How are responses counted against an allotment?

An allotment tracks usage across several columns in the Allotments list: Allocated, Invited, Used, Unexpired, Expired, and Available. Each column represents a different stage in the response lifecycle. Understanding how they update helps you read the list accurately and answer partner questions about their remaining balance.

For responses

The flow is:

1. Allocated - the total number of responses originally purchased or allocated.
2. Invited / Unexpired - when a new response is created, it goes into this state. The respondent has been invited but has not yet completed the assessment.
3. Used (Completed) - once the respondent completes the assessment, the response is counted as Used. This is the permanent state of a consumed response.
4. Expired - if the respondent does not complete the assessment by the expiry date (usually defaulted from the Assessment Settings), the response is locked. The count moves from Unexpired to Expired, and the same count is added back to Available, so you can re-invite or reuse that quota.

The Available column is calculated as:

Available = Allocated - Completed - Unexpired

So unexpired (in-progress) responses still count against the available balance until they either complete or expire.

For cohorts

Cohorts are simpler:

• A cohort is counted as Used as soon as it is created in the system.
• There is no expiry concept for cohorts. An unused or empty cohort still counts against the allotment once it has been initiated.

Which unit is counted

The Pricing is By Cohort setting on the assessment's Pricing tab controls whether the allotment is sold by individual response or by cohort:

• Off (default): allotments are counted in responses.
• On: allotments are counted in cohorts. Any number of responses can be included in each cohort without affecting the allotment balance.

What triggers allotment counting

Every method of creating a response or cohort counts against the allotment, including:

• Manual entry from the Responses screen.
• CSV uploads via Bulk Invite.
• Invitations sent from a cohort.
• New responses created via a shareable external link.

If the allotment has no available balance, all of these methods are blocked for that organization until more allotment is added.

For full details, see Managing Allotments.