How Family and Household Accounts Work

A family or household account groups related people so the organization can manage the shared relationship without losing each person's individual record.

The household holds shared information. Each person still keeps their own identity and history.

Depending on the setup, the household can hold shared information such as:

• Household name and address.
• Primary contact or responsible adult.
• Shared billing or payer information.
• Family membership or shared benefits.
• Bookings or registrations connected to the family.
• Communication preferences that apply to the group.

Not every item should be shared. The setup should separate household-level information from person-level information.

Each person may still need their own record for:

• Name and contact details.
• Age or eligibility information when needed.
• Registrations and attendance.
• Waivers, preferences, or individual documents.
• Individual membership, guest, or participant status.

This prevents one family member's history from being confused with another's.

They can when the organization's rules allow it.

For example, a parent may register children for programs or pay a family invoice. A household administrator may manage shared bookings. The system still needs to record who the booking or registration is actually for.

Both models group people, but the relationship is different.

A household groups people because of a family or shared-home relationship. A company account groups people because they act for a business or organization.

See Individual vs. Company Customers.

Booking Ninjas runs on Salesforce, where records can be connected through account and contact relationships. A household-style model can be configured when the organization needs one.

Salesforce also uses household accounts in nonprofit configurations to group related contacts while supporting a primary contact, shared address, and household-level information.

Portal access should still follow permissions. Booking Ninjas' Self Service Portal supports role-based external access rather than assuming every related person can see or edit everything.

For the person or account history itself, see Customer Record and How One Customer Can Hold Multiple Bookings.

• Salesforce Trailhead: Manage Household Accounts — shows how related people can be grouped under a household while contacts remain individually manageable.
• Booking Ninjas: Self Service Portal — covers secure, role-based external access to account and operational information.