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Bonuses & SPIFFs

Bonuses and SPIFFs fit when you need one-time payouts in addition to base commission.

First decide whether the payout is a repeatable rule (encode it in the plan) or a one-off exception (use an adjustment). Validate on one known deal (or one known rep-period) by confirming the bonus shows up in calculation outputs or in Spiffs & Adjustments, then reconcile in a report.

Common bonus / SPIFF triggers include:

  • logo count in a period
  • revenue thresholds
  • specific product motions
  • renewals or expansions

When to use this

  • You pay one-time bonuses or SPIFFs in addition to base commission.
  • You need clear auditability of bonus eligibility and amounts.
  • You want bonuses to show up in the same close workflow as commission.

Core8 supports both plan-driven bonuses (calculated by the plan) and operational SPIFF/adjustment workflows (when you need a manual or exception-based payout).

Plan detail (calculation)
Plan detail (calculation)

Use plan logic when the bonus rule is consistent and should be automatically calculated (for example: “pay $3,000 when a rep reaches 3 new logos in a quarter”).

Good fits:

  • thresholds (revenue, count, attainment)
  • accelerators gated by period attainment
  • repeatable SPIFF rules that should apply to everyone uniformly

Approach B: Adjustments (best for exceptions)

Use adjustments when you need to award a one-off bonus or apply a correction. Adjustments are manual entries you can create and track with an audit trail.

Good fits:

  • discretionary bonuses
  • manual exceptions
  • corrections after a dispute resolution

Where to manage spiffs and adjustments

  1. Open Commission → Dashboard.
  2. Select a specific person and a specific period.
  3. Open Spiffs & Adjustments.

Notes:

  • Spiffs are calculated from plan rules (you can’t create a brand-new spiff row like an adjustment).
  • Add Adjustment is not available in “Show all periods” mode, because adjustments must target a specific period.

Common gotchas

  • Decide (and document) which date anchors the behavior: booking date vs invoice date vs payment date.
  • If the pattern depends on fields from an integration, confirm those fields actually exist in Data Hub and aren’t overridden.
  • Test with a tiny set of deals first, then expand—patterns often “work” but break on edge cases like refunds, partial payments, or split deals.

How to verify

  • Confirm whether the bonus is:
    • calculated by the plan (shows in calculation outputs), or
    • applied operationally (tracked as an adjustment)
  • Reconcile totals using manager reports and the relevant deal detail views.