Kinsta supports multi-user team management through MyKinsta. Every company has exactly one company owner - a role with one unique permission that administrators do not have: only the company owner can close the company account. When ownership needs to move from one person to another, the process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes to complete.
This guide covers the prerequisites, the three steps to transfer ownership in MyKinsta, what changes once the transfer is done, and how to handle the transfer in the most common real-world scenario: handing a client site over to the client themselves. The wider workflow (2FA, notifications, domain management, billing handover) is in the Kinsta account and domain management guide.
Why Would You Want to Transfer Ownership?
There are several common reasons to transfer the company owner role on Kinsta:
- A developer built a client’s site on their own Kinsta account and now needs to hand over full control to the client.
- The person who originally set up the Kinsta account has left the business and ownership needs to sit with someone still at the company.
- The company has been sold and the new owners need the ability to close or restructure the hosting account if necessary.
- An internal reorganisation has moved website responsibility to a different team member or department.
Before You Start
Check these requirements before initiating the transfer:
- The new owner must already be a team member. You cannot transfer ownership to someone who does not have an existing user account in your MyKinsta company. If the person is not yet in the team, go to MyKinsta > Users > Invite User first and wait for them to accept the invitation.
- At least one other company administrator must be on the account. After the transfer your role changes to administrator - Kinsta requires that at least one other administrator exists before the transfer is allowed.
- You will need your current password. The transfer dialogue requires password confirmation to complete. For extra account security, make sure two-factor authentication is enabled on MyKinsta before and after the transfer. Have it to hand before starting.
Step 1 - Log In as the Company Owner
The transfer can only be initiated by the current company owner. Log into MyKinsta using the company owner account credentials - not an administrator account. If you are unsure which account holds the owner role, check Users in MyKinsta where roles are displayed next to each team member.
.png)
Step 2 - Go to the Users Section
From the MyKinsta main dashboard, click Users in the left-hand sidebar. You will see all current team members listed with their roles - owner, administrator, developer, or analyst.
Locate the person you want to transfer ownership to. Check that their role is at least company administrator. If they are listed as a developer or analyst, update their role to administrator before proceeding. You can do this by clicking the role dropdown next to their name.
Step 3 - Transfer Ownership
Click the Transfer Ownership link on the right side of the target user’s row. A confirmation dialogue appears. You will be asked to select the receiving user and enter your current MyKinsta password to confirm the action.
Review the details before confirming. Once you submit, the transfer takes effect immediately - the selected user becomes the company owner and your role changes to company administrator. This action cannot be reversed by you. Only the new owner can transfer the role back if needed.
What to Do If the Transfer Dialogue Shows an Error
A few error states are common at Step 3:
- "Transfer Ownership" link is not visible: The target user’s role is not set to Administrator. Update their role to Administrator first, then refresh the page. The link only appears next to users who already hold the Administrator role.
- "You must have at least one administrator" error: You are the only administrator on the account. Add a second administrator (it can even be a temporary user) before initiating the transfer.
- Password confirmation fails: The password entered in the confirmation dialogue is wrong, or your account has an active session on another device that needs to be logged out first. Log out of all sessions in MyKinsta > User Settings > Sessions and try again.
- The target user has a pending invitation: If you invited someone but they accepted and then the invitation expired or was re-sent, there can be a duplicate user state. Check the Users list for any duplicate entries for the same email address and remove the pending one.
What Changes After the Transfer
It is worth knowing what does and does not change once the transfer completes:
- Permissions: The new owner gains the exclusive ability to close the Kinsta company account. Your role becomes company administrator - you retain full access to sites, users, and settings.
- Two-factor authentication: 2FA settings are per-user, not per-account. The new owner should set up 2FA on their MyKinsta account if they have not already. The previous owner’s 2FA settings are unaffected.
- Sites and data: Nothing is disrupted. All sites, domains, configurations, and backups remain exactly as they were. The ownership change affects the account role only - not the hosting setup.
- Email notifications: Kinsta billing and account-level notifications go to the company owner. After the transfer, make sure the new owner’s email address is correct in their MyKinsta profile.
What Happens to Billing After the Transfer
The payment method on file does not change automatically when ownership is transferred. If financial responsibility is also moving to the new owner, there are two things to update:
- Update the payment method in MyKinsta > Company > Billing. Only the new owner has access to this section after the transfer.
- Check the billing email address in MyKinsta > Company > Settings. Kinsta sends invoices and renewal notices to this address. If it still points to the previous owner, update it so the new owner receives future billing communications.
If the account is on a monthly plan, the next invoice will go to whichever card and email are on file at billing time. Update billing details as soon as possible after the transfer.
What If the Current Owner Has Left the Company?
If the person who holds the company owner role is no longer accessible - they have left the business or are unresponsive - you cannot initiate the transfer yourself. The transfer dialogue is only accessible to the current owner.
In this situation, contact Kinsta support directly and explain that the company owner account holder is no longer with the business. Kinsta will ask you to verify your identity and your relationship to the account. You may need to provide:
- Business documentation showing your authority over the company (company registration, director certificate, or similar)
- Proof of domain ownership for the domains hosted on the account
- Billing history or the last four digits of the card on file, to establish you are a legitimate account contact
- A written statement explaining when and why the account owner became inaccessible
Kinsta can reassign the owner role administratively once identity and account ownership are verified. This process is intentionally slow - a few business days is typical - because Kinsta must protect against fraudulent takeover attempts. Contact support as early as possible rather than waiting until a billing event or site emergency forces the issue.
Developer-to-Client Handover Checklist
If you are a developer handing over a Kinsta account to your client, transferring the owner role is just one part of the process. Before the transfer:
- Invite the client as a user in MyKinsta and confirm they have access
- Promote the client to company administrator
- Walk the client through the MyKinsta interface before handing over - especially backups, staging, and the support button
- Confirm the client has the master SSH credentials or knows how to reset them if needed
- Make sure the client’s email address is their business inbox, not a personal Gmail - billing notices will go there
After the transfer:
- Ask the client to update the billing payment method and billing email in MyKinsta
- Ask the client to enable two-factor authentication on their owner account
- Confirm the client can access all sites in MyKinsta and that nothing is missing
- Hand over any environment variables, API keys, or credentials stored outside MyKinsta
- If domains need Cloudflare integration set up, complete that before handing over or walk the client through setting up Cloudflare on their Kinsta domains
- Remove yourself from the account if your agency relationship with the client has ended, or keep your administrator role active if you have an ongoing maintenance agreement
If the new owner will also be managing DNS, our guide to adding domains and subdomains in MyKinsta covers that process.
Final Word: How to Transfer Company Ownership on Kinsta
Transferring company ownership on Kinsta takes three steps: log in as the owner, find the new owner in the Users section, and confirm the transfer with your password. Prepare in advance by confirming the recipient already has a user account in your MyKinsta company and that at least one other administrator is on the team. Once the transfer completes, update billing details separately if financial responsibility is also changing hands, and if the previous owner has left the company and is not accessible, contact Kinsta support to handle the reassignment administratively.
