---
sourceDocument: Australia Employee Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/employee-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Employee Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - emplsm

bundleId :

    - emplsm

workflow :

    - Employee


---

# Linking parent-child contracts

# Linking parent-child contracts {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated June 11, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read
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## Summary of Linking parent-child contracts

The contract family hierarchy in the Related contract requests tab enables ServiceNow customers to view and manage relationships between contract requests, including parent, child, sibling, and grandchild contracts.
This feature allows users to link contracts, inherit fields from a parent contract, and unlink contracts as needed, providing a clear hierarchical structure for contract management.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Contract Family Hierarchy Display:** Shows all related contract requests in the hierarchy on the Related contract requests tab, highlighting the currently open contract request.
* **Linking Parent Contracts:** Users can link a parent contract to establish a parent-child relationship without copying fields, or link and inherit fields to automatically copy configured data from the parent to the child contract.
* **Access Control:** Only contract requests the user has permission to view are displayed, based on roles such as assigned fulfiller, group manager, collaborator, watchlist user, requested-for user, or opener of the contract.
* **Automatic Linking of Amendments:** Amendments are automatically created as child records of the originating contract and appear in the hierarchy.
* **Linking Conditions and Restrictions:**
  * Parent contracts must not be in a Canceled state.
  * Only one parent contract can be linked at a time.
  * Parent contracts must be single contract types using own or third-party paper.
  * Linking cannot create circular hierarchies (a child cannot be a parent of its own parent).
  * Link and inherit fields action requires configured field mapping and specific contract states.

## Practical Use and Outcomes

ServiceNow customers can efficiently manage complex contract relationships by establishing and visualizing parent-child hierarchies. This capability aids in:

* Ensuring clear traceability and organization of related contracts, including renewals and amendments.
* Automatically populating the Parent contract field and linking associated contract repository records for consistent record keeping.
* Maintaining data consistency through configurable field inheritance during contract drafting and negotiation phases.
* Controlling visibility of contract requests based on user roles to maintain security and compliance.
* Correcting hierarchical links by removing incorrect parent-child associations when necessary.  
The contract family hierarchy in the Related contract requests tab shows all related contract requests and lets you link, inherit from, and unlink parent contract requests.

When you open a contract request and navigate to the Related contract requests tab, the tab displays the complete contract family hierarchy for that contract request. The hierarchy includes parent, child, sibling, and grandchild records.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-1}

From the same tab, you can link a parent contract request, inherit fields from it, or remove an existing link. When linked, the Parent contract field in the contract
request Details tab is automatically populated with the parent contract request number. The associated contract repository records for the parent and child contract requests are also automatically linked.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-2}

When a renewal request is linked to a previous contract, the renewal does not inherit the previous contract's parent-child hierarchy or related-contract family structure. The renewed
contract is a new contract connected to the previous one through the renewal link, not a child of it.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-standalone}

The Related contract requests tab displays the following records:{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-4}

* The parent contract request of the currently open record
* All sibling contract requests --- other children of the same parent
* Children and grandchildren of sibling records
* Direct children and grandchildren of the currently open record

{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__ul_e42_2pc_rjc}

A visual indicator highlights the contract request that is currently open, distinguishing it from other records in the hierarchy.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-6}

## Access control for related contract requests {#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-section-access}

The Related contract requests tab displays only the contract records within the family hierarchy that you have access to. Records you're not authorized to view
aren't displayed.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-7}

Access to a contract request is determined by your role in that contract request. You can view a contract request in the hierarchy if you're one of the following:{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-8}

* The assigned contract fulfiller
* A group manager or fulfiller of the assignment group
* A collaborator
* A watchlist user
* The requested-for user
* The opened-by user

## Amendments in the hierarchy {#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-section-amendments}

When you create an amendment contract request, it is automatically created as a child record of the originating contract request and appears in the hierarchy on the Related contract requests tab.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-12}

## Choosing a linking action {#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-section-conditions}

The Related contract requests tab provides two linking actions.{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-9}
{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-table-1__entry__3}

| Action | Use when | Additional prerequisites |
|-|-|-|
| Link contract | You want to establish the parent-child relationship only, without copying any fields from the parent. | The parent can be a contract request in any state except Cancelled. If the child contract is in Contract signed state, the parent must be in Contract signed or Closed complete state. |
| Link and inherit fields | You want to establish the parent-child relationship and automatically copy configured fields from the parent into the child contract request. | Contract request must be in Draft, Work in progress, or Awaiting review state only. Parent-child field mapping must be configured. For more information, see [Configure field mapping for parent-child contract linking](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8Uz0L0~qSlXRYplf2DBjvA "Select the child contract type and configure the parent-child field mapping to inherit the mapped fields from the parent contract when linking."). The parent must not be a multiple contracts type third-party contract request. |
[Table 1. Linking actions]

{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-table-1}

The following conditions apply to both actions:{#cmpro-linking-parent-child__cmpro-linking-parent-child-para-9b}

* You must be assigned to the contract request, be a group manager, or a collaborator.
* The parent contract must not be in a Canceled state.
* Only one parent contract can be selected while linking.
* The parent contract must be a single contract type using own paper or third-party paper.
* A contract can't be linked as a parent of any contract before it in the hierarchy. For example, if Master Service Agreement (MSA) is the parent of Statement Of Work (SOW), then SOW can't be set as the parent of MSA.
* **[Link parent contract requests](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/rYLko6i9~lnDk601K3oFpQ)**   
  Link parent contracts during drafting and negotiation phases to establish hierarchical relationship between the parent and child contracts.
* **[Link and inherit parent contract fields](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/tku9SfSBfme3IPiWgyX5YA)**   
  Link parent contracts during drafting and negotiation phases to establish a hierarchical relationship between the parent and child contracts, and automatically inherit the configured fields from the parent contract.
* **[Remove a linked contract](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/FAZMPZ_9~slugj4GBrs~fA)**   
  Remove a linked parent contract from contract requests when you have linked an incorrect contract request or the linking is no longer required.

**Related tasks**   

* [Link parent contract requests](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/rYLko6i9~lnDk601K3oFpQ "Link parent contracts during drafting and negotiation phases to establish hierarchical relationship between the parent and child contracts.")
* [Link and inherit parent contract fields](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/tku9SfSBfme3IPiWgyX5YA "Link parent contracts during drafting and negotiation phases to establish a hierarchical relationship between the parent and child contracts, and automatically inherit the configured fields from the parent contract.")
* [Remove a linked contract](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/FAZMPZ_9~slugj4GBrs~fA "Remove a linked parent contract from contract requests when you have linked an incorrect contract request or the linking is no longer required.")
* [Configure field mapping for parent-child contract linking](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8Uz0L0~qSlXRYplf2DBjvA "Select the child contract type and configure the parent-child field mapping to inherit the mapped fields from the parent contract when linking.")