---
title: "Bounty and Submission Lifecycle in ViewPayout"
url: "https://viewpayout.com/docs/bounty-lifecycle.md"
canonical_url: "https://viewpayout.com/docs/bounty-lifecycle"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
type: "reference"
summary: "The states a bounty and a submission pass through, and what each step does to the money."
related: ["https://viewpayout.com/docs/payouts-and-fees.md", "https://viewpayout.com/verification.md"]
---

# Bounty and Submission Lifecycle in ViewPayout

The states a bounty and a submission pass through, and what each step does to the money.

## Bounty states

A bounty is `open` or `closed`. Only an open bounty can be claimed. Closing a bounty does not touch posts that were already submitted.

## Submission states

| State | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `pending_review` | Submitted. A person or the reviewer has not cleared it yet. |
| `measuring` | Cleared. Readings are being taken until the hold ends. |
| `flagged` | The fraud screen or a reviewer stopped it. The payout is frozen. |
| `settled` | The hold ended. The creator was paid and the brand was charged. |
| `forfeited` | The post was edited or deleted, or was still private when the hold ended, so it earns nothing. The reserved money is released. |
| `rejected` | A brand or a reviewer rejected it. The reserved money was released. |

Every submission is in exactly one state. This is the state flow the engine follows.

```states
pending_review -> measuring | flagged | rejected
measuring      -> settled | forfeited | flagged
flagged        -> measuring | forfeited | rejected
(settled, forfeited and rejected are final)
```

## What happens to the money

1. On **submit**, the worst-case cost of the post (cap plus fee) is reserved from the brand balance. If the balance cannot cover it, the submit fails with `insufficient_credits` and nothing is reserved.
2. During the **hold** (14 days by default) readings come in hourly for 48 hours and daily after that.
3. On **settle**, the real cost is committed from the reservation, the unused part is released, and the creator's earnings move to their balance.
4. On **reject** or **forfeit**, the whole reservation is released.

## Fresh-post rules

The post must be published after the claim, submitted within 60 minutes, written by the claimed handle, public and unedited. One X post id backs one claim permanently.

## Related

- [Payout Formula, Rounding and Fees Explained](https://viewpayout.com/docs/payouts-and-fees.md)
- [How ViewPayout Verifies Views and Stops Fake Reach](https://viewpayout.com/verification.md)