Lumen Business Referral Program Agreement

Terms and Conditions

Effective August 28, 2023


  1. General
    1. This agreement (“Agreement”) is made between CenturyLink Sales Solutions, Inc., on behalf of itself, its subsidiaries, affiliates (“Lumen”) and any business referral program participant (collectively “you” or “your”) who completes the online registration process to participate in the Lumen Business Referral Program (the “Program”). This Agreement establishes the non–exclusive terms and conditions under which you will register as a business referral program participant with Lumen for the purpose of identifying and submitting a “Referral” (as defined hereafter) to Lumen for compensation.
    2. BY ENROLLING IN THIS PROGRAM YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE TO AND CONSENT TO BE BOUND BY ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, THE BUTTON INDICATING NON-ACCEPTANCE MUST BE SELECTED, AND YOU MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
    3. No individual or entity is eligible to participate in this Program or receive commission from any sales leads provided to Lumen if such individual or entity is (1) a Lumen employee or contractor, a relative of a Lumen employee or contractor, or anyone living in the same household as a Lumen employee or contractor; (2) a current or former (within the last 180 days) Lumen sales agent or a relative of any current or former (within the last 180 days) Lumen sales agent including but not limited to the Lumen Channel Alliance also known as the Partner Channel or any subagents of sales agents; (3) employees of governmental or quasi-governmental entities; (4) a vendor who sells products or services to Lumen; or (5) a vendor who engages in providing services to the referral customer. Individuals are solely responsible for obtaining employer consent for participation in the Program before registering and shall be liable to Lumen for failing to do so.
    4. The process to register for the Program is described on this Program’s website at businessreferrals.lumen.com, or any successor URLs identified by Lumen. Once your registration in the Program is accepted, you will be assigned a login ID and password. This information will be used to track all your activity under this Program. You agree to keep your Program contact information current at all times with Lumen.
    5. As used herein, an eligible “Referral” is a sales lead in Lumen territory provided by you to Lumen which you submit to Lumen via this website using a completed “Referral Form” that identifies a prospective business customer (“Prospective Customer”) or an existing Lumen business customer (“Existing Customer”) who might be interested in receiving business Products or Services (defined below) from Lumen. You must follow the Program submission process using this Program’s website at businessreferrals.lumen.com, or any successor URLs identified by Lumen, in order for the Referral to be eligible for compensation.
      1. Referrals related to political campaigns, parties, or organizations, self-referrals, and other referrals deemed invalid by Lumen, in its sole discretion, are not valid under this program. Referrals involving Channel Integrated Engagement (CIE) are not considered eligible for this Program.
      2. In order for a referral to be considered eligible:
        • A Prospective Customer must be a new Lumen customer purchasing new Lumen Products or Services through this Program. Prospective Customers who have had any Lumen products or services within the last 90 days will not be considered new Lumen customers; or
        • An Existing Customer must purchase new or upgrade existing contracted Lumen business Products or Services, and must have no existing open sales opportunities on any of Existing Customer’s accounts. To be eligible, the upgrade to an existing Service must result in increased monthly revenue over the existing monthly revenue of the service it replaces;
        • Prospective Customers and Existing Customers cannot be government entities (including but not limited to local, state, federal or education entities, Indian tribes and tribal properties) or international accounts; and
        • Referral must qualify to be assigned and processed by Lumen Business and defined as a domestic business.
      3. Lumen has no obligation to pursue or take any action on any Referral submitted by you.
      4. In the case of a duplicate Prospective or Existing Customer Referral, only the first eligible Referral received through the proper Program process will be considered for compensation.
    6. As used herein, “Services” refers to those standard telecommunications and multimedia services provided by Lumen. Lumen reserves the right to modify, add to or delete Services at its sole option.
    7. “Product(s)” includes eligible equipment, devices, hardware, software, cabling or other materials sold or leased to a Prospective or Existing Customer by or through Lumen as a separate item from, or bundled with, a Service.
  2. Compensation
    1. Lumen agrees to pay you for an eligible Referral accepted by Lumen if the Prospective Customer or Existing Customer purchases eligible non-recurring revenue (“NRR”) Products or signs a minimum of a one-year term agreement between the Customer and Lumen for the purchase of eligible monthly recurring revenue (“MRR”) Services (“Commission”) before taxes, fees, and surcharges. You must be in good standing with Lumen to submit Referrals and receive Commissions. All Commissions are subject to applicable government reporting and withholding requirements. You are required to provide a U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) which can be either Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN) to register as a referrer.
    2. Lumen will pay you a one-time Commission per eligible referral only if the sale is closed for eligible Product(s) or Service(s) within 180 days of the initial contact by Lumen with the Prospective or Existing Customer. Lumen retains the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the format or manner in which it pays any Commission to you.
      1. You will earn a Commission for each Referral which results in a sale of eligible Services equal to a payment of 100% of one month’s MRR before taxes, fees, and surcharges generated by the Prospective Customer, or for an Existing Customer meeting the conditions previously stated, the Commission is (i) for new eligible Services, 100% of one-month’s additional MRR before taxes, fees, and surcharges, or (ii) for upgraded existing Service, 100% of one month’s additional MRR before taxes, fees, and surcharges over the existing MRR; provided that the maximum payout for any Service MRR Referral will be 100% of one month’s MRR or $25,000.00 before taxes, fees, and surcharges are applied to the MRR, whichever is less. If it is determined after acceptance of a Referral for an upgraded existing Service that the upgrade MRR does not result in increased MRR over the MRR of the existing service being replaced, a Commission will not be paid.
      2. The Commission for NRR is 10% or $2,500.00 before taxes, fees, and surcharges are applied to the NRR, whichever is less.
      3. Subject to possible delays due to system or process breakdowns, the first $5,000.00 of Commissions based on Services and\or Products will be paid within 60 days of the Referral being closed/won. Thereafter, the balance of Commissions will be paid within 60 days of the date of customer first full invoice. Lumen reserves the right to charge back to you any Commissions paid for Lumen customers that cancel or discontinue any Product or Service within the first 180 days after a Product or Service is operational and billable. Lumen is not responsible for any Commission paid to you that may violate specific policies to which you are subjected.
    3. For tax purposes, you will receive 1099s for Commissions paid totaling more than $600 in one calendar year.
    4. Commission Dispute. You must provide written notice of any dispute with respect to a Commission within 90 days of receipt. Any Commission not so disputed will be deemed accepted by you as full satisfaction of the applicable Referral, except to the extent Lumen is entitled to recover some or all of any such Commission upon the occurrence of a charge back as provided in this Agreement. Contact Lumen at lumenbusinessreferral@lumen.com. Any exceptions to these terms and conditions must be approved by a representative of the Lumen Technologies Legal Department.
  3. Relationship of the Parties
    You agree that there is no employer-employee relationship, joint venture, partnership or agency created by this Agreement. You have no authority to act for, or on behalf of Lumen and are not authorized to bind Lumen in any manner whatsoever. Lumen will in no way be considered, nor will you represent to others, that Lumen is an official endorser of any party or customer represented by you.
  4. Limitation of Liability
    Lumen will have no liability to you for Commissions that might have been earned hereunder but for the inability or failure of Lumen to provide Products or Services to any Prospective or Existing Customer or in the event of discontinuation or modification of the Products or Services. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAWS, LUMEN WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER OR NOT FORESEEABLE, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY HEREUNDER SHALL BE FOR YOU TO DISCONTINUE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM AND TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT.
  5. Indemnification
    You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Lumen, its affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, agents, employees, and contractors from any and all damages, fines, penalties, deficiencies, losses, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from or related to (a) this Agreement and (b) your participation in the Program.
  6. Representations and Warranties
    You represent and warrant to Lumen that: (a) you are over the age of eighteen (18) and have the power and authority to enter into and perform your obligations under this Agreement; (b) you will comply with all the terms and conditions of this Agreement; (c) you will conduct yourself in a professional manner and will not make any false, misleading or disparaging statements regarding Lumen or any Lumen competitor or any other individual or organization as it relates to any activity associated with the Program; and (d) you have provided accurate and complete registration information, including your legal name, address, telephone number and TIN or EIN. NEITHER YOU NOR ANYONE EMPLOYED BY YOU WILL MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO LUMEN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, PRICING OR TO ANY AFFILIATION WITH LUMEN. FURTHER, THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT GRANT YOU ANY RIGHT TO USE THE LUMEN TRADEMARK(S) WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF LUMEN.
  7. Confidentiality
    During the term of this Agreement and after termination or expiration of this Agreement, you will not in any way transfer to any third party or use in direct or indirect competition with Lumen or any of its other agents any information disclosed by Lumen to you that is marked as confidential or that is or should be reasonably understood to be confidential (“Lumen Confidential Information”). Lumen Confidential Information includes, but is not limited to, technical information, price lists, data and business plans. Lumen Confidential Information is the exclusive property of Lumen and may be used by you solely in the performance of your obligations under this Agreement. You agree that monetary damages for breach of this Section are not adequate and that Lumen will be entitled to injunctive relief with respect to such breach. This Section and all obligations contained therein shall survive any termination of the Agreement.
  8. Termination
    This Agreement is effective upon your acceptance as set forth herein and will continue in full force until terminated. Lumen reserves the right, in its sole discretion and without notice, at any time and for any reason, to: (a) remove or disable access to all or any portion of the Program; (b) modify or discontinue the Program; (c) suspend your access and use of all or any portion of the Program; or (d) terminate this Agreement.
  9. Miscellaneous
    1. Neither you nor Lumen will be liable for loss or damage or deemed to be in breach of this Agreement if the failure to perform an obligation results from (1) compliance with any law, ruling, order, regulation, requirement of any federal, state or municipal government or department or agency thereof or court of competent jurisdiction; (2) acts of God; (3) acts or omissions of the other party; (4) fires, strikes, war, pandemic, epidemic or national health emergency, insurrection or riot; (5) or any other cause beyond that party’s reasonable control. Any resulting delay will extend performance accordingly or excuse performance, in whole or in part, as may be reasonable.
    2. The terms and conditions of this Agreement are applicable to the Program only and do not supersede the terms and conditions in any other agreement between you and Lumen. Lumen reserves the right to change the terms of the Program without notice to you. Revised terms and conditions for the Program and this Agreement (other than Commission material changes only) will be posted to on this Program’s website at businessreferrals.lumen.com, or any successor URLs identified by Lumen and effective upon posting. Material changes to Commission will be effective thirty (30) days after Lumen provides notice to you.
    3. No provision of this Agreement which may be deemed unenforceable will in any way invalidate any other provisions of this Agreement, all of which will remain in full force and effect.
    4. This Agreement will be governed by the domestic laws of the State of Colorado and constitutes the entire Agreement between you and Lumen with respect to the subject matter hereof.
    5. Each party, to the extent permitted by law, knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally waives its right to a trial by jury.
    6. You may not assign or otherwise transfer this Agreement.
    7. You agree that will you comply with all applicable laws related to your participation in the Program.
    8. You agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement that by their sense and context are intended to survive the expiration of this Agreement will so survive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find fast answers on some of the most common asked questions and topics.

This Program includes Lumen and CenturyLink referrals.

Any reference in this Agreement to Lumen includes CenturyLink, when applicable.


  • How do I make a referral?

    Please Login or Enroll above, and once logged in, follow the prompts to enter the referring business.
  • How do I know if my referral is eligible?

    An eligible referral is a sales lead in Lumen, CenturyLink or Quantum territory provided by you to Lumen which you submit to Lumen via the website above that identifies a prospective business customer as an existing Lumen, CenturyLink or Quantum business customer who might be interested in receiving business Products or Services from Lumen, CenturyLink or Quantum.
    • Self-referrals are not eligible under this Program.
    To be considered an eligible Referral:
    • A Prospective Customer must be a new Lumen customer purchasing new Lumen Products or Services through this Program. Prospective Customers who have had any Lumen products or services within the last 90 days will not be considered new CenturyLink customers; or
    • An Existing Customer must purchase new Lumen business Products or Services or upgrade existing contracted Lumen business products and services resulting in increased monthly revenue over the existing monthly revenue of the service it replaces, and Existing Customer must have no existing open sales opportunities on any of Existing Customer's accounts;
    • Prospective Customers and Existing Customers cannot be international accounts or Government entities, for example: City of, State of, County, Town, Township, District, Commonwealth of, Borough, Private and Public Colleges and Universities, Public Schools, and Education, Indian tribes and tribal properties.
    • Referral must qualify to be assigned and processed by Lumen Business and defined as a domestic business.
    • Referrals assigned as Channel Integrated Engagement (CIE) or Non-Channel Integrated) are not considered eligible for this Program.
  • Are CenturyLink referrals eligible?

    Yes! In addition to Lumen referrals, this Program includes CenturyLink referrals..
  • When will I get my rewards?

    You will earn a commission for each business referral that becomes a qualified sold product or service earning up to $25,000 per service referral and up to $2,500 per product referral. You will receive a payment approximately sixty (60) days thereafter. Payments are made as follows:
    • 100% MRC or $25,000, whichever is less
    • 10% NRC or $2,500, whichever is less
    • First $5k is paid within 60 days of Closed-Won status
    • The balance is paid within 60 days of customer's first invoice
  • What if I can't accept or prefer to donate my rewards?

    You have the option of having Lumen donate your commissions directly to your choice of several charitable organizations:
    • Feeding America
    • Habitat for Humanity International
    • American Cancer Society
    • American Diabetes Association
    • Wounded Warrior
    • The Nature Conservancy
  • When will I receive my reward?

    Your reward will be processed after each qualified sold referral. Please allow 60 days for a payment.
  • I lost my reloadable Visa® card. How do I request a replacement card?

    Contact Customer Service. Click here for contact options.
  • Who can participate in the Lumen Business Referral Program?

    Any eligible individual who accepts and adheres to the terms and conditions outlined in the "Agreement for Lumen Business Referral Program" found here.

    Those NOT eligible to participate include:
    • Self-referrers.
    • Lumen employees or contractors.
    • Relatives of a Lumen employee or contractor or anyone living in the same household as a Lumen employee or contractor.
    • Current or former (within the last 180 days) Lumen sales agents or relatives of a current or former (within the last 180 days) Lumen sales agent, including but not limited to, Lumen Channel Alliance also known as the Partner Channel or any subagents of sales agents.
    • Employees of government or quasi-government entities.
    • Anyone unable to provide Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN or EIN).
    • Anyone not in good standing with Lumen.
    • Anyone under the age of 18.
  • What’s involved in the program?

    The program is a great way for you to earn cash rewards. You have the opportunity to earn a commission for any qualified referral that leads to the sale of a new Lumen product or service as a result of a referral you forwarded to Lumen through this website. There are no sub-agent agreements and no arduous processes or paperwork. It's easy and simple.
  • What’s a referral?

    The focus of the program is to help provide Lumen communications services to business customers you have identified as referral opportunities. A referral is a business recommendation you pass over to Lumen for which you have done the following:
    • You have identified the referral as an eligible non-government domestic business that would benefit from Lumen products and services and one which has a high likelihood of turning into a sale.
    • You most likely have spoken to them about Lumen.
    • You have been able to assess their level of interest, accurate contact information, address, etc.
  • Is there a cost to join the program?

    No. Enrolling in the program is free. There is no cost to you.
  • How can I refer another business?

    Simply fill out the online form with the basic contact information and any other information about the business's needs. In addition, if you have any comments or notes for our sales professionals before the call, there is a space provided for that. We will take it from there. If you are curious about the status of your referral lead(s), you can log into your account and review the current status of all the referrals you have provided. It is that simple.
  • What sales will I get paid for? When?

    You will receive a reward for new sales of qualifying Lumen business products and services sold to eligible non-government domestic business customers. Commissions will be paid approximately 60 days after sale is considered closed/won.
  • As a Lumen Business Referral Program participant:

    • YOU MUST follow all the terms and conditions outlined in the Agreement for Lumen Business Referral Program.
    • DO seek out qualified business prospects who may be good candidates for Lumen products and services.
    • DO submit referrals that are likely to result in a sale.

Contact Us


How to Contact National Enterprise Sales Business Referral Program?

If you have reviewed the Frequently Asked Questions , and still have questions about the Lumen Business Referral Program, please feel free to contact us via e-mail at lumenbusinessreferral@lumen.com.








About the Program


The Lumen Business Referral Program is a Win–Win

One of the most trusted sources of advice and information comes from our peers in the business community. So, it means a lot to us when our customers recommend Lumen to their friends and associates. That’s why we think you deserve a reward for referring new business opportunities to us!

The Lumen Business Referral program allows you to earn cash rewards for yourself or a favorite nonprofit when a business you refer makes a purchase of a Lumen service or product.

  • You can earn a cash reward up to $25,000 when a company you refer makes a purchase.
  • You also have the option to donate your cash reward to one of several Lumen selected nonprofit organizations.
    * See program terms and conditions

Start Making Referrals Today!

With the Lumen Business Referral website, you can track the status of your referrals or submit new referrals.

Getting started is easy!

Enroll Now