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IPRN guideIPRN rates and payouts: how IPRN earnings are calculated
In an IPRN business, money flows from the provider to the range holder and then to agents. To run it profitably you need to understand how the provider rate, the billing increment, billable minutes and the agent payout fit together, and where margin is won or lost. This guide explains each part with a simple worked example.
How money flows in IPRN
The provider owns or controls the number ranges and pays a rate per minute for valid, answered calls. The range holder (the operator running the platform) receives that rate. The range holder then pays agents (resellers who bring traffic) a lower payout per minute. The difference is the range holder's margin. Agents may in turn pay their own sub-agents from their payout.
Provider
Pays the range holder a rate per minute for each range, usually weekly or monthly, after checking the traffic.
Range holder
Runs the platform, sets agent payouts and keeps the margin between the provider rate and the payout.
Agent
Brings legitimate traffic to the numbers they are allocated and earns a payout per minute per range.
Sub-agent
Works under an agent and is paid from the agent's payout, not directly by the range holder.
The key terms
- Rate
- What the provider pays per minute for a range. Rates differ by range and destination and can change.
- Payout
- What you pay an agent per minute for a range. It must be lower than the rate to leave a margin.
- Billable minutes
- The minutes that count for payment after the billing increment is applied to each valid call.
- Billing increment
- How call time is rounded, for example 1/1 (per second) or 60/1 (first minute, then per second).
- Margin
- Revenue from providers minus payouts to agents. Margin % and margin per billed minute show how healthy a range is.
- ACD
- Average call duration. Providers watch it; unusual ACD can lead to unpaid traffic.
Billing increments: 1/1 vs 60/1
The billing increment decides how each call's duration becomes billable time. It matters most for short calls.
| Call length | Billed at 1/1 | Billed at 60/1 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 seconds | 20 seconds | 60 seconds |
| 75 seconds | 75 seconds | 75 seconds |
| 3 min 10 s | 190 seconds | 190 seconds |
With 60/1, every call is billed for at least one minute; after that, time is counted per second. With 1/1, every second is counted from the start. If your provider bills one way and you pay agents another way, short calls can quietly eat your margin, so the increment should be set per range and match your agreements.
A worked example
Here is a simple example with made-up round numbers, just to show the calculation. Real rates vary by range and provider.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Provider rate for the range | $0.10 per minute |
| Agent payout for the range | $0.07 per minute |
| Billable minutes this week | 10,000 |
| Revenue from the provider | 10,000 × $0.10 = $1,000 |
| Paid to the agent | 10,000 × $0.07 = $700 |
| Your margin | $300 (30%, $0.03 per billed minute) |
Now imagine the provider rejects 15% of those minutes as invalid traffic, but you already paid the agent for all of them. Revenue drops to $850 while payouts stay at $700, and your margin falls from $300 to $150. That is why traffic control and payout timing matter as much as the rate itself.
Agent payout tiers
Many operators pay agents in tiers: the more valid minutes an agent sends, the higher the payout per minute. Tiers reward good agents without giving every agent your best rate. A tier system works when:
- tiers are set per range, because ranges have different rates;
- the tier is calculated on billable minutes of valid calls, not on attempts;
- every agent can see their own minutes, tier and statement, but not your provider rates;
- sub-agents are paid from the agent's payout, so your margin is protected.
Where margin gets lost
- Invalid traffic that the provider refuses to pay, after you have paid the agent.
- Increment mismatch between what the provider pays and what you pay agents.
- Payouts set too close to the rate, leaving no room for rejected minutes.
- Test-number minutes paid as if they were live traffic. See our IPRN test numbers guide.
- Manual spreadsheets where a wrong formula or an old rate goes unnoticed for weeks.
- No limits per agent or CLI, so one bad source can affect a whole range. See IPRN fraud protection.
The reports you need
- Margin report: revenue, agent payout, margin, margin % and margin per billed minute, per range and per day.
- Agent usage and statements: weekly usage, payments, running balance and credit notes for every agent.
- Provider report: minutes and value per provider, to reconcile with the provider's own statement.
- Timezone report: a range's day in its local timezone, grouped by hour, with calls, duration, bill duration, ACD and payouts.
Rates, payouts and margin in IPRNVOICE
IPRNVOICE sets billing per range (1/1 or 60/1) and payouts per range and per agent with up to 9 tiers. It produces weekly usage, running balances, agent statements, credit notes and provider demand notes, plus margin reports with revenue, payout, margin % and margin per billed minute, all from the same CDRs.
FAQ
How are IPRN payouts calculated?
A payout is the agent's rate per minute for a range multiplied by the billable minutes of valid, answered calls, after the range's billing increment (for example 1/1 or 60/1) is applied.
What is a good IPRN margin?
It depends on the range, the provider and how much traffic is rejected. What matters is that the payout leaves enough room below the provider rate to absorb rejected minutes, so track margin % and margin per billed minute per range.
What does 60/1 billing mean?
60/1 means each call is billed for at least the first 60 seconds, and after that time is counted per second. 1/1 means every second is counted from the start.
When do providers pay for IPRN traffic?
Providers usually pay weekly or monthly after checking the traffic. Minutes they consider invalid may not be paid, which is why many operators pay agents on the same cycle.
Can agents see my provider rate?
They should not. In a proper agent system, agents only see their own numbers, minutes, payout and statement. Provider rates and your margin stay private.
Last updated: 23 October 2026 · IPRNVOICE