This timeline is part of the guide to calculating an illustrative referral reward. The cap scenarios page explains how much a reward can be; this page explains when it can be paid, using one fictional deal and three ways its conditions can land.
Two anchors, one day 0
The deadline is 60 days after the later of the two anchor events. Earlier is irrelevant.
Illustrative and fictional. A 380-person regional property management company licenses a dataset of maintenance work orders and vendor decisions.
| Event | Illustrative date | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Completed handoff of the dataset | June 3 | First anchor |
| Acquisition Partner’s final written acceptance of the complete, validated dataset | June 14 | Later anchor, so day 0 |
| Stated payment deadline | August 13 | Day 60 |
Here approval comes after handoff, so June 14 is day 0. Had approval come first, handoff would set it. Either way, day 0 is fixed once both events have happened, and nothing later shifts it.
The prerequisites on the timeline
Besides the anchors, payment needs five things. Each has an owner, and only one sits on the partner's side.
| Prerequisite | Whose side | Illustrative date | Before day 60? | Effect on day 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Buyer and SourceX | June 20 | Yes | None |
| 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. | Buyer and SourceX | July 22 | Yes | None |
| Payment of the supplier compensation to the company | SourceX | July 29 | Yes | None |
| Finance approval of the reward | SourceX | August 5 | Yes | None |
| Partner's tax and payment details | Partner | August 25 | No | None |
In this version, four conditions are met in time and the fifth, the partner's own tax and payment details, arrives twelve days after the deadline. Until it arrives, the reward cannot be paid; once it does, the terms say the reward is paid promptly. The anchor does not move to August 25, and no new 60-day period starts from that date. For a U.S. partner the tax detail is usually a Form W-9, which gives the payer a correct taxpayer identification number for information reporting; the note on why a W-9 is needed for a referral explains it.
Three ways the same deal can land
| Version | What is open at day 60 | What happens | What the partner does |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Everything in order | Nothing | Payable by August 13 | Nothing beyond watching the status |
| B. Partner detail missing | Tax and payment details | Paid promptly once the details arrive; no new 60-day period | Submit them at once; better, at registration |
| C. 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. | 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. | Paid promptly once it clears; no new 60-day period | Write to SourceX citing the terms version and both anchor dates |
Version C is the one partners worry about, and it is the one they cannot fix. A buyer that pauses or delays payment holds up the condition; the note on what happens if the SourceX pauses data sourcing covers that situation. Version B is the opposite: entirely in the partner's control, and entirely avoidable.
What the terms say, and what they leave open
Stated in the published terms:
- the deadline is 60 days after the later of the Acquisition Partner’s final written acceptance and completed handoff;
- 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.
- if any condition remains outstanding at the deadline, the reward is paid promptly once it is satisfied, and no new 60-day period begins;
- a supplier's own payment timetable, including any Net 60 clause, never determines when the reward is paid;
- the reward is the greater of $50,000 plus 5% and 15% of Actual Supplier Payout, with no cap, and funded separately from the company's payment.
Not stated:
- a fixed number of days for "promptly" once a late condition is met;
- 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.
So the clock never restarts, but a late condition still delays payment. If you are in version C at day 60, put the question to SourceX in writing and keep the answer. The payable-reward explainer lists the conditions in order.
Keeping your side clear from the start
A short routine keeps a reward from waiting on you:
- At registration, submit tax and payment details, and sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions.
- When the company applies, note the date; attribution goes to the first valid introduction within the 90-day window, credited when the company submits a verified application.
- When handoff and approval happen, record both dates and mark day 0 as the later one.
- Track each prerequisite with the referral milestone tracking worksheet and the statuses on the rewards page.
- At day 50, check what is open, and write to SourceX if a condition on its side is unmet.
When you describe the process to a client, keep the company's milestones and yours separate; the guide to explaining payout milestones before a company applies shows how. The company must also qualify first: 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license 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 70% of the data is in English.
Next step
Refer a company. No cap on rewards. Default reward on a company's first qualifying transaction: the greater of $50,000 plus 5% and 15% of Actual Supplier Payout, with no cap; further qualifying transactions first agreed within 12 months of the first Closing pay 15%. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, including the USD 100,000 Minimum Transaction, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
Clear your own conditions before the clock ever starts: register as a partner with your tax and payment details, check the company against who qualifies and read the program terms for the deadline wording.