Project Allocations Overview
Project Allocations allow you to set spending caps for individual projects and give controlled access to team members. This creates a secure way to manage finances across multiple productions without giving full company account access.
How Allocations Work:
Set a maximum spending limit for any project
Team members only see their allocated project funds
Spending is blocked when the cap is reached
Allocations can be adjusted anytime as projects evolve
Setting Up Project Allocations
Creating an Allocation:
Go to the workspace Banking section
Navigate to your Checking page
Click the "+Add" button next to Project Allocations
Select the project from your workspace
Enter the spending limit amount
Save the allocation
Important: Project allocations must be created before any project-level expense management features will work. Without an allocation, Project Admins cannot issue cards or manage project spending.
Allocation vs Available Funds: Allocations are spending caps, not reserved funds. You can set an allocation higher than your current account balance. The system will block transactions when the allocation limit is reached, regardless of available funds.
Managing Allocation Amounts
Adjusting Limits: Allocation amounts can be changed anytime:
Increase limits when projects need more budget
Decrease limits to tighten spending control
Temporarily adjust for specific production phases
Removing Allocations: Remove a project allocation to completely prevent any spending on that project. This immediately blocks all cards and payments associated with the project.
Spending Caps: When a project reaches its allocation limit:
All transactions are blocked automatically
Cards associated with the project stop working
Payment requests are rejected
Team members receive notification about the limit
Role-Based Access Control
Workspace-Level Roles:
Owner:
Full access to all funds and projects
Create and manage all project allocations
Issue cards for workspace or any project
Complete oversight of all financial activity
Admin:
Manage funds and project allocations
Issue cards and approve payments
Access to all project financial data
Cannot modify workspace ownership settings
Accountant:
Full financial management access
Create allocations and manage project funds
Issue cards and process payments
Financial reporting across all projects
Project-Level Roles:
Project Admin:
Access only to their allocated project funds
Can issue cards for their specific project
Manage project spending within allocation limits
Cannot see workspace totals or other project funds
Cannot create or modify project allocations
Project Team Members:
Can receive and use cards for their project
View their own transactions and spending
Upload receipts and manage their expenses
No access to project financial management
Multi-Role Access
Team members can have different roles across different projects:
Accountant role on workspace level
Project Admin on specific projects
Cardholder on additional projects
Editor access for budget collaboration
Each role applies independently, giving flexible access control for complex production teams.
Team Invitations and Access
Inviting Team Members:
Adding team members to projects with financial access follows the same process as standard Saturation project invitations. For detailed instructions on inviting users and setting permissions, see: Access Controls in Saturation
What Project Team Members See:
When project team members log in, they only see:
Their allocated project funds and remaining balance
Transactions related to their project
Cards issued for their project
No access to other projects or workspace totals
Financial Visibility
Workspace Level:
Owners, Admins, and Accountants see:
Total workspace funds
All project allocations and spending
Complete transaction history across projects
Full financial oversight
Project Level:
Project Admins and team members see:
Only their project's allocation amount
Spending within their project
Transaction history for their project only
No visibility into workspace totals or other projects
Troubleshooting Access and Permission Issues
"Cannot Issue Cards" Error:
Verify the project has an allocation set up
Check that you have Project Admin role or higher
Ensure the project allocation hasn't been removed
Contact workspace Owner/Admin if allocation is needed
Team Member Cannot See Project Funds:
Confirm they're invited to the correct project
Verify the project has an active allocation
Check their role permissions on the project
Ensure they've accepted the project invitation
Allocation Limit Reached:
Review current project spending in transaction history
Increase allocation amount if more budget is available
Plan allocation increases for upcoming expenses
Permission Denied Errors:
Verify your role level for the specific action
Check if you're working at workspace vs project level
Contact workspace Owner to adjust permissions
Clear browser cache and refresh if permissions were recently changed
Role Confusion:
Remember roles apply at different levels (workspace vs project)
Higher workspace roles include lower project permissions
Check which level you're operating at when accessing features
Contact admin if unsure about your current role assignments