Learn how to create Contact Associations, choose single or paired labels, link and remove related records, configure association limits, and use associations in supported workflows.

Contact Associations create structured relationships between CRM records. Instead of keeping related contacts or objects disconnected, associations let you link them and use labels to explain how the records relate.

Common examples include:

• Spouse
• Colleague
• Parent and Child
• Manager and Employee
• Buyer and Seller

Contacts can also be associated with supported Custom Objects, allowing businesses to connect people with records such as properties, vehicles, policies, projects, or other business-specific objects.

Types of Association Labels

Association labels identify the relationship between linked records and determine whether both sides use the same relationship name or different roles.

• Single Label: Uses the same label for both sides of the relationship, such as Colleague.
• Pair of Labels: Uses a different label for each side, such as Manager ↔ Employee.

Associations keep connected CRM data organized while preserving the business context between related records.

• Organize Related Records: Keep family, business, ownership, and other relationships connected inside the CRM.
• Add Relationship Context: Use custom labels to explain how one record relates to another.
• Connect Contacts and Custom Objects: Link contacts to records such as properties, vehicles, projects, or policies.
• Support Automation: Use association labels in supported workflows that work across Contacts, Companies, and Custom Objects.
• Control Relationship Size: Configure limits to prevent records from being associated beyond your defined relationship rules.

Create the records, objects, and association definitions your team needs before linking records or using associations in automation.

• Association definitions are managed from the sub-account's Settings → Objects area.
• Contact-to-contact associations support single labels and paired labels.
• Contacts can be associated with supported Custom Objects and other available CRM objects.
• Available relationship types depend on the associated objects and label configuration.
• Configured association limits are enforced per label.
• Workflow actions targeting associated records require the applicable records and associations to already exist unless the workflow action itself is creating the association.

Association definitions and individual linked records are managed in different areas so you can control relationship rules separately from the records using them.

• Contact Record: Open a contact and use the Associations or Related Objects area to view and manage linked records.
• Object Settings: Go to Settings → Objects to create and manage association definitions, labels, and relationship rules.

Create the association definition before linking individual records. The definition determines which objects can be connected, which labels identify the relationship, and what relationship limits apply.

Step 1: Open Contact Object Settings

1. Open the applicable sub-account.
2. Go to Settings → Objects.
3. Locate Contacts.
4. Open the Contact object settings and select Associations.

Step 2: Create the Association

Click Create Association to define a new relationship.

Step 3: Choose the Associated Object

Select the type of record you want to associate with Contacts. Depending on your CRM configuration, available options can include:

• Another Contact
• A Company
• An Opportunity
• An available Custom Object

Step 4: Select the Label Type

Choose the label structure that best represents the relationship.

• Single Label: Use when both sides should have the same relationship name, such as Colleague.
• Pair of Labels: Use when each side needs a different relationship name, such as Manager ↔ Employee.

Step 5: Configure the Relationship

Under Configure Relationship, choose the relationship type and limits that match your use case.

Pair-label and supported multi-label relationships can include:

• One-to-One
• One-to-N
• One-to-Many
• N-to-Many
• Many-to-Many

For single-label contact-to-contact associations, supported options include One-to-One, Many-to-Many, and configurable N-to-N relationships.

Step 6: Save the Association

Review the associated object, labels, relationship type, and limits, then click Save. The association is now available when linking applicable records.

Once the association definition exists, link individual records from the contact record so users can see the relationship directly in the CRM.

1. Go to Contacts and open the contact you want to manage.
2. Open the Associations or Related Objects area.
3. Click Add for the object you want to associate.
4. Search for and select the related record.
5. Choose the appropriate association label.
6. Confirm the association.

The linked record appears in the contact's Associations or Related Objects area. For paired relationships, the corresponding paired label is reflected on the other record.

Association definitions control the relationship rules, while individual record associations control which records are actually linked.

Edit an Association Definition

1. Go to Settings → Objects.
2. Open the applicable object.
3. Select Associations.
4. Locate the association.
5. Open the three-dot menu (⋮).
6. Edit the available settings.
7. Click Save.

Remove an Association Between Records

1. Open the applicable contact or object record.
2. Open the Associations or Related Objects area.
3. Locate the associated record.
4. Select the option to remove the association.
5. Confirm the change.

Association Limits control how many records can be linked through a specific label. Limits help prevent over-association and keep CRM relationships aligned with your business rules.

1. Open the applicable sub-account.
2. Go to Settings → Objects.
3. Locate Contacts or the applicable Custom Object.
4. Open the object and select Associations.
5. Create a new association or edit an existing one.
6. Choose a Single Label or Pair of Labels.
7. Under Configure Relationship, select the relationship type.
8. Define the applicable limits.
9. Review the relationship in the Preview area.
10. Click Save.

Supported workflow actions can use existing association labels to enroll, remove, or automatically associate related records across Contacts, Companies, and Custom Objects.

Add Associated Records to Another Workflow

Use Add Associated Records to Workflow when records linked to the trigger record should automatically enter another workflow.

1. Go to Automation → Workflows.
2. Open an existing workflow or create a new one.
3. Click the + icon to add an action.
4. Select Add Associated Records to Workflow.
5. Select the associated object type.
6. Select the applicable Association Label when required.
7. Select the workflow where the associated records should be enrolled.
8. Save the action.

Remove Associated Records from a Workflow

Use Remove Associated Records from Workflow when related records should stop participating in another automation.

1. Add the Remove Associated Records from Workflow action.
2. Select the associated object type.
3. Select the applicable Association Label when required.
4. Select the workflow from which the records should be removed.
5. Save the action.

Associate Records Automatically

The Associate Records workflow action can find matching records using configured filters and automatically create associations with existing association labels.

Use the dedicated Workflow Action: Associate Records article when you need to configure matching filters, matching strategies, or automatic record association in detail.

Related Articles

•  Getting Started with Custom Objects 
•  Create & Edit Custom Objects in HighLevel 
•  Association Limits in Objects 
•  Workflow Action – Add Associated Records to Workflow 
•  Workflow Action – Remove Associated Records from Workflow 
•  Workflow Action – Associate Records