is the Primary Profile?

The primary profile is:

• The first profile created
• The account owner
• Tied to the email/login
• Cannot be deleted
• Has special administrative permissions

Created automatically when you sign up for Balance.

Primary vs. Additional Profiles

Special Primary Profile Permissions

Administrative Access

Only primary profile can:

1. Manage Subscription

• Subscribe to Premium
• Change plans (Monthly ↔ Annual)
• Update payment method
• Cancel subscription
• Access billing portal

2. Account Settings

• Change account email
• Update password
• Account-level preferences
• Export data (future)

3. Delete Profiles

• Remove additional profiles
• Clean up unused profiles
• Manage household users

What Primary Can’t Do Alone

Still need partner agreement for:

• Budget amounts (though technically can edit)
• Major purchases
• Financial goals
• Budget strategy

Technical ability ≠ relationship permission!

Budgeting Permissions (Equal)

Same Access to Budget

Primary and additional profiles have EQUAL access to:

✅ All profiles can:

• View entire budget
• See all transactions
• Categorize transactions
• Add manual transactions
• Create new categories
• Edit category amounts
• Adjust budget
• Connect bank accounts
• Disconnect accounts
• See historical data

No budget features are restricted to primary profile only.

Why Primary Profile Matters

Account Ownership

Primary profile represents:

• Legal account owner
• Person responsible for subscription
• Contact person for support
• Email recipient for notifications

Like “head of household” in digital sense.

Billing Responsibility

Primary profile owns:

• Stripe subscription
• Payment method
• Billing address
• Invoice receipts

They’re billed, even if partner contributes financially.

Cannot Transfer Primary Status

Once set, primary profile:

• Cannot be changed to different person
• Cannot be transferred
• Permanent for that account

If need different primary:

• Would need new Balance account
• Transfer data manually
• Not ideal - better to keep original

Who Should Be Primary Profile

Considerations

Often best for:

1. Person Who Signed Up

• Automatic (they’re primary)
• Already set up
• Has account access

2. Primary Earner

• Pays for subscription
• Manages household finances
• Makes financial decisions

3. Most Tech-Savvy

• Handles billing issues
• Troubleshoots problems
• Manages account

4. Either Partner (Doesn’t Matter Much)

• For budgeting, profiles are equal
• Only admin tasks differ
• Choose whoever is easier

For Couples

Common approaches:

Equal Partnership:

• Doesn’t matter who’s primary
• Both have equal budget access
• Primary just handles billing

Traditional:

• Primary earner as primary profile
• Matches financial responsibility

Practical:

• Whoever set up account stays primary
• No need to overthink it

Primary Profile Limitations

Can’t Be Deleted

You cannot delete primary profile because:

• It’s tied to account ownership
• Email/password linked to it
• Subscription attached to it
• Would orphan the account

To “delete” primary profile:

• Would need to delete entire account
• All data lost
• Cannot be undone

Keep it forever or close account entirely.

Can’t Be Demoted

No “make someone else primary”:

• Primary status is permanent
• Can’t transfer to partner
• Can’t rotate primary role

Workaround if really needed:

• Create new account with desired person as primary
• Transfer data manually (tedious)
• Restart subscription
• Not recommended!

Primary Profile Best Practices

1. Keep Login Secure

Primary profile should:

• Use strong password
• Don’t share login widely
• Enable 2FA when available
• Keep email secure

Why: Controls account and billing.

2. Share Admin Decisions

Even though primary has control:

• Discuss subscription changes with partner
• Agree on plan choice (Monthly vs Annual)
• Joint decision on canceling
• Communicate billing changes

Technical control ≠ unilateral decisions.

3. Keep Email Current

Primary profile email receives:

• Billing notifications
• Payment receipts
• Subscription reminders
• Account updates

Keep email:

• Active and checked
• Not spam-filtered
• Current address

4. Communicate Access

Let partner know:

• You’re the primary profile
• You handle billing/admin
• They have equal budget access
• How to reach you for account issues

Transparency = trust.

For the Non-Primary Partner

Your Access and Rights

As additional profile, you can:

• ✅ View and edit entire budget
• ✅ Categorize all transactions
• ✅ Create and modify categories
• ✅ Connect and disconnect banks
• ✅ Add manual transactions
• ✅ See complete financial picture

You CANNOT:

• ❌ Manage subscription
• ❌ Delete primary profile
• ❌ Change account email/password
• ❌ Access billing directly

Working with Primary Profile

If you need admin changes:

1. Ask primary profile to make change
2. Primary logs in and handles it
3. Changes reflect for both of you

Examples:

• “Can you update our payment method?”
• “Can you cancel the subscription?”
• “Can you upgrade to Annual plan?”

Open communication is key!

Switching Primary Profiles (Not Possible)

If You Really Need Different Primary

Nuclear option (not recommended):

Step 1: Export your data (if possible) Step 2: Desired primary creates NEW Balance account Step 3: Set up budget from scratch or import Step 4: Cancel old subscription Step 5: Start new subscription

Downsides:

• Lose historical data integration
• Tedious to set up again
• Restart bank connections
• Lose continuity

Better: Just work with current primary profile!

FAQs

“Can I have two primary profiles?”

No:

• Only one primary per account
• One account owner
• One billing contact

For equality:

• Primary is just administrative
• Budget access is equal
• Both partners are equals in budgeting

“What if primary profile partner leaves?”

Options:

Option 1: Primary keeps account

• Delete partner’s additional profile
• Continue using Balance solo
• Add new partner if desired

Option 2: Close account and start fresh

• If partner was primary and left
• Create new account
• You become primary

“Can primary profile see more data?”

No:

• All profiles see identical data
• Nothing is hidden from additional profiles
• Complete transparency

Primary status ≠ more information.

“What if I delete primary profile by mistake?”

You can’t:

• System prevents primary profile deletion
• Safe guard built in
• Cannot accidentally delete

Impossible to mess this up!

Next Steps

1. Creating Multiple Profiles - Add partner profile
2. Managing Profile Details - Edit profiles
3. Shared Budgeting for Couples - Budget together
4. Profile Permissions - Understand what each profile can do

Questions? Contact our support team - we’re here to help!