Guides

Document linking

How jobs, estimates, invoices, and contracts link together in a strict 1:1 chain—and what happens when you void, accept, or collect payment.

Bounty CRM keeps related work documents in a single chain: one job, one estimate, one invoice, and one contract. The job is the operational hub; the estimate is the quote; the invoice is what you bill; the contract is the agreement. Link any member and the rest of the chain stays in sync.

The chain and slots

Each chain has four slots—job, estimate, invoice, contract—and each slot holds at most one live document. When you link an estimate to a job that already has an invoice, the system connects all three and keeps their customer and pointers aligned. You cannot attach a second invoice to the same job without unlinking the first.

Link from any detail page using the Related Documents section (web dialog or mobile sheet).
Linking fans out: connect one document and matching slots on the other members update automatically.
The estimate is a quote only—it does not drive job line items once a job and invoice are linked.
After they are linked, editing line items on the job or invoice (or on an estimate that is not accepted) updates the other unlocked documents.

When both sides have line items

If you link a job and invoice that each already have line items, Bounty CRM asks how to resolve the difference:

Combine — merge both lists into one set on the job and invoice. A linked estimate that has not been accepted is updated too.
Use invoice items — keep the invoice list; copy it to the job (and an unaccepted estimate).
Use job items — keep the job list; copy it to the invoice (and an unaccepted estimate).

If only one side has line items, that list is copied to the other side with no prompt.

Locks

Customer accept locks the estimate—line items and pricing cannot be edited until you void or unlink the estimate.
Any payment on the invoice (partial or full, online or recorded offline) locks invoice line items and the linked job’s line items.
While locked, change scope by voiding the blocking document or unlinking it—not by editing line items in place.

Void behavior

Void estimate — the estimate is cancelled but stays in its slot; the linked job and invoice remain and are not voided.
Void invoice — the invoice is cancelled; if a job is linked, its line items are cleared to zero.
Voided documents keep their slot until you unlink them—Clear/unlink frees the slot so you can attach a replacement.

Unlink to replace

To swap in a different estimate, invoice, or contract, unlink the current one first (Clear in Related Documents), then link the new document. The chain re-syncs from the member you edit. Draft documents can be deleted instead of voided when your team has not sent them yet.

Reschedule

Rescheduling a job creates a replacement job and transfers the whole 1:1 chain to it. The rescheduled (original) job loses all document slots and cannot receive new estimate, invoice, or contract links—use the replacement job for Related Documents going forward. Locks and void rules on moved documents are unchanged. See /docs/features/jobs for the staff workflow.

Projects are separate

Projects group jobs, estimates, invoices, and contracts for a larger engagement—they are not part of the 1:1 chain. You can link the same chain members to a project folder without changing how the chain slots work. See /docs/features/projects.