Threshold, multiplier and cap
Optional steps you add to a rule with + Add advanced step. Between them they shape most of a plan's behaviour.
They belong to one rule, not to the plan as a whole. Two rules in the same plan can carry different thresholds.
| Step | Hint in the picker |
|---|---|
| Threshold | Gate commission below an attainment level |
| Multiplier | Scale commission by a tier ladder (accelerate or decelerate) |
| Cap | Limit max payout or set a floor |
Threshold — nothing pays until you clear it
"When does this rule start paying?"
Set a Threshold type and a Start paying at value. The unit follows the type: % of quota, an amount, or a number of deals.
A threshold at 50% of quota means a rep at 45% earns nothing from this rule.
An amount threshold counts the commission this rule has earned the rep so far in the period, not their sales. The screen shows only a currency next to Start paying at.
The failure mode is a threshold nobody clears. If most of the team lands under it, the plan pays almost nothing and stops motivating anyone — including the reps who were closest.
Multiplier — the tier ladder
"Mix sub-1× and >1× bands to slow or accelerate payout at different tiers."
This is Lokom's accelerator and its decelerator, in one control. Each tier is a band of attainment with a multiplier:
| Tier | From % | To % | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 0 | 100 | 1× |
| T2 | 100 | 150 | 1.5× |
| T3 | 150 | — | 2× |
A multiplier below 1× steps the rate down in that band — a decelerator. Reps see these labelled Accelerator and Decelerator on their My Plan page.
Each band multiplies only its own stretch
On a percentage rule, the ladder works like tax brackets. A band's multiplier applies only to the attainment that falls inside that band — not to everything below it.
Take a 6% rule with a ladder of 1× up to 100% and 1.5× above. A rep at 120% of quota earns 1× on their first 100 points and 1.5× on the last 20, a blended 1.083×. Under the tier table, the step works the example out for the ladder you are editing:
At 120% of quota, €10,000 of sales pays €650 (€600 without tiers).
- A slow band keeps slowing. With 0.8× up to 80% and 1× above, a rep who ends at 100% still earns 0.8× on their first 80 points. The same line reads "At 100% of quota, €10,000 of sales pays €504 (€600 without tiers)."
- Deal order never changes pay. The ladder reads the rep's attainment for the whole period, whichever deal closed first.
- A flat-amount rule is the exception. A flat fee has no amount to split into bands, so the multiplier of the tier the rep has reached applies to the whole fee.
The ladder must be continuous:
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| At least one tier is required | Add a tier |
| First tier must start at 0% | The ladder starts at zero, always |
| Gap or overlap between tier X and Y | Each band's end is the next band's start |
Multiplier needs a quota
The step is disabled until the role owns one — "No quota to accelerate on — create one
for <role> in Quota Setting." There is nothing to measure attainment against otherwise.
When you add it you are asked: "Which quota does this accelerate on?" — because a role can own several. → Set up quotas
Binding a quota also locks the rule's Source to that quota's basis, so the accelerator and the rate can never measure different things. → Source
The failure mode is an accelerator everyone reaches. If the whole team clears it every period, it is not an accelerator — it is your real base rate, and your true cost is the accelerated one. Either the quota is too low or the ladder starts in the wrong place.
Cap — and floor
"Set a maximum payout limit for this specific rule."
- Maximum payout (cap) — payout stops climbing here.
- Minimum payout (floor) — optional. The floor must not exceed the cap.
- Alert rep when approaching cap — "Sends a warning when projected payout reaches 80% of cap."
Caps are the most consequential thing here, because the person a cap hits is by definition your best rep in your best quarter.
Before adding one, be clear what it is for. Capping to control cost on an unbounded deal size is defensible. Capping because someone earned more than their manager is how you lose them.
If you cap, tell reps up front and where. A cap discovered on payday reads as a clawback — which is why the 80% alert exists. Turn it on.
How they compose
Threshold gates, multiplier scales, cap limits. A rule with all three has three places to check when a payout looks wrong — walk them in that order.