What it is
The success fee is a percentage of the recovered principal that the Client pays to the Collection Partner when a debt is successfully collected. This fee is defined in the Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA), which all Clients sign before submitting cases to Debitura.
Under the no cure, no pay model, the Client incurs no upfront costs. The success fee is charged only after the Debtor makes a payment. The Collection Partner deducts this fee from the recovered amount before remitting the remainder to the Client.
Why it matters
Understanding how success fees are calculated helps Clients estimate the cost of debt collection before submitting a case. The fee varies significantly based on claim characteristics—for example, a small international claim older than 24 months carries a higher fee than a large European claim submitted promptly.
This pricing model aligns incentives: the Collection Partner earns only when the Client recovers funds, and the fee structure reflects the effort required for different case types.
How it works
Step 1: Determine the jurisdiction category
Debitura classifies each case as either European or International based on where the debt recovery takes place:
European cases: The Debtor is located in an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the UK, or Switzerland. European cases have lower success fee rates.
International cases: The Debtor is located outside Europe. These cases carry higher success fee rates due to increased complexity.
Step 2: Apply the claim-size bracket
The success fee percentage depends on the principal amount of the claim. When a claim is submitted in a non-USD currency, the principal is converted to USD at the prevailing exchange rate to determine which bracket applies.
International Claims:
Claim Amount (USD) | Success Fee |
$100 – $999 | 30% |
$1,000 – $7,999 | 20% |
$8,000 – $74,999 | 15% |
$75,000 – $149,999 | 10% |
$150,000+ | 7.5% |
European Claims:
Claim Amount (USD) | Success Fee |
$100 – $999 | 20% |
$1,000 – $149,999 | 9.5% |
$150,000+ | 6% |
If anything in this page conflicts with the Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA), the SDCA is the legally binding source of truth.
Step 3: Add age-based surcharges
Older debts require more effort to collect, so the SDCA applies additional surcharges based on the age of the claim. Age is calculated from the original due date to the date the case is submitted to Debitura.
Debt Age | Additional Fee |
0 – 12 months | No surcharge |
12 – 24 months | +10 percentage points |
Over 24 months | +20 percentage points |
These surcharges are cumulative—they are added on top of the base success fee for the claim-size bracket. For more detail, see Age-based fee surcharges.
Examples
Example 1: European claim, under 12 months old
Principal: €10,000 (~$10,526)
Jurisdiction: Germany (European)
Age: 9 months
Base fee: 9.5% (falls in $1,000–$149,999 bracket)
Age surcharge: None
Total success fee: 9.5% = $1,000
Example 2: International claim, under 12 months old
Principal: $10,000
Jurisdiction: United States (International)
Age: 9 months
Base fee: 15% (falls in $8,000–$74,999 bracket)
Age surcharge: None
Total success fee: 15% = $1,500
Example 3: International claim, over 24 months old
Principal: $10,000
Jurisdiction: United States (International)
Age: 26 months
Base fee: 15%
Age surcharge: +20 percentage points
Total success fee: 35% = $3,500
What to expect
When a Client submits a case that qualifies for standard pricing (undisputed claims of type "Unpaid Invoice" or "Loan Repayment"), the platform calculates the success fee automatically and displays it before the Client confirms submission. For cases that do not meet these criteria, the Collection Partner may provide a custom quote. See Case eligibility for more detail.
The success fee is separate from any additional fees & charges (such as interest and late payment fees) that the Debtor may owe. Those fees are paid by the Debtor and retained by the Collection Partner.
If a Client withdraws a case during the collection period, the full success fee remains payable as if the debt had been collected in full.
Impact by actor
Client
Pays no upfront fees; the success fee is charged only upon recovery.
Can estimate the fee before submitting a case using the bracket tables above.
Remains liable for the success fee if the case is withdrawn during the collection period.
Collection Partner
Receives the success fee as compensation for collection work.
Deducts the fee from recovered funds before remitting the balance to the Client.
Shares a portion of the success fee with Debitura under the revenue-sharing model.
Debtor
Does not pay the success fee directly; it is deducted from the principal recovered.
May owe additional fees (interest, late payment charges) that are separate from the success fee.
Debitura
Does not charge Clients directly; instead, Debitura receives a share of the Collection Partner's earnings.
Defines the standard fee structure in the SDCA, ensuring consistency across partners.