Lifecycle statuses

Every case moves through lifecycle statuses from creation to closure. The status determines what actions are available and who is responsible for the next step.

Status	Description	Your actions
Pending Verification	The case is assigned to you and awaiting your review. Debitura's internal validation is complete.	Accept (move to Active), request more information (move to Needs Additional Details), decline, or initiate a custom quote.
Active	You have accepted the case and pre-legal collection work has begun. For standard cases, a 6-month exclusive collection period applies.	Update progress, register payments, pause, request additional information from the client, or close the case with an appropriate close code.
Needs Additional Details	You have requested more information from the client before proceeding.	Move to Active once information is received, or close the case.
Paused	Collection work is temporarily suspended (for example, pending a payment plan or client decision).	Resume (move to Active) or close the case.
Pending Giving Quote	You have initiated a custom quote request for a case that does not fit standard pre-legal terms.	Submit your custom quote. The client will review and accept or decline.
Quote Given	You have submitted a quote and are waiting for the client to select a winner.	Wait for client decision. If accepted, the case moves to Active.
Closed	The case has ended with a close code indicating the outcome.	No further actions. The case is retained for reporting and history.
Merged	This case was consolidated into another case using the merge feature. The case is permanently read-only. All original data (debtor details, amounts, client reference, chat threads) remains visible.	No actions available. Open the Activity tab to see the merge event and a link to the winner case.

Actions by status

In Pending Verification

When you receive a new case, review the debtor details, claim amount, and documentation. You can then:

📋 Before choosing a status - check for a merge option

If you have other merge-eligible cases for the same debtor (same client, same currency, and each case in Pending Verification, Needs Additional Details, Active, or Paused), a collapsible "or merge this into an existing case →" link appears on the acceptance page. Expanding it lets you consolidate this case into an existing one and preview the recalculated pricing before confirming. Using the merge option bypasses the Accept / Request more information / Decline / Initiate custom quote flow below. If the link is not visible, no eligible cases exist - continue with the options below. See How to merge cases for the full step-by-step guide.

Accept - Move the case to Active and begin collection. See How to review and approve a new case.
Request more information - Move to Needs Additional Details if documentation is insufficient.
Decline - Close the case if you cannot take it (jurisdiction mismatch, conflict of interest, capacity). See How to decline a case.
Initiate custom quote - If the case does not fit standard terms (disputed, complex, requires legal action), start a custom quote flow instead of accepting at standard rates.

📋 Non-Exclusive Partners: Legal Network partners receive cases via the leads/quote process rather than direct assignment. You will see cases in the Pending Giving Quote status and must submit a competitive quote. You cannot accept cases at standard SDCA rates - only custom pricing is available.

In Active

During active collection, you can:

Update case progress and communicate with the client via chat
Register payments when the debtor pays. See How to report a recovered payment.
Pause the case temporarily
Close the case with an appropriate close code when collection ends

You can also merge this case with another eligible case if both cases belong to the same client and share the same currency. Open the Actions dropdown in the top-right corner of the case page - if eligible merge candidates exist, a "Merge with another case..." option appears. Merging consolidates both claims and recalculates the combined principal and success fee. See How to merge cases for the full step-by-step guide.

In Paused

Collection work is temporarily suspended (for example, pending a payment plan or client decision). From this state you can:

Resume the case by moving it back to Active
Close the case with an appropriate close code

In More Info Required

You have requested more information from the client before proceeding (Needs Additional Details state). From this state you can:

Move the case to Active once the required information is received
Close the case if the information cannot be obtained

Closing a case

When closing a case, select a close code that accurately describes the outcome. Close codes affect your performance scoring and reporting analytics.

Close codes

Close codes indicate the outcome when a case ends. Some codes affect your performance score while others are recognized as legitimate declines. For a complete guide, see Case close codes.

Success codes

Code	When to use	Scoring impact
Paid	Debtor paid the full outstanding amount	Positive - counts as collection success
Partially paid	Debtor paid some amount but not the full debt	Positive - counts toward collection rate

Validation: The system requires at least one registered payment. Paid requires total payments equal to or greater than the outstanding amount; Partially paid requires payments greater than zero but less than the full amount.

Validated decline codes (no penalty)

These codes represent legitimate reasons you cannot proceed. They do not count against your engagement or collection score.

Code	When to use
Case never started	You declined the case before starting (jurisdiction mismatch, capacity, conflict of interest)
Invalid Case Data	Critical case information is incorrect or missing (wrong debtor details, invalid documentation)
Debtor Insolvent/Bankrupt	Debtor has filed for bankruptcy or is officially insolvent
Debtor Untraceable	All reasonable efforts to locate the debtor have failed
Statute of Limitations Expired	The legal deadline to collect this debt has passed per jurisdiction laws

Client decision codes

These codes reflect decisions made by the client that prevent collection from continuing.

Code	When to use
Withdrawn by Client	Client requested to stop collection
Disputed - Legal Action Declined by Client	Debtor disputes the debt and client declines to pursue legal action
Settlement Rejected by Client	You negotiated a settlement but the client rejected the terms
Unresponsive Client	Client stopped responding to your communication

Process completion codes

Code	When to use
Pre-Legal Exhausted - No Payment	All pre-legal collection efforts exhausted without payment (after the collection period ends)
Uneconomical to Pursue	Recovery cost exceeds the claim value - further collection would cost more than the debt is worth
Other	Any reason not covered by specific codes (always provide a detailed comment)

Partner type differences

Your experience with case statuses and actions depends on whether you are an Exclusive or Legal Network partner. See Understanding partner types for a full comparison.

Aspect	Exclusive Partner	Legal Network Partner
Case assignment	Automatic - cases matching your coverage are assigned directly	Quote-based - you receive lead notifications and submit competitive bids
Initial status	Pending Verification	Pending Giving Quote (you see the case as a lead to quote on)
Pricing	Standard SDCA rates (unless case requires custom quote)	Custom pricing only - you set your own rates
Declining a case	Case may go to the network as a lead (if client allows)	Simply do not submit a quote - no penalty

Where to view case status

View all your assigned cases and their current status in your Cases Received list. Click any case to see the full timeline, chat with the client, register payments, and take actions.

Use the debtor type filter (Company / Private) on the Cases Received page to narrow your list to business debtors or individual debtors.

Cases in Debitura - Overview of what cases are and how they move through the system
Case close codes - Complete reference for all close codes
Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA) - Key terms for standard pricing
How to merge cases - Step-by-step guide to merging two or more open cases for the same debtor

Clients: Case status definitions

Case close codes: what each outcome code means and when to use it

Case Lifecycle (Deep Dive): States, Transitions, and Triggers

Collection Partners: How to decline a case

Collection Partners: How to review and approve a new case