When the person who originally set up your Ninety account leaves your company, you may find yourself locked out of critical functions like managing billing, adding or removing users, or canceling your subscription. This article explains how to transfer ownership to a new person so you can maintain full control of your account.

Understanding the Owner Role

The Owner is the person with the highest level of permissions in your Ninety account. Only Owners can:

• Update billing information and payment methods.
• Cancel or change subscription plans.
• Assign other users as Owners or Admins.
• Delete the company account.
• Access all company settings and data.

When the Owner leaves your company without transferring these permissions, you'll need help from our support team to regain full account control.

Learn more about the differences between Owner, Admin, Manager, and other roles in our User Roles and Permissions article.

When You Need an Ownership Transfer

You'll need to request an ownership transfer if:

• The original Owner no longer works at your company.
• The Owner is unavailable and cannot access Ninety.
• Your account was set up by an external consultant or implementation partner who is no longer involved.
• You need to manage billing or cancel your subscription but don't have Owner permissions.
• All Admin users are locked out from making ownership changes.

Common scenario: You're trying to remove the former Owner from your account or update billing information, but you discover that only they have permission to make these changes.

Before You Contact Support

Check if your account already has another Owner who can help. Here's how to verify:

1. Log in to Ninety.
2. Go to Directory from the left navigation.
3. Look at the Role column for each user.
4. If anyone else has the Owner role, ask them to promote you to Owner instead of contacting support.

If you don't see any active Owners, or if the only Owner listed is the person who left, you'll need to request an ownership transfer from our support team.

How to Request an Ownership Transfer

Our support team can transfer ownership when the original Owner is no longer available. Here's what to do:

Step 1: Gather Required Information

Before contacting support, collect the following details to speed up the verification process:

• Your company name in Ninety (exactly as it appears in your account).
• Your full name and email address (the email associated with your Ninety account).
• The name and email of the current Owner who left the company.
• The name and email of the person who should become the new Owner (this may be you or another Admin).
• Your current role in Ninety (Admin, Manager, or Managee).
• Verification of your authority to request this change (for example, you're the business owner, CEO, or authorized department head).

Step 2: Contact Ninety Support

Reach out to our support team through one of these methods:

• In-app chat: Click the chat icon in the bottom right corner while logged in to Ninety.
• Email: Send your request to help@ninety.io with the subject line “Ownership Transfer Request.”

Step 3: Verification Process

Our support team will verify your request to ensure account security. They may ask:

• Confirmation of your identity and role within the company.
• Details about your relationship to the company (employee, business owner, authorized representative).
• Alternative verification if needed (such as confirming via company email domain or providing documentation).

This verification process protects your account from unauthorized access and typically takes 1-2 business days.

Step 4: Ownership Transfer Completion

Once verified, our support team will:

1. Assign Owner permissions to the person you designated.
2. Confirm the transfer is complete via email.
3. Provide next steps for managing the former Owner's account (deactivation, deletion, or role change).

You'll then have full Owner permissions and can manage your account, billing, and users as needed.

What Happens to the Former Owner's Account

After the ownership transfer, you have several options for the former Owner's user account:

Option 1: Make Them Inactive (Recommended)

Making the former Owner inactive removes their access and stops billing for their license while preserving their data:

1. Go to Directory.
2. Click on the former Owner's name.
3. Select Make Inactive.

This approach preserves any Rocks, To-Dos, or other content they created, which may be important for historical records.

Option 2: Delete Their Account

Deleting the account removes them completely from Ninety:

1. Go to Directory.
2. Click on the former Owner's name.
3. Select Delete User.

Warning: Deleting a user permanently removes them from all teams and may affect historical data. Consider making them inactive instead if you need to preserve their work.

Learn more about managing users in our Using the Directory article.

Preventing Future Ownership Issues

To avoid this situation in the future, follow these best practices:

Assign Multiple Owners

Your account should always have at least two people with Owner permissions. This ensures continuity if one Owner leaves the company.

To assign a second Owner:

1. Go to Directory.
2. Click on the user you want to promote.
3. Change their role from Admin to Owner.

Changes are saved automatically.

Document Your Account Structure

Keep a record of:

• Who has Owner permissions in your account.
• Primary contact information for billing questions.
• Your subscription plan and renewal date.
• Any external consultants or coaches who helped set up your account.

Establish an Offboarding Process

When someone with Owner permissions leaves your company:

1. Transfer ownership to another person before their last day.
2. Have them update billing contacts if needed.
3. Change their role to Inactive rather than deleting them immediately.
4. Review who else needs Admin or Owner permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an Admin promote themselves to Owner?

No, only an existing Owner can assign someone else as an Owner. If your account has no active Owners, you must contact support for an ownership transfer.

How long does an ownership transfer take?

Once you've submitted your request with all required information, the verification and transfer process typically takes 1-2 business days. Urgent requests may be expedited on a case-by-case basis.

What if I'm locked out and can't access Ninety at all?

If you don't have an account yet or your account was deactivated, provide this information when contacting support. They'll help you regain access as part of the ownership transfer process.

Can I transfer ownership if I'm only a Manager or Managee?

The new Owner doesn't need to currently be an Owner or Admin, but the person requesting the transfer should have the authority within your company to make this change. Support will verify your authorization during the process.

What if the original Owner set up multiple companies in Ninety?

Specify which company account needs the ownership transfer. If the former Owner managed multiple Ninety accounts for different organizations, each account requires a separate transfer request.

Will transferring ownership affect our data or subscription?

No, transferring ownership only changes who has administrative control. Your data, subscription plan, billing cycle, and all content remain unchanged.