What this covers
When you integrate with Debitura, each client you bring to Debitura is tracked back to your platform. Cases submitted by those clients flow through collection, and your referral fees are tracked at each stage. This article covers the business logic behind attribution, the key statuses you will encounter, and what to expect end-to-end.
Why attribution matters
Attribution determines whether a specific case generates referral fees for you. Not every case from a linked client automatically generates fees. The system evaluates whether the client was originally brought to Debitura by your platform and how each case was created, and it excludes payments on cases your own firm collects.
Understanding attribution helps you set accurate expectations with your finance team, reconcile your revenue reports, and troubleshoot cases where fees appear missing.
How attribution works
Attributed vs non-attributed clients
Attributed clients are clients your platform brought to Debitura. These clients did not exist in Debitura before you referred them. For attributed clients, all eligible cases generate referral fees regardless of how they are created. This includes cases submitted through your API, cases the client creates directly in the Debitura web app, CSV imports, and integrations. Each case earns at the rate stored on it under your rate plan, and you earn no referral share on payments received while your own firm is the collection partner on the case.
Non-attributed clients are clients who already had a Debitura account before linking to your platform. They found Debitura independently. For non-attributed clients, only cases submitted through your integration generate fees: Starter collection requests, or cases created through the external customer API using your credentials in the Full Integration. Cases the client creates directly in Debitura do not generate fees for you.
Attribution decision logic
When a debtor payment is received, Debitura determines whether your referral fee applies by checking:
Is the case linked to a referral partner? If not, no fees are generated.
If your firm is also a collection partner, is your own firm collecting the case when the payment is received? If yes, no referral fee is generated on that payment.
Is the client attributed to your platform? If yes, fees are generated regardless of creation method.
If the client is non-attributed, was the case submitted through your integration (a Starter collection request, or the external customer API using your credentials in the Full Integration)? If yes, fees are generated. If not, no fees are generated.
When a fee is generated, its amount follows the rate stored on the case under your rate plan. That rate can be 0%: for example, on the Link plan, a new case created on or after the third anniversary of the client's link to you gets 0%. For the rate plans, see Referral program overview.
This design ensures you earn fees when you bring clients to Debitura, and also when you facilitate case submission for clients who already had accounts.
Client and link statuses
When you create a client through the Full Integration's client creation call (POST /clients), the response indicates what happens next:
Ready (201 Created): The client has completed onboarding and signed the Standard Debt Collection Agreement. You can immediately start submitting cases through the API. For technical integration details, see the Developer Docs link at the bottom of this article.
Onboarding Required (202 Accepted): The client needs to complete onboarding. Redirect them to the provided onboarding URL. Once they sign the agreement, you can proceed.
Awaiting Approval (409 Conflict): The client already exists in Debitura. They must approve linking to your platform. Debitura returns an approval URL in the response, which your platform must deliver to the client - Debitura does not email it. With the Starter Integration, Debitura emails the approval invitation to the user you submitted, and the collection request shows the approval step. If approved, the link is normally non-attributed (it stays attributed if you previously held an attributed link to that client), and the cases you submitted in the original payload are created on the existing client (in "Pending Contract Signing" state if the customer still needs to sign).
For the full list of statuses and expected actions, see Status definitions reference.
Revenue tracking stages
Once a case is collected, your referral fee progresses through four stages:
Unrecognized: Payment has been received from the debtor, but the collection partner's commission on that payment is not yet settled. The fee amount is an estimate and may change with exchange rate fluctuations. Do not count this as earned yet.
Recognized Uninvoiced: The collection partner's commission is settled. The fee amount is now locked. This does not by itself mean that Debitura has received its platform fee. By default, include these fees in your next monthly invoice once Debitura has received its platform fee from the collection partner; if your partnership agreement includes an early-invoicing exception, you can invoice them as soon as the commission is settled.
Recognized Invoiced: Debitura has recorded your invoice. Await payment within the payment terms in your partnership agreement.
Recognized Paid: Debitura has recorded sending your referral payment. The revenue cycle is complete. This is Debitura's payment record, not confirmation that the money has reached your bank account.
Track these stages using the Reporting API. The GET /reporting/transactions endpoint returns all transactions with their current stage. For detailed reconciliation guidance, see Revenue sharing and reconciliation.
What to expect end-to-end
A typical flow from client creation to fee payment:
You call POST /clients to create or link a client (Full Integration), or send one collection request per invoice (Starter Integration). The client completes onboarding if required.
You submit cases on behalf of the client through the API. With the Starter Integration, each collection request becomes a case once the client's open steps are done.
Debitura routes the case to a collection partner. The partner works to recover the debt.
When the debtor pays, a payout is created. If attribution rules are met, your referral fee is calculated.
Once the collection partner's commission is settled, your fee moves to "Recognized Uninvoiced."
You invoice Debitura monthly for recognized fees.
Debitura pays your invoice, completing the cycle.
If a debtor pays in installments, each payment creates a separate payout with proportional fees. Your total fees remain the same as a lump sum payment.
Troubleshooting missing fees
If you expect fees but do not see them in reporting:
Confirm the client link is active and not archived.
Check whether the client is attributed or non-attributed. For non-attributed clients, only cases submitted through your integration (Starter or Full) generate fees.
Verify the case was submitted through your integration (a Starter collection request, or the external customer API using your credentials), not the client's own API key or the Debitura web app.
Check the revenue stage. Fees are recognized only after the debtor pays and the collection partner's commission is settled.
For step-by-step troubleshooting, see Missing attribution troubleshooting.
Related resources
Referral program overview - what you earn, when, and what counts
Revenue sharing and reconciliation - detailed fee calculations and invoicing
Status definitions reference - complete status reference
Developer Docs: Developers: Want to automate tracking via the API? See Developer Docs: Referral Partner API Reference.