> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.itellico.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Creating Accounts
> Step-by-step guide to creating main accounts and parent-billed subaccounts for isolated customer or team accounts.
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## Creating a Main Account
Main accounts are independent accounts with their own billing and subscriptions.
Click your account name in the top-left account switcher.
At the bottom of the account switcher menu, click **Create Account**.
Choose between two options:
* **New Account** - Create a completely separate account with its own billing and settings
* **Subaccount** - Create a subaccount under your current account
Select **New Account**.
In the **Create New Account** form:
* Enter an account name (minimum 2 characters)
* Click **Create Account**
You automatically become the **Owner** of the new account.
The new account is created immediately and you are automatically switched to it.
The account starts with a **free subscription**. You can upgrade later by navigating to **Settings → Billing**.
New accounts start with a free subscription. Upgrade your plan to unlock additional features and higher limits.
## Creating a Subaccount
Subaccounts are nested under parent accounts. New subaccounts start with parent billing by default, which means itellicoAI bills the parent account and the parent can manage any downstream customer billing separately. A customer can later become an independent direct-billed account through the billing transfer flow.
### Requirements
Before creating a subaccount:
* You must have permission to create subaccounts in the parent account, typically as an **Owner**, **Admin**, or **Agency Admin**
* Your subscription must include subaccount management
If you do not see the option to create subaccounts, your current subscription plan may not include this feature. Contact [support@itellico.ai](mailto:support@itellico.ai) to upgrade.
### Steps to Create
Go to **Settings → Account → Subaccounts** in your parent account.
Click **Create Subaccount** and enter the name.
You automatically become the **Owner** of the subaccount.
Invite [team members](/accounts/team-management) as needed from **Settings → Account → Members**.
Subaccounts inherit billing from the parent account. Usage is tracked separately but billed to the parent.
## Best Practices
Use clear, descriptive names for accounts:
**Good:**
* "Acme Corp - Sales Team"
* "Client: XYZ Industries"
* "North America Region"
**Avoid:**
* "Account 1"
* "Test"
* Ambiguous abbreviations
Plan your hierarchy before creating accounts:
1. Map out your organizational structure
2. Identify isolation boundaries (customers, clients, departments, regions)
3. Determine who needs access to what
4. Create accounts top-down (parent first, then children)
Understand billing before creating subaccounts:
* New subaccounts start on parent billing by default
* Usage is tracked separately for reporting
* Subscription limits apply across all subaccounts
* Direct billing is available through the billing transfer flow when the customer should pay itellicoAI independently
* Consider usage limits when creating many subaccounts
Think carefully about who should own each account:
* Main account owner: Usually company leadership
* Subaccount owner: Customer point of contact, client point of contact, or department head
* Cannot easily change owners (requires support)
* Owner has full account control, but account deletion and complex ownership changes require support confirmation
## Common Scenarios
### Scenario 1: Reseller or API Integrator With Centralized Billing
Navigate to **Settings → Account → Subaccounts** and create a new subaccount named for the customer.
Go to the customer's subaccount and update **Settings → Account → Settings** with the customer-facing name and logo.
Leave the account on parent billing when your company should receive the itellicoAI invoice and handle customer billing separately.
Create account-scoped API keys, webhooks, secrets, and integrations for the customer account as needed.
Invite customer users only if they should access their own subaccount directly.
### Scenario 2: Enterprise Separating Regions Or Departments
Decide whether the first account layer should represent regions, brands, departments, or business units. Avoid nesting unless governance truly requires it.
Create one subaccount per boundary, such as North America, Europe, Sales, Support, or Operations.
Make the responsible manager or department lead the owner of each subaccount.
Parent account admins keep oversight through the parent account while each subaccount manages its own team members and resources.
### Scenario 3: Agency Managing a Client-Owned Account
For agency access setups where the client owns the account and manages billing directly, see [Client Service Models](/accounts/agency-playbook).
## Managing Account Lifecycle
### Pausing or Reactivating an Account
Account activation is not a self-service setting in the account UI. To pause or restore access for an account, contact [support@itellico.ai](mailto:support@itellico.ai) with the account name and account ID.
### Transferring Subaccounts
To move a subaccount to a different parent or make it a main account:
Contact support with:
* Current parent account name and ID
* Subaccount to transfer
* Desired new parent (or "convert to main account")
* Business reason for transfer
Transferring subaccounts affects billing. Ensure you understand the billing implications before requesting a transfer.
## Troubleshooting
**Possible causes:**
* Not an Admin or Owner of parent account
* Subscription doesn't include subaccounts
* Reached subscription limit on subaccounts
**Solution:** Check your subscription plan. Contact [support@itellico.ai](mailto:support@itellico.ai) if you need to upgrade.
**Possible causes:**
* Not a member of that account
* Account was deactivated
* Account was deleted
**Solution:** Ask an admin of that account to check if it's active and if you're still a member.
**This is normal behavior:** When you switch accounts, you only see data for that account.
**Solution:** Switch back to the original account using the account switcher.
**Possible causes:**
* Not the Owner of the account
* Account has active subaccounts
* Account deletion requires support confirmation
**Solution:** Contact [support@itellico.ai](mailto:support@itellico.ai). Include the account name, account ID, and any subaccounts that need to be transferred or archived first.
## Next Steps
Learn how to invite and manage team members
Customize branding and manage account details
Create programmatic access for your account