When do referral credits unlock?

When the new neighbor’s first invoice is paid. Not at signup, not at the first visit. Until then the referral shows as pending and no credit exists.

A $0 invoice does not count. Only a real payment unlocks the credit.

Both sides unlock at the same moment: $25 to the customer who referred, $25 to the neighbor who came in.

What the credit is

• An account credit against their bill with you. It comes off a future invoice.
• Not cash. It is never paid out. If a customer with a credit balance leaves, the credit leaves with them.
• Never below zero. If the credit is larger than the invoice, the invoice goes to zero and stops there. PoolHelm does not write a negative bill.
• Applied to draft invoices, so the credit lands before the invoice goes out rather than after.
• Its own line on the invoice, a negative one, rather than a quiet subtraction from the total. Your customer can see where the discount came from, and so can you.

Credits stack. A customer who refers several neighbors builds up credit against their bill.

Reversing a credit

A credit can be reversed if a referral turns out to be fraudulent. Reversal follows the money: it happens when the referred customer’s payment is fully refunded or disputed. A partial refund does not trigger it. This is rare.

A credit already billed onto an invoice stays put. A reversal can only take back a credit the customer hasn’t used yet.

See also: “Adjust or pause your reward amount.”