Definition
A monthly update is a required status report that collection partners submit for each case in Active status, unless your account is set up to send us your case activity and payments as data instead. The Debitura platform automatically generates an update request each month after a case is activated. Partners receive an Update Case Status task prompting them to complete the update through the partner portal.
When updates are required
Trigger | Description |
Cadence | Once per month for each case in Active status |
Start | Begins after the case moves to Active |
End | Continues until the case is Closed or Paused |
The system automatically creates a case update request and assigns a task to the partner. You can view pending tasks on the Tasks page in the partner portal.
This cadence applies unless you send us your payment and activity data instead. That is set at account level, not per case: when it is on, the monthly case updates stop. One case update per case still arrives near the end of that case's collection period, where you decide whether to continue, escalate to legal, extend or close. See Automate your monthly case updates.
Required information
The monthly case update is a structured form. The first question determines which follow-up fields appear. The table below lists all fields you may encounter:
Field | Description |
Case status | Select whether the case is Active, Paused, or Closed. This determines which follow-up questions appear. |
Contact status | Report whether the debtor has been contacted, not contacted, or is not traceable. Shown when the case is Active and no payment was received. |
Debtor response | Report the debtor's position: in dialogue, promise to pay, installment agreement, disputes the claim, or unresponsive. Shown when the debtor has been contacted. |
Actions taken | Select collection activities performed since the last update (demand letter, phone call, email, SMS, physical visit, skip tracing, negotiation). Each action expands a detail panel for individual entries. |
Payments received | Report any payments collected during the period. If a payment is recorded, follow-up questions ask about the remaining balance. |
What happens next | Indicate the recommended next step: continue pre-legal collection, recommend legal action, or suggest additional services. An explanation is required for each option. |
Pause reason | If the case is paused, select the reason and specify who needs to act to unblock it. A task is created for the responsible party with a 14 business day deadline. |
You can also register new payments or close the case directly when submitting the case update. Once submitted, the creditor is notified through their portal and a summary message appears in the case chat.
How to submit
Partners complete monthly updates through the case update form in the partner portal. When an update is due, you will see an Update Case Status task on your Tasks page. Click the task to open the case update form, complete the required fields, and submit.
For detailed guidance on managing tasks and meeting deadlines, see How to use Tasks to meet SLA deadlines.
Impact on partner performance
Monthly updates are tracked as part of your SLA score, which makes up 15% of your overall partner performance score. Submitting on time earns full credit. The later you submit, the lower your score - reaching zero if you are 7 or more days overdue:
Days Late | Score |
0 days (on time) | Full credit |
3.5 days late | Half credit |
7+ days late | No credit |
The penalty is gradual, not a sudden drop - every day late reduces your score proportionally. For more information on how scores are calculated, see Performance scoring and quality expectations.
Voluntary updates
Partners may update a case at any time, not only when a monthly case update is due. Voluntary updates help keep creditors informed and demonstrate active case management. However, unless your account sends case activity and payments as data instead, the monthly case update is the minimum required cadence to maintain regular status reporting.