Referral Program Tracker

Manage your employee referral program from the first submission through the final bonus payout. Set your bonus rules once, track candidates from submitted to hired, and follow every bonus to its payout date. A one-page dashboard shows referrals, hires, bonus cost, and savings compared with agencies and job boards.

Everything in one referral workbook

Start on Program Setup to enter bonus amounts and rules. Use the Referral Tracker to record each candidate's progress from submitted to hired. The Bonus Payout Tracker records each hire's bonus and payout date, calculates eligibility, and counts down to payment. The Leaderboard and Dashboard update as you enter data, showing referrals, hires, conversion, bonus cost, cost per referral hire, and net savings against other channels. The Benchmark tab includes typical bonus amounts and program statistics from SHRM and public recruiting data. The Definitions tab explains each status. A worked example shows how everything fits together before you enter your own referrals.

Manage referral costs and payouts in one place

A referral hire costs mostly the bonus, while hiring for the same role through an agency or heavy sourcing costs several times more. Referred hires also tend to fill positions faster and stay longer. Two bonus rules help preserve those savings. Split the bonus between the hire date and a retention milestone, so payments are tied to continued employment. Keep the bonus below your cost per hire, since a referral saves money only when the bonus is lower than the agency or sourcing cost it replaces.

Built for

• An HR or talent leader at a small or mid-sized employer who wants to manage referrals and measure savings in one workbook instead of purchasing recruiting software.
• An operations or office manager coordinating referral bonuses and keeping a clear record of every referral and payout date.
• A founder or business owner setting up a referral program, with bonus rules, tracking, and savings reporting ready before the first referral arrives.

The Employee Referral Program Kit includes this workbook, a written policy, bonus and dispute rules, ready-to-send manager and employee messages, and a launch campaign. To calculate the fully loaded cost of one hire and set your bonus below that amount, see the Cost Per Hire Calculator.

Before you buy

What format is it, and can I edit it?

You receive one Excel workbook that also works in Google Sheets. The download is five files: the workbook, a Start Here, the one-page Quick Reference, the product license, and a short guide to using it in Google Sheets. Every input, dropdown, and formula is editable. Duplicate the file to run more than one program or keep a clean copy each year. Your download link appears immediately after checkout, and the same link arrives by email on your receipt.

How is this different from the free calculator?

Use this workbook to manage your program day to day. Log referrals, track bonuses through payout, recognize top referrers, and see savings calculated from your actual program records rather than a forecast. The free calculator estimates potential savings before a program begins, using a hiring plan, expected referral share, and bonus amount.

How are bonuses paid, and what counts as a valid referral?

Referral bonuses are taxable wages. Process them through payroll with normal withholding and confirm overtime handling for hourly staff with your payroll provider, since a bonus can change the regular rate. The workbook follows these common rules: any current employee may refer, the first valid referral wins on a tie, a candidate already in your pipeline within the recency window is not new, and both the referrer and the hire must still be employed on each payout date.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. To request a refund, email support@truestephr.com or reply to your receipt within 30 days of purchase. Questions? Email support@truestephr.com.

These are practical HR tools, not legal or tax advice. Referral bonuses are taxable wages that run through payroll and can affect the overtime regular rate, so confirm the handling with your payroll provider and qualified help before you rely on it.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer. Save it, extract it (right-click and select Extract All on Windows, or double-click on a Mac), then open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and editable files work in Microsoft Excel or free equivalents, including LibreOffice and Google Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.

Scope

This planning and analysis model produces estimates based entirely on the inputs and assumptions you enter. Use those estimates to support decisions, rather than as accounting, tax, or legal conclusions. Check the assumptions against your own data. Have qualified counsel review decisions involving pay, headcount, or separation against applicable law before acting. General information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.