DSP scorecard tier and the bonus: which week's scorecard counts
A DSP's performance bonus is paid on the tier of a weekly scorecard, and we found no published rule for which week's scorecard a bonus is paid from. Look for it in your own agreement and in how your settlements have paid the bonus: this page explains what to compare, not what Amazon pays. Put the scorecard of that week beside the bonus line, and compare the tier it shows with the tier the line was paid at.
Updated . Status as of
What is known about the bonus, and where it stops
A scorecard is made every week, and its tier is what a performance bonus is paid on. Rates and thresholds differ from one partner to the next and are not published. We found no published rule for which week's scorecard a bonus is paid from, so this page does not name one (what a settlement is, as far as is known, the files you supply). Two articles by firms that serve delivery service partners say the same about the scorecard and the pay (Steph's Books, Route Consultant). They are not documents of Amazon.
One of them, a bookkeeping firm, writes that Amazon's scorecard "updates weekly, but the incentive tier applied to your settlement sometimes lags by a week" (Steph's Books). We found no second source for that sentence, so read it as a reason to check the week and not as a rule.
What a page like this can and cannot tell you
| The question | Where the answer is |
|---|---|
| Which week's scorecard is the bonus paid from? | In your own agreement and settlements. We found no published rule, so it is not on this page. |
| What tier did the scorecard of that week show? | Your own scorecard file for that week and that station. |
| What tier was the bonus line paid at? | The bonus line of your settlement. |
| What does each tier pay? | The rates in your own rate card. They differ from one partner to the next and are not published. |
How to put the bonus line beside the right week's scorecard
- Find the bonus line of the settlement: the tier it was paid at, its quantity and its unit (packages, routes, or a flat weekly bonus).
- Find how many weeks back the scorecard is taken from: this week, one week back or two weeks back, as the example below shows. Do not infer it from one settlement, where a tier can match by chance.
- Take the scorecard of that week for the same station as the settlement. A scorecard of another station, or of another week, does not answer the question.
- Compare the tier. A difference is possible when the scorecard of that week shows a higher tier than the line was paid at; the same tier, or a lower one, is no difference.
- Price the difference with the rates in your own rate card: the rate of the scorecard tier minus the rate of the tier paid, times the quantity of the line, and never more than the line is short of. If a tier has no rate in your card, there is nothing to price, and it is a question.
- If you cannot tell which week applies, do not pick one: ask. RoutePayAudit asks in the same cases: the weeks back is not set, the scorecard is not among your files, two scorecards disagree, or a tier has no rate in your confirmed rate card.
RoutePayAudit does this comparison for the bonus lines it reads, shows the lines each difference rests on and prepares the text of a request that you file yourself (what we check). Before you upload any file, check that your agreement lets you share it.
An example with three weekly scorecards
In the example on our home page, an invented station has a bonus line of 10,000 packages at $0.04, $400.00 in all, paid at Great for the week of Sep 19 to 25. The scorecards of the three weeks are Great, Fantastic and Great, so the answer depends on the week the bonus is paid from (the example).
Figures in the example on our home page: an invented station, an invented bonus line and invented rates
| Bonus paid from the scorecard of | Tier on that scorecard | Result in the example | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week, Sep 19 to 25 | Great | No difference: the line was paid at Great | Example on the home page |
| One week back, Sep 12 to 18 | Fantastic | A difference of $200.00: ($0.06 minus $0.04) times 10,000 packages, with the rates of the example rate card | Example on the home page |
| Two weeks back, Sep 5 to 11 | Great | No difference: the line was paid at Great | Example on the home page |
When the weeks back is not set, the example asks you to set it in your rate card and shows no amount (the example).
If the tier paid is below the tier of the scorecard
Write down the week you used, the tier of that scorecard, the tier on the line, the rates and the quantity, and keep the scorecard file with the line. RoutePayAudit prepares the text of a request from the same figures; you file it yourself, and it files nothing for you.
We found no primary source for the time allowed to dispute a settlement, so RoutePayAudit names no deadline of its own. You can record your own number of days for a station in the cabinet; without it the deadline shows as unknown, and the advice is to file right away (the time to dispute).
Sources
- Steph's Books, "Amazon DSP Payment Reconciliation" (April 9, 2026): An article of a bookkeeping firm, not a document of Amazon: the scorecard rating is recalculated weekly, it decides the incentive tier, and the tier applied to a settlement "sometimes lags by a week".
- Route Consultant, "How Are Amazon DSPs Paid?": An article of a consultancy, not a document of Amazon: how a DSP performs on the scorecard affects its pay. It does not say which week's scorecard counts.
- RoutePayAudit, what a settlement is, as far as is known: The sentences on the weekly scorecard and its tier, which several independent sources agree on.
- RoutePayAudit, the files you supply: That rates and thresholds differ from one partner to the next and are not published.
- RoutePayAudit, the ten rules: The rule on the scorecard tier: when a difference is reported and when it is a question.
- RoutePayAudit, the time to dispute: That no primary source for the time allowed to dispute a settlement was found, and what the product does about it.
- RoutePayAudit, home page: The example of a bonus line, three weekly scorecards and the result for each week.
This guide is general information. RoutePayAudit is software, not legal or accounting advice. RoutePayAudit is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon.
Next step
Upload the settlement, the scorecard and the rate card of a week and see whether each bonus line was paid at the tier of its scorecard.