Autotask Contracts Management

Overview

Contracts in Autotask define the service relationship with clients - what services you provide, how you bill for them, and what service levels apply. Contracts control how time and expenses flow to invoices and are critical for MSP financial management.

Key Concepts

Contract Types

Type	Description	Billing Method
Recurring Services	Monthly/annual managed services	Fixed recurring fee
Block Hours	Prepaid hour bank	Deduct from balance
Time & Materials	Pay as you go	Bill actual time
Fixed Price	Project-based fixed fee	Milestone billing
Retainer	Prepaid monthly hours	Use or lose

Contract Fields

Field	Description	Required
`id`	Unique identifier	System
`contractName`	Contract name	Yes
`companyID`	Client company	Yes
`contractType`	Type of contract	Yes
`status`	Contract status	Yes
`startDate`	Contract start	Yes
`endDate`	Contract end	Yes
`setupFee`	One-time setup fee	No
`timeReportingRequiresStartStopTimes`	Require start/stop	No
`serviceLevelAgreementID`	SLA assignment	No

Contract Status

ID	Status	Description
1	Active	Current, billable
2	Inactive	Suspended
3	Cancelled	Terminated

Service/Service Bundle

Services define what's included in a contract:

Field	Description
`serviceName`	Name of service
`unitPrice`	Price per unit
`unitCost`	Cost per unit
`periodType`	Monthly, Quarterly, Annual
`isOptional`	Required vs optional

API Patterns

Creating a Contract

http

POST /v1.0/Contracts
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "contractName": "Acme Corp - Managed Services",
  "companyID": 12345,
  "contractType": 1,
  "status": 1,
  "startDate": "2024-01-01",
  "endDate": "2024-12-31",
  "setupFee": 500.00,
  "timeReportingRequiresStartStopTimes": true,
  "serviceLevelAgreementID": 1
}

Adding Services to Contract

http

POST /v1.0/ContractServices
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "contractID": 54321,
  "serviceID": 111,
  "unitPrice": 150.00,
  "adjustedPrice": 150.00,
  "quantity": 50,
  "effectiveDate": "2024-01-01"
}

Creating Block Hours Contract

http

POST /v1.0/Contracts
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "contractName": "Acme Corp - Block Hours",
  "companyID": 12345,
  "contractType": 4,
  "status": 1,
  "startDate": "2024-01-01",
  "endDate": "2024-06-30"
}

Then add block hours:

http

POST /v1.0/ContractBlocks
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "contractID": 54322,
  "datePurchased": "2024-01-01",
  "hoursPurchased": 40,
  "hourlyRate": 150.00,
  "isPaid": true
}

Searching Contracts

Active contracts for a company:

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "companyID", "op": "eq", "value": 12345},
    {"field": "status", "op": "eq", "value": 1}
  ]
}

Contracts expiring soon:

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "status", "op": "eq", "value": 1},
    {"field": "endDate", "op": "lte", "value": "2024-03-31"},
    {"field": "endDate", "op": "gte", "value": "2024-01-01"}
  ]
}

Checking Block Hour Balance

http

GET /v1.0/ContractBlocks/query?search={"filter":[{"field":"contractID","op":"eq","value":54322}]}

Calculate remaining hours:

•Sum hoursPurchased - Sum of time entries against contract

Renewing a Contract

•Create new contract with updated dates
•Copy services from old contract
•Update old contract status to Inactive
•Link any ongoing tickets to new contract

Common Workflows

Contract Setup

•
Create contract
- •Set type, dates, status
- •Assign SLA
•
Add services
- •Define included services
- •Set pricing and quantities
•
Configure billing
- •Invoice frequency
- •Payment terms
•
Assign to tickets
- •Set as default for company
- •Route work appropriately

Contract Renewal

•
Identify expiring contracts
- •Query contracts by endDate
- •Generate renewal report
•
Review contract performance
- •Compare budgeted vs actual hours
- •Analyze profitability
•
Negotiate renewal
- •Adjust pricing if needed
- •Update service scope
•
Create renewal
- •New contract with new dates
- •Update company default contract

Block Hours Management

•
Monitor balance
- •Track hours remaining
- •Alert at threshold (e.g., 10 hours)
•
Replenish as needed
- •Add new block purchase
- •Invoice for new hours
•
Handle overages
- •Bill at T&M rate
- •Or convert to new block

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Contracts can be linked to SLAs:

SLA Metric	Description
Response Time	Time to first response
Resolution Time	Time to resolve
Uptime	System availability %
Business Hours	When SLA applies

SLA violations trigger alerts and can affect contract terms.

Error Handling

Common API Errors

Code	Message	Resolution
400	Invalid contract type	Use valid contract type ID
400	EndDate before StartDate	Fix date sequence
409	Cannot modify - has billing	Adjust dates only
404	ServiceID not found	Verify service exists

Validation Errors

"CompanyID is required" - Must associate with a company

"StartDate is required" - All contracts need start date

"Invalid service for contract type" - Service must match contract type

Best Practices

•Name consistently - "Company - Contract Type" format
•Set end dates - Never leave end date empty
•Review renewals - Quarterly expiration review
•Track profitability - Compare budgeted vs actual
•Document terms - Note special conditions
•Alert on block hours - Proactive replenishment
•Assign SLAs - Define service expectations
•Audit regularly - Ensure tickets use correct contracts

Related Skills

•Autotask Tickets - Ticket-contract association
•Autotask CRM - Company relationships
•Autotask Projects - Project billing