How to resolve common payout discrepancies in Captivateiq step by step

If you’re the person everyone pings when their commission payout looks “off,” this guide’s for you. Maybe you’re in RevOps, Finance, or just the unlucky admin with Captivateiq access. Either way, dealing with payout discrepancies is a pain, especially when you’re juggling a million other things. Here’s how to cut through the noise, fix the most common payout issues, and keep your sanity.

Let’s get to it.

1. Double-Check What’s Actually “Wrong” (Don’t Assume)

Before you start clicking around, make sure the issue is real. People complain about commission payouts all the time — but sometimes, it’s just a misunderstanding.

Do this first:

  • Ask for specifics: “What did you expect to get paid, and what did you actually see?”
  • Get a screenshot or copy of the payout report. Saves you guesswork.
  • Check the pay period — is it for the right month? People often look at the wrong range.
  • Confirm the comp plan. Has it changed recently? Is the person sure about their rates or accelerators?

Pro tip:
Most “discrepancies” are due to confusion over plan changes or payout timing, not actual calculation errors.

2. Pull Up the Correct Data in Captivateiq

You can’t solve problems blind. Log into Captivateiq and get all the relevant details in front of you.

Step-by-step:

  • Go to Payouts and search for the rep or payee.
  • Confirm you’re looking at the right payout cycle and the right person.
  • Download or view the payout breakdown. You want the full calculation details, not just the summary.

Don’t get distracted:
Ignore fancy dashboards for now. Go straight to the raw payout breakdown — that’s where the truth lives.

3. Trace the Commission Calculation

Here’s where you play detective. Figure out how the system calculated the payout — and where it might’ve gone sideways.

How to do it:

  • Open the payee’s payout statement and look at each earning line.
  • For each component (base, accelerators, bonuses, etc.):
    • What’s the rule or formula?
    • What’s the underlying data (deals, quotas, rates)?
    • Does the math check out by hand?
  • Compare to:
    • The comp plan doc.
    • The payee’s expectations.
    • Past payouts (see if something changed).

Red flags to look for:

  • Missing deals or transactions.
  • Wrong rates or tiers.
  • Quota or attainment not matching Salesforce (or your CRM).
  • Manual adjustments that weren’t communicated.

4. Check the Source Data (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)

Nine times out of ten, the root problem isn’t Captivateiq — it’s your source data. If the CRM is wrong, the payout will be too.

What to check:

  • Deal status: Is it closed/won in Salesforce? If not, it won’t pull in.
  • Close dates: Did someone fudge the date to hit quota?
  • Ownership: Was the deal reassigned after close?
  • Splits: Are deal splits set up correctly in the CRM?

How to check:

  • Go to the CRM and look up the deal(s) in question.
  • Confirm fields like “Owner,” “Amount,” “Close Date,” and “Stage” match what’s in Captivateiq.
  • If Captivateiq uses custom fields (like “Commissionable Amount”), make sure those are populated.

Don’t waste your time:
If the CRM data is wrong, fix it there first — then re-run the import in Captivateiq. Don’t try to hack a fix in the commission system.

5. Review Adjustments and Manual Entries

Sometimes, admins make manual adjustments in Captivateiq — and then forget. This is a common source of payout confusion.

Where to look:

  • In the payout statement, look for any lines labeled as “Manual Adjustment,” “Override,” or similar.
  • Check the audit logs or history if you have access.
  • Ask your team: “Has anyone made manual changes to this person’s payout recently?”

What to ignore:
Don’t chase manual entries unless they actually impact the amount in question. Not every adjustment is relevant.

6. Recalculate or Re-Run the Payout

If you found a real issue (bad data, missing deal, wrong quota, etc.), you’ll need to fix it and re-run the payout in Captivateiq.

How to do it:

  1. Fix the source data in your CRM if needed.
  2. Trigger a data sync/import in Captivateiq.
  3. Recalculate the payout for the rep or the whole team.
  4. Download the updated payout statement and double-check it.

Watch out:
Sometimes, syncing data or recalculating can take a few minutes — or longer, if you have a big dataset. Refresh the page or check back later.

7. Communicate Clearly (and Document for Next Time)

Once you’ve fixed (or explained) the discrepancy, tell the payee exactly what happened — and why. This saves you emails down the line.

Best practices:

  • Keep it short and factual: “You were paid X because of Y. The confusion came from Z.”
  • If you fixed something, note what changed and when it’ll show up.
  • If it’s user error, share a screenshot or the relevant comp plan section.

Pro tip:
Log the issue and your fix somewhere — even a Google Doc. You’ll thank yourself when the same question pops up next quarter.

Common Issues — And What Actually Works

Here’s a quick reality check on what you’ll see most often, and what to do about it.

1. “My deal isn’t showing up.”

  • Usually: Not closed/won in CRM, or wrong owner/date.
  • Fix: Update CRM, re-sync Captivateiq.

2. “My rate/accelerator is wrong.”

  • Usually: Plan config issue, or rep’s attainment is off.
  • Fix: Check comp plan logic, confirm quota/attainment in CRM and Captivateiq.

3. “Manual adjustment missing/incorrect.”

  • Usually: Admin error or lack of communication.
  • Fix: Check audit logs, clarify with the admin, adjust as needed.

4. “Timing confusion (wrong pay period).”

  • Usually: Rep is looking at the wrong payout batch.
  • Fix: Confirm period, educate the rep.

Ignore:
Requests to “just pay me what I think I earned.” Stick to the system and the data.

What Not to Do

  • Don’t make one-off manual adjustments unless you absolutely have to. It creates more confusion later.
  • Don’t ignore the source data. Fix it at the root.
  • Don’t overcomplicate with exports, VLOOKUPs, or custom reports unless the built-in statements aren’t enough.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Sane

Payout discrepancies in Captivateiq are rarely as mysterious as they seem. Nine times out of ten, it’s a data problem, a config error, or just plain old confusion. Go step by step, fix the root cause, and document as you go. Don’t let it eat your week. Get it sorted, move on, and keep your fixes simple. Iterate over time — you’ll get better (and faster) with every cycle.