--- title: Add a member and assign a Membership description: Create a member account from the admin, give it a Membership without a payment, and change start and expiry dates later from Manage Plans. url: "https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/add-a-member-and-assign-a-membership/" updated: "2026-10-18" category: "Members & Member Portal" --- # Add a member and assign a Membership 5 minBeginnerUltimate Membership Pro 14.2+ In Ultimate Membership Pro, you can add a member manually: create an account from the admin and give it any Membership, paid or free, without going through checkout. Use it for a client who paid by invoice, a team member or a free pass for a partner. This guide creates a member, assigns a Membership and then shows how to change it later from Manage Plans. Before you start - The Membership you want to give exists. See [Create your first Membership](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/step-2-create-levelssubscriptions/). - The person doesn't have an account yet. For an existing account, open it with Details › Edit Member and start at step 4. ## Open the Add New Member form 1. Go to Ultimate Membership Pro*›*Members and click Add New Member. The form has four tabs: **Account & Login**, **Profile & Fields**, **Membership Plans** and **Additional Settings**. Nothing is saved until you click Save Changes at the bottom. ## Fill in the account [![Account and Login tab filled in with username daniel.brooks, email daniel.brooks@example.com and a password](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-05-add-account.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-05-add-account.png) Account & Login: the login details. UsernameRequired The login name. [WordPress doesn't let you change it](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/users-your-profile-screen/) later. EmailRequired Must be valid and not used by another account. Password Set one and share it with the member, or leave it for them to reset with [Lost Password](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/reset-password-works/). ## Add profile details [![Profile and Fields tab with First Name Daniel and Last Name Brooks](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-06-add-profile.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-06-add-profile.png) Profile & Fields shows every registration field marked On Admin. Which fields appear here is set in Ultimate Membership Pro*›*Registration Form*›*Custom Fields, column **On Admin**. See [Add custom fields to the registration form](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/add-custom-fields/). ## Assign a Membership 1. Open **Membership Plans**. 2. Pick the Membership in **Choose a membership plan** and click Assign New. [![Membership Plans tab: Pro Monthly assigned and marked Active, with plan details, amount 0.00USD for 7 days then 19.00USD every month, trial until a date, and Starts On and Expires On fields](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-07-add-plans.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-07-add-plans.png) The Membership is added as Active. Adjust the dates if needed. Starts On [When access begins](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/subscription-delay/). Defaults to now. Expires On When access ends, worked out from the Membership's billing settings (for a free trial, the end of the trial). Change it to give a longer or shorter period. Remove Takes the Membership off this member. No payment is taken - A Membership you assign here is active right away, even a paid one. No checkout runs and no gateway subscription is created, so a [recurring Membership](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/features/subscriptions/) won't renew by itself. - When the dates pass, the Membership expires like any other. Extend Expires On, or ask the member to buy it, to keep access going. ## Set extra options [![Additional Settings tab: Member Portal Banner upload, WordPress Role list with Subscriber selected, and Custom Dashboard message select](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-08-add-additional.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-08-add-additional.png) Additional Settings are only for administrators. Member Portal Banner A banner image only for this member, at the top of the [Member Portal](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/set-up-the-member-portal/). Empty uses the portal's default. WordPress Role The member's [WordPress role](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/roles-and-capabilities/). Default: **Your site's default role** Custom Dashboard message Show the content of one post or page in this member's Dashboard tab instead of the general Dashboard text. Default: **...** ## Save the member 1. Click Save Changes. The member appears in the Members list. ## Change a Membership later For an existing member, open the **Details** menu in Ultimate Membership Pro*›*Members and click Manage Plans. The page lists every Membership of that member with its plan, amount, payment service, trial and grace period. [![Manage Membership Plans page for Ava Ionescu: Assign new Membership box, and Pro Monthly marked Active with Starts On and Expires On dates and the buttons Set as Canceled, Pause and Remove](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-09-manage-plans.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-add-member-09-manage-plans.png) Manage Plans: assign more Memberships, edit dates or change the status. Starts On / Expires On Click the pencil to edit the dates, then save. ActivateNo dates yet Starts a Membership that was added without dates, for example by an import. RenewExpired Starts a new period for an expired Membership. Set as CanceledActive recurring Marks a recurring subscription as canceled in Ultimate Membership Pro. Cancel the charging plan at the payment service first. Pause / Resume Stops the clock on the Membership and starts it again later. Remove Deletes the Membership from this member. Click Save Changes after changing dates or statuses; the page reminds you with “Remember to save your date & status changes.” ## Example: a coach paid by invoice **Coaching Club**Daniel paid by bank invoice, so you give him Pro Monthly by hand. **Username** : daniel.brooks **Email** : daniel.brooks@example.com **Membership** : Pro Monthly, assigned in Membership Plans **Expires On** : Moved to one month after the invoice date **WordPress Role** : Subscriber ## Troubleshooting Why do I get “Invalid Username” when I add a member? The username has characters WordPress doesn't allow, or another account already uses it. Pick a different username. Why do I get “You must have a valid email address”? The email address isn't valid. Check it for typos and spaces. What does “Sorry, that email address is already used!” or “Email address has already been taken” mean? Another account already uses this email address. Search for it in the Members list and edit that account instead of creating a new one. Why is a field missing from the Profile & Fields tab? Only fields with **On Admin** switched on appear there. Turn it on for that field in Ultimate Membership Pro*›*Registration Form*›*Custom Fields. Why did a Membership I assigned by hand expire too early? Memberships you assign in the admin [don't renew by themselves](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-renewals-cancellations-and-expiry-work/). Open Manage Plans for the member, change Expires On and save. ## What's next [**Manage your members**Find, approve and email members.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-to-change-member-status/)[**Import members from a CSV file**Add many members at once.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/import-userslevels/)[**Set up the Member Portal**What members see after they log in.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/set-up-the-member-portal/)[**Membership statuses explained**Active, Paused, Expired and more.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/levels-colors-explanation/)