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How-to guide

How to configure Contract creation in Salesforce Commerce checkout

Most of the work happens in Commerce checkout flow configuration. The Contract write is downstream of the checkout but driven by what the buyer selects.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 20, 2026

Most of the work happens in Commerce checkout flow configuration. The Contract write is downstream of the checkout but driven by what the buyer selects.

  1. Enable Subscription Management or Revenue Cloud

    Setup, search for Subscription Management. Enable. License is required separately; check entitlements.

  2. Configure subscription product types

    For each product that should generate a Contract at checkout, set the product configuration in Product2 or in the Revenue Cloud Product Catalog with Recurring Billing = true and a default Contract Term.

  3. Build or customize the Commerce checkout flow

    Use Commerce Cart Checkout flow templates. Add a step at the end that calls the Subscription Management invocable action to create the Contract from the Cart state.

  4. Test with each subscription product

    Walk through checkout for each subscription product type. Confirm the Contract record is created, Contract Line Items are populated, and the signed document is attached.

  5. Set up Contract lifecycle automation

    Build the renewal, modification, and termination flows on the Contract object. Subscription Management ships templates for these; customize per business rules.

  6. Test edge cases

    Multi-product carts mixing subscription and one-shot items. Bulk discount logic that should reflect on the Contract. Refund or cancellation immediately after checkout.

Gotchas
  • Contract Term defaults to 12 months in Subscription Management if not set. Multi-year and monthly deals need explicit Contract Term values at checkout.
  • Order Product and Contract Line Item are separate records. Reconciliation between them is the most common source of billing errors; make Apex tests cover the match.
  • Customer signature workflows must complete before the Contract is marked Active. Activating without a signature creates audit problems downstream.
  • Mid-term modifications create new Contract Line Items or update existing ones depending on configuration. Decide the pattern early; switching later creates data drift.
  • Multi-currency contracts inherit the currency of the buyer Account, not the user creating the contract. Wrong inputs cause wrong invoices.

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Contract, Checkout includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.