This page is part of the guide to separating marketing attribution from contractual referral credit. Its job is narrower: it draws the two clocks as two timelines, runs one introduction through both, and shows where an application can sit inside one and outside the other.
Timeline one: the attribution clock
The attribution clock starts when you make a valid introduction of a new company, through your referral link or the referral form. It runs for 90 days. The event it waits for is the company's verified application, not a meeting, a reply or a signature.
Four points mark this timeline:
- Day 0, the introduction. Your link or the form timestamps it. Keep your own dated note as well, using something like the company introduction record template.
- The verified application. This is the event that earns credit, provided it lands inside the window and yours is the first valid introduction of that company.
- Day 90, the window closes. An application after this date is not credited to your introduction under the attribution rule.
- Duplicate review, if needed. When two partners introduce the same company, or the company was already known, SourceX reviews it. One partner per company.
Credit is not payment. The attribution window explainer is clear that the window decides timeliness, not whether a reward is payable. A reward becomes payable after SourceX has paid the referred company under its signed agreement and the payout conditions in the program terms are met, including finance approval and your tax and payment details.](/rewards) sets out.
Timeline two: the contact protection clock
The protection clock belongs to a different document: the Channel Partner Agreement you sign before submitting introductions. The agreement runs for one year and can be terminated on 30 days' notice. Qualifying contacts you introduce during its term stay protected for six months after it ends.
So the protection timeline has a different start and a different end:
- It covers contacts introduced during the term, whatever the date of the introduction within that term.
- Its end is measured from the agreement's end date, not from your introduction. A termination notice moves it.
- What it protects against is being bypassed. It concerns whether your introduced contact may be taken around you. It does not mention applications or credit.
The general idea of a non-circumvention clause, with its protected parties, prohibited conduct and duration, is explained on the non-circumvention agreement page. None of those elements is a credit rule.
One introduction run through both timelines
Illustrative and fictional dates. A partner signs the agreement on March 2, 2026, so its one-year term ends on March 2, 2027, and protection for contacts introduced during the term runs to September 2, 2027. On February 10, 2027, still inside the term, the partner introduces the chief operating officer of a 180-person regional logistics firm. Day 90 of the attribution window is May 11, 2027.
The firm's application could arrive on any of four dates. Here is what each clock says.
| Application date | Day of window | Attribution window | Contact protection | Credit outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 20, 2027 | Day 69 | Open | Protected | Credited if it is the first valid introduction |
| May 5, 2027 | Day 84 | Open | Protected | Credited if it is the first valid introduction |
| June 15, 2027 | Day 125 | Closed | Protected | Not credited under the attribution rule |
| October 1, 2027 | Day 233 | Closed | Ended on September 2 | Not credited under the attribution rule |
Two things stand out. First, the agreement ended on day 20, yet an application on day 69 or day 84 is still credited: the end of the agreement does not cut the attribution window short. Second, on June 15 the contact is still protected, but the application sits outside the window. Protection does not pull it back inside.
The June 15 row is the one partners misread. A partner who looks only at the protection period sees "still covered" and assumes credit. The two columns say different things because they measure different events.
If a company ends up applying through another route, such as a direct visit or another partner's link, the different-channel answer explains how SourceX looks at it. The attribution window length answer explains why 90 days was chosen for data licensing introductions.
Questions to settle before you start the attribution clock
Because the attribution clock starts with your introduction, the best protection for your credit is timing the introduction to a company that is ready to apply. Settle these at metadata level first.
- Does the company fit? It needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license its records and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English.
- Which records exist and who owns them? Note the record types, the systems that hold them, the years covered and the executive who owns them. Never ask for samples or exports.
- Who can authorize a licensing discussion? Introduce that person. A friendly contact who cannot approve the discussion tends to slow the application past day 90.
- Is the decision-maker ready to apply within 90 days? If not, wait. Starting the clock early gains nothing, and protection will not rescue a late application.
- Have you signed the partner agreement? It must be signed before you submit introductions, and its signing date sets your protection timeline.
What stays unknown until SourceX reviews it: whether another partner introduced the company first, whether the company was already known to SourceX, the result of the rights review, and whether any license completes. If a date is close to a boundary, ask SourceX in writing rather than assuming.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
Plan your introduction around the 90-day clock, not the protection period: register as a partner, check the company against who qualifies, and read the attribution and agreement sections of the program terms.