Workarounds to Create New Linked Records Directly Through a Form

You are building a repository of companies and their points of contact. You have an “Add Contact” button that opens an intake form where users can add a contact linked to a company.

Right now, users can only select a contact from the existing list. This works as long as the contact already exists in your system.

Since this is an intake form, you want users to be able to create new contacts directly from the form.

The problem is that Airtable forms do not allow users to create new linked records. As a result, users can only choose from existing contacts, which defeats the purpose of an intake form.

Are there any workarounds or alternative solutions to this limitation?

1. Fillout forms

The best solution is to use Fillout forms. Unlike native Airtable forms, Fillout allows users to create new linked records directly while submitting the form, removing the biggest limitation of Airtable forms.

Fillout also gives you many additional features. You can update existing records, create multi page forms with conditional logic, customize the design, and even add login authentication if needed.

It also supports payments, signatures, calculations, and generating custom PDFs. Its free plan is generous enough for most workflows, so you can use it without extra cost.

2. Multiple Airtable Forms

If you want to stay fully inside Airtable, a workable option is to split the process into multiple forms. Your main intake form includes a link to another form where users can create a new contact record.

After submitting the contact creation form, users return to the original form to select the newly created contact. This keeps everything native but adds friction, as users must switch between forms.

3. Single Form With Conditional Fields and Automations

If you want everything in a single form, you can use conditional fields combined with Airtable automations.

Add an option like “Create new contact” in the linked record field, and reveal additional fields when it’s selected.

Users fill in the new contact details directly in the same form. On submission, an automation runs to create the contact record and link it to the correct company automatically.

This feels smooth for users but requires extra setup.