## **🔍 What This Error Means**

When you try to assign a plan to a client account and see the message **"Cannot assign plan 'Growth' to child customer. Child plan cannot exceed your agency plan,"** it means the plan you are trying to assign to your client is at a higher tier than your own agency plan. Search Atlas does not allow a client (child) account to be on a plan that exceeds the plan held by the managing agency (parent) account.

For example, if your agency is on a lower-tier plan, you cannot assign a higher-tier plan to any of your clients. The client plan must always be equal to or lower than the agency plan tier.

## **✅ How to Fix the Error**

There are two ways to resolve this, depending on what outcome you need.

1. **Upgrade your agency plan** — If your client needs access to a higher-tier plan, you must first upgrade your own agency account to a plan that is equal to or higher than the one you want to assign. Once your agency plan is upgraded, you can return to Agency Hub and assign the desired plan to the client.
2. **Assign a lower-tier plan to the client** — If upgrading your agency plan is not needed right now, choose a client plan that is at or below your current agency plan tier. You can always reassign a higher plan after upgrading your agency account later.

## **⚙️ Steps to Upgrade Your Agency Plan**

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account.
2. Navigate to your account's billing or subscription settings.
3. Select a plan tier that is equal to or higher than the plan you want to assign to your client.
4. Confirm the upgrade and complete the billing step if prompted.
5. Return to **Agency Hub** and retry assigning the plan to your client.

## **⚙️ Steps to Assign a Lower-Tier Plan to a Client**

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and open **Agency Hub**.
2. Locate the client account you want to update.
3. Open the plan management options for that client.
4. Select a plan that is equal to or lower than your current agency plan tier.
5. Save your changes. The error will not appear when the plan tiers are compatible.

## **📋 Plan Tier Compatibility**

As a general rule, a client plan must always be equal to or lower than your agency plan tier. If you are unsure which plan tiers are available to you or your clients, check your current agency subscription or contact support for clarification.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be instantly connected with a member of our team.