How to set up
staff accounts

How it works — the big picture

There are two roles in OrangeTill: the owner (that's you) and staff (your team). The owner has full access to everything. Staff have access only to what they need to do their job: the Charge screen and their own payment history.

Before you add a staff member, you need at least one location. A location is just a name for where payments happen — "Main Street," "Booth 3," "Food Truck," or anything that makes sense for your setup. Every staff member is assigned to a location, and every payment they process gets stamped with that location automatically.

Part 1: Owner setup

Everything in this section is done by the owner — logged in with your email — before any staff member touches the app.

Step 1 — Add a location

You need at least one location before you can add staff. A location is just a label — it can be your business name, a physical address, a booth number, or anything that helps you organize payments later.

1. 1
   Open OrangeTill and log in as the owner Go to orangetill.io on your device. Sign in with your email using your login code or magic link.
2. 2
   Tap the Settings tab It's the gear icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. 3
   Scroll down to Staff & Locations You'll see this section below Account. It shows two cards: Locations and Staff.
4. 4
   Tap "+ Add location" A modal will appear. Enter a name for your location — for example, "Main Street" or "Register 1."
5. 5
   Tap "Save Location" Your location appears in the list. You can add as many as you need, and edit or delete them at any time.

Step 2 — Add a staff member

1. 1
   In Staff & Locations, tap "+ Add staff" The Add Staff Member modal opens.
2. 2
   Enter the staff member's name This is just for display purposes — it appears in the topbar when they're logged in and in your payment history.
3. 3
   Create a Staff ID This is what the staff member will type at login — lowercase letters and numbers only, 2–20 characters. Something simple works best: first name, initials, or a short nickname. Example: alex or jess2.
4. 4
   Set a 4-digit PIN This is the staff member's login PIN. You set it here as the owner. Share it with them privately — they'll be prompted to change it to their own PIN on first login.
5. 5
   Assign them to a location Select a location from the dropdown. Staff can only be assigned to one location at a time.
6. 6
   Tap "Add Staff Member" They appear in your staff list immediately. Share their Staff ID and temporary PIN with them — they're ready to log in.

Part 2: Staff login

Now it's the staff member's turn. They'll follow these steps on the same device that has OrangeTill installed — the counter device at your register.

1. 1
   Open OrangeTill Go to orangetill.io or open the app from the home screen.
2. 2
   Tap "Staff Login" at the bottom of the login screen The login screen switches from the owner email form to a two-step staff login flow.
3. 3
   Enter the owner's email address This is the email the owner used to sign up — not the staff member's email. Ask your owner if you're unsure.
4. 4
   Enter your Staff ID Type the Staff ID the owner created for you — all lowercase, no spaces.
5. 5
   Tap "Next" A 4-dot PIN keypad appears.
6. 6
   Enter your 4-digit PIN Tap the four digits of your PIN. The app submits automatically when the 4th digit is entered — no confirm button needed. If you enter the wrong PIN, the dots shake and you can try again.
7. 7
   Create your personal PIN (first login only) On your very first login, you'll be asked to create your own PIN to replace the temporary one your owner set. Enter a new 4-digit PIN, then confirm it. This PIN is yours — the owner cannot see it.
8. 8
   You're in The app loads the Charge screen. The topbar shows your name and location. You can accept payments and view your own history. Settings and Analytics are hidden.

Part 3: Switching between owner and staff

OrangeTill is designed to live on a shared counter device. The owner doesn't need to log out every time a staff member starts a shift — and staff don't need to interrupt the owner to clock in.

When a staff member is logged in, an "Owner login" button appears in the top-right corner of the app. Tapping it exits staff mode and returns to the owner login screen — the owner can sign in with their email as normal. This doesn't delete anything or disrupt the staff session; it simply switches who is active.

To return to staff mode, the owner taps "Staff Login" and the staff member enters their credentials again.

What the owner sees

When you're logged in as the owner, your History tab shows every payment ever made — including all staff payments. Each payment stamped by a staff member includes their name and location, so you can see at a glance who processed what and when.

Your Analytics tab also reflects all payments across all locations. If you have two locations running at the same time, the totals roll up automatically.

Works for more than just retail

The staff and locations system was built for traditional merchants, but it works just as well for:

• 🏕️
  Events and festivals Create a location for each booth or table. Assign a volunteer or vendor to each one. Every payment is tagged by location so you can reconcile at the end of the day.
• ⛪
  Faith-based organizations and nonprofits Create a location for each campus or collection point. Assign staff (or trusted volunteers) to each. The organization sees all donations in one place; each staff member only handles their own.
• 🚚
  Food trucks and pop-ups One location per truck or market stop. Different crew members can work different shifts without sharing your owner login.
• 💆
  Service businesses Salons, studios, repair shops — any business where multiple practitioners see different clients. Each staff member processes their own sales; totals consolidate for the owner.

Frequently asked questions