# Estimated vs payable referral commission | SourceX

Canonical: https://refer.sourcex.si/questions/estimated-vs-payable-referral-commission
Last updated: 2026-11-05

An estimated referral commission is a projection: the reward formula applied to what the company might be paid, shown while the opportunity progresses. A payable one rests on facts: SourceX has actually paid the company, finance has approved the reward and your tax and payment details are on file. In between sits what partners call "earned", which the SourceX portal labels Eligible. This page walks one fictional reward through all five portal statuses, annotating each, and checks every label against the [rewards page](/rewards).

For the main answer on timing, see [when a potential reward becomes payable](/questions/when-does-a-potential-reward-become-payable). This page is the annotated version: what each status would show, what it means, and which words do not belong on it.

## How this mock-up is built

Illustrative. The layout below is a mock-up written for this page, not a screenshot of the partner portal, and the figures are fictional. What is real is the vocabulary: the five status names and their definitions are quoted from the SourceX rewards page, and the conditions come from the [program terms](/terms) (v2026-11-04).

The fictional case: a partner introduces a 340-person regional insurance broker. Early discussion suggests the company could be paid about $240,000 for its records. After dataset selection, SourceX actually pays the company $200,000, which clears the USD 100,000 Minimum Transaction and is the company's first qualifying transaction.

## The five status cards, annotated

Each card shows what the status line might read, followed by notes keyed to the rewards page.

**Card 1: Estimated, $62,000 (dashed)**

1. Rewards page definition: "an indication while the opportunity progresses."
2. Arithmetic: on the expected $240,000, USD 50,000 plus 5% gives $62,000 and 15% gives $36,000; the greater applies. Nothing has been paid to anyone.
3. Why dashed: the number depends on scope and price, both still open.
4. What you can do: nothing on the reward itself. Make sure the company's authorized contact keeps the conversation moving.

**Card 2: Eligible, $60,000**

1. 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.
2. Arithmetic: on the $200,000 actually paid, USD 50,000 plus 5% gives $60,000, more than 15% ($30,000). The estimate is replaced, not adjusted.
3. Everyday word: this is the status partners mean by "earned".
4. What you can do: confirm your tax and payment details now, before finance reaches the reward.

**Card 3: Approved, $60,000**

1. Rewards page definition: "finance has approved the reward."
2. The amount does not change at approval; approval confirms it.
3. What you can do: if details are missing, this is where the reward waits.

**Card 4: Processing, $60,000**

1. Rewards page definition: "a payout is underway after required tax and payment details have been completed."
2. Everyday word: this is "payable" in motion.
3. What you can do: watch for the payment in the account you registered.

**Card 5: Paid, $60,000**

1. Rewards page definition: "the payout has been recorded as completed."
2. The terms set the deadline: 60 days after the later of the Acquisition Partner’s final written acceptance and completed handoff, once the other conditions are met.
3. Still open: if the company's payout is later reduced or reversed, the reward is reduced proportionately.

## Label check: mock-up wording against the rewards page

The most common mistake is not arithmetic but vocabulary. Partners, and sometimes their finance teams, use words the portal does not use and then misread what has happened. The check below compares plausible wording with the actual labels.

| Wording you might see or use | Is it a portal status? | What it corresponds to | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated | Yes | Indication while the opportunity progresses | Correct label |
| Pending | No | Could be read as Estimated or Approved | Avoid; say which status |
| Earned | No | Eligible | Fine in conversation, not as a status |
| Eligible | Yes | 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.| Correct label |
| Approved | Yes | Finance approval | Correct label |
| Payable | No | Approved with details complete, then Processing | Fine in conversation |
| Processing | Yes | Payout underway | Correct label |
| Paid | Yes | Payout recorded as completed | Correct label |
| Canceled or reversed | Outcome, recorded with a reason | Refund, ineligibility or payout reduction | Read the recorded reason |

If a colleague reports "we have $62,000 pending", the right reply is "which status?" At Estimated it is a planning figure; at Approved it is a confirmed amount waiting on details.

## The off-path outcome: canceled or reversed

Not every card reaches Paid. The rewards page says rewards can be canceled or reversed if a payment is refunded or the referral turns out to be ineligible, and the reason is always recorded. The terms add proportionate reduction: in the fictional case, if the company's $200,000 were later reduced to $150,000, the $60,000 reward would fall in the same proportion, to $45,000.

| Illustrative event | Supplier payout after event | Reward after event |
|---|---|---|
| No change | $200,000 | $60,000 |
| Payout reduced to $150,000 | $150,000 | $45,000 |
| Payout fully refunded | $0 | $0 |

This is why an Estimated figure should never be spent, and why even a Paid reward is best recorded with its status history attached.

## When does each status count as income for you?

That is a tax question, not a program one, and it has its own rules. For a U.S. taxpayer on the cash method, IRS Publication 538 says income is reported in the year it is actually or constructively received, and income is not constructively received while control over it is substantially restricted ([IRS](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p538)). An Estimated figure is neither. Where the line falls for Approved or Processing in your own situation is for your tax adviser; the pages on [estimated taxes on referral income](/questions/estimated-taxes-on-referral-income) and [commission paid on collection](/questions/commission-paid-on-collection) set out the usual questions. The [illustrative calculation guide](/guides/how-to-calculate-an-illustrative-referral-commission-from-a-platform-fee) shows how installments change the Eligible figure.

## What you can confirm before Card 1 appears

The statuses start only after an introduction that SourceX can review. Before that, a partner works at metadata level and never handles the company's records:

- Which records exist, roughly how many and over how many years, and which systems hold them.
- Who owns those systems, and which officer could authorize a licensing discussion.
- The baseline: 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.
- That you have signed the Channel Partner Agreement, since introductions cannot be submitted before it.

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. Attribution goes to the first valid introduction within the 90-day window, credited when the company submits a verified application.

## 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.

So that an Eligible reward can move through Approved to Paid without waiting on you, [register as a partner](/register) and complete your tax and payment details early, check the company against [who qualifies](/who-qualifies) and keep the [terms](/terms) to hand.

## Sources

- https://refer.sourcex.si/rewards
- https://refer.sourcex.si/terms
- https://www.irs.gov/publications/p538