Source: https://docs.debitura.com/referral-partners/concepts/attribution
# Attribution
How referral partner revenue is calculated based on client attribution.
## Overview
Attribution determines which cases generate revenue for your platform. The key distinction is whether a client was brought _to_ Debitura by your platform (attributed) or already existed (non-attributed).
## Attributed Clients
A client is **attributed** when they did not exist in Debitura before your integration introduced them.
**Identified by:** `isAttributedClient: true`
**Revenue scope:** You earn on **all cases** from this client, regardless of how they're created:
- Cases submitted via your API integration
- Cases created directly in the Debitura portal
- Cases imported via CSV
- Cases from any other channel
**When it happens:**
- `POST /clients` returns `201 Created` (new client)
- `POST /clients` returns `202 Accepted` (new client, onboarding required)
- `POST /clients` re-links a client you withdrew earlier (see [Re-submitting a withdrawn client](https://docs.debitura.com/referral-partners/integration-guides/client-onboarding.md#re-submitting-a-withdrawn-client))
## Non-Attributed Clients
A client is **non-attributed** when they already existed in Debitura before being linked to your platform.
**Identified by:** `isAttributedClient: false`
**Revenue scope:** You earn only on cases whose creation source is recorded as `ReferralPartnerBearerToken`. This includes normal Customer API submissions using a bearer token and embedded cases replayed after a link approval, which are stamped with the same source even though the original `POST /clients` used an API key.
**When it happens:**
- `POST /clients` returns `409` with `ClientExistsNeedsLinking`
- Client approves a genuine first-time link to an existing account, or the user creates a new account from the choice page
Debitura can also link a client to your account manually; attribution is then set as agreed with you.
If the same partner previously had an archived **attributed** link to that creditor, approval preserves `isAttributedClient: true` rather than converting the relationship to non-attributed.
## Case referral rates
Debitura records the applicable plan and base referral rate **on each case when it is created**. Later payments on that case keep its plan and base rate. A plan change or tier change affects new cases, including new cases for an already-linked client; it does not reprice existing cases.
- **Contract plan:** preserves your agreed terms. The case rate comes from the client's agreed link snapshot, not your current account-wide percentage. Older cases without a stored rate fall back to that snapshot.
- **Link plan:** starts at 30%. A new case gets 50% when you already have at least 100 eligible collection cases in the rolling 365-day window, counted from terms acceptance. Case 101 is the first at 50% in a simple sequence. If the count falls below 100, new cases return to 30%; existing cases retain their rates. Only non-deleted production collection cases across your linked clients count, not source invoices or test/demo cases. A new case created at or after the client link's third anniversary gets 0%; cases created earlier keep their rates for later payments.
- **Integration plan:** records a 50% base rate on the case, without the Link plan's three-year limit. The separate payout allowance below can increase earnings; the case does not carry a permanent 100% rate.
Existing contract exceptions remain. An applicable [jurisdiction pricing-zone assignment override](https://docs.debitura.com/referral-partners/concepts/jurisdiction-pricing-carveouts.md) takes precedence over the base case rate. Attribution still determines whether a case earns a referral fee at all.
### Integration payout allowance
At a payout's first revenue recognition, the standard Integration allowance pays 100% on the portion of Debitura revenue covered by the partner's remaining allowance, then 50% on the rest. The allowance covers the partner's first **5,000.00 USD of cumulative referral earnings**, including recognized earnings across plans. A payout crossing the allowance is split; it is not paid entirely at one percentage.
For example, with 4,800.00 USD already earned and 700.00 USD of Debitura revenue, 200.00 USD earns 100% and the remaining 500.00 USD earns 50%: the referral fee is 450.00 USD. Agreements can set a different allowance or waive the 100% step (50% from the first dollar). Assignment-override payouts use their agreed rate without this allowance.
Before recognition, Integration earnings use the 50% base rate as an estimate. Read the returned earnings and estimate flags from [Revenue reporting](https://docs.debitura.com/referral-partners/integration-guides/revenue-tracking.md); do not calculate the final fee from the link snapshot alone.
## Revenue Calculation
Referral earnings are a share of Debitura's revenue, separate from the client's collection price. Without an Integration allowance allocation, the calculation is:
```text
Partner Revenue = Debitura Revenue × Effective Referral Fee Percentage
```
`Debitura Revenue` is calculated according to the case's commission model and caps, so it is not always the product of collection amount, partner success fee, and a single Debitura-fee percentage. The effective referral percentage comes from the case's base rate or an applicable assignment override. Integration allowance allocations are applied separately as described above.
**Illustrative example:** If a $10,000 collection produces $450 of Debitura revenue and the effective referral split is 50%:
- Debitura revenue before referral share: $450
- You receive: $225 (50% of $450)
**Business context:** See [Referral program overview](https://support.debitura.com/en/articles/13908998-referral-partners-referral-program-overview-what-you-earn-when-and-what-counts) for detailed revenue model documentation.
## Checking Attribution Status
```http
GET https://referral-api.debitura.com/clients/{externalTenantId}
XApiKey: YOUR_API_KEY
```
Response includes `isAttributedClient`. You can also see attribution status in the [`client.linked`](https://docs.debitura.com/referral-partners/integration-guides/webhooks.md#clientlinked) webhook event.
If cases are not generating expected fees, see [Missing lead attribution](https://support.debitura.com/en/articles/13909771-referral-partners-missing-lead-attribution) for common causes and self-serve checks.