Clients: What does the "Merged" status mean on my case?
When your collection partner consolidates two or more of your cases into a single case, the absorbed cases show the Merged status and stop accepting case work. This article explains what you see and what to do next.
What you see on a merged case
You opened a case in your Debitura portal and noticed:
A Merged badge in the case header.
A message at the top of the case directing you to another case (the primary case), with an inline link.
Action controls disabled - you cannot edit case details, submit documents, or otherwise work the case. Changing the bank account is the exception: a Creditor Admin on your account can still do that on a merged case.
A "Merged — view only" indicator in the case detail sidebar.
This is expected behavior, not a fault.
Why this happens
Your collection partner has consolidated this case with one or more of your other cases. The feature is intended for claims against the same debtor, though the platform does not enforce it. Rather than work multiple parallel cases, your partner now works a single combined case (the primary case) that covers all the consolidated debt.
Merges are initiated by your collection partner or by Debitura - you cannot start one yourself, and merges cannot be reversed.
What to do next
Open the primary case. Click the inline link shown at the top of the merged case. Active collection work has moved to the primary case.
Use the primary case for all communication and updates. From now on, chat messages with your collection partner, document uploads, and payment notifications all happen on the primary case. The merged case stays view-only for case work.
What is kept, and what moves
The merged case stays in your default Cases list with a Merged status, and stays reachable by its original URL or reference. The "No bank account assigned" filter is the exception - it excludes merged cases, so open the case by reference if you need to change its bank account. Kept on the merged case: debtor details, claim amounts, your creditor reference, and the documents you attached. The case also carries a link through to the primary case, in the header and as an entry on the Activity tab recording when the merge happened. Related-case links appear when the other case is still accessible to you and has a reference; if that lookup fails the merge entry still shows, without the links.
The case chat is the exception. The conversation thread on the merged case is closed by the merge and message history is not copied to the primary case - all further communication with your collection partner happens in the chat on the primary case. If you need to refer back to something that was agreed in the old thread, quote it in the primary case chat or ask your partner.
You can navigate back to the merged case at any time using its original URL or reference number. For the full lifecycle context (including how Merged fits with other case statuses), see Case Lifecycle (Deep Dive).
If you have questions
If you are unsure why your collection partner merged these cases, or you need more context on the combined case:
Open the primary case and message your collection partner directly via the chat. They can explain why the cases were combined.
If your partner does not respond, contact Debitura Support and include: the merged case reference, the primary case reference, and what you would like to know.