> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rffl.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Payout History

> RFFL historical payout structure and historical winnings ledger status.

# Payout History

The historical winnings ledger now exists at `finance/historical_winnings_ledger.csv`.

The ledger is the working source for team and owner payout leaderboards. It is not yet fully validated, so all-time leaderboards should still stay unpublished until the open rows are resolved.

## Current Status

| Question                                  | Current answer                                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Can we publish all-time winnings leaders? | Not yet                                                                                   |
| What exists now?                          | `finance/historical_winnings_ledger.csv`                                                  |
| What is validated?                        | 2002-2010 archive-backed payout recipient rows and 2024-2025 payout rows                  |
| What is provisional?                      | 2011-2023 rows generated from public season award tables                                  |
| What is missing?                          | No 2002-2010 payout recipient rows remain missing in the ledger                           |
| What is still blocked?                    | 2011-2023 validation, co-owner payout split policy, and actual payment execution evidence |

## Ledger Status

| Validation status       | Rows | Meaning                                                                   |
| ----------------------- | ---: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `validated`             |  111 | 2002-2010 and 2024-2025 payout rows can be used for validated team totals |
| `provisional_generated` |  161 | 2011-2023 rows need review before all-time leaderboard use                |

Use `leaderboard_eligible=yes` only for validated team payout rows. Owner payout totals still need the co-owner split policy before co-owned winnings can be allocated to individual owners.

## Payout Model Timeline

| Years     | Payout model | Notes                                                       |
| --------- | -----------: | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| 2002-2004 |      \$1,200 | payout categories exceed entry total by \$200 in the source |
| 2005-2006 |      \$1,500 | payout categories exceed entry total by \$250 in the source |
| 2007-2012 |      \$1,800 | no KORM fee                                                 |
| 2013-2014 |      \$2,100 | no KORM fee                                                 |
| 2015      |      \$2,400 | no KORM fee                                                 |
| 2016-2017 |      \$3,000 | no KORM fee                                                 |
| 2018      |      \$4,080 | KORM pilot fee included                                     |
| 2019-2020 |      \$6,000 | full KORM prize pool                                        |
| 2021      |      \$6,600 | 14-week regular season begins                               |
| 2022-2025 |      \$7,200 | current payout model                                        |

## Ledger Requirements

The ledger has one row per payout category recipient, with team and owner metadata attached:

| Field                          | Purpose                                                                           |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `season_year`                  | Which RFFL season the payout belongs to                                           |
| `payout_category`              | The specific prize category, such as Alpha Bowl champion or KORM 1st              |
| `team_code`                    | Canonical team code for that season when the recipient is known                   |
| `owner_code_1`, `owner_code_2` | Owner metadata from the team registry                                             |
| `owner_split_rule`             | Whether the payout is solo-owned, co-owned pending policy, or missing a recipient |
| `payout_usd`                   | Category payout amount from the finance CSV                                       |
| `amount_source`                | Source for the dollar amount                                                      |
| `recipient_source`             | Source for the recipient claim                                                    |
| `validation_status`            | Validated, provisional, or needs validation                                       |
| `leaderboard_eligible`         | Whether the row can be used in public leaderboards                                |

Team payout totals can be calculated by summing validated rows by `team_code`. Owner payout totals need the same validated rows plus a final rule for how to split co-owned team payouts.

## Validation Workflow

1. Validate 2011-2023 recipient rows against season recaps or Commissioner confirmation.
2. Reconcile any source conflicts between legacy archive totals and the current finance amount CSV.
3. Decide owner leaderboard policy for co-owned teams.
4. Mark approved rows `validated` and set `leaderboard_eligible=yes`.

## Do Not Infer

Do not publish all-time winnings leaders from payout amounts alone. A payout amount is not a recipient record, and a provisional row is not enough for all-time finance leaderboard use.

The 2002-2010 recipients are now backed by [Pre-ESPN Archive Sources](/seasons/pre-espn-archive-sources). Those rows validate award recipients under the current finance amount source; they do not prove actual payment execution.

## Related

| Page                                                  | Use it for                                 |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| [Finance](/finance/overview)                          | Finance hub and source boundaries          |
| [Dues](/finance/dues)                                 | Entry fee and KORM fee history             |
| [Prize Categories](/finance/prize-categories)         | Category definitions                       |
| [KORM Finance](/finance/korm-finance)                 | KORM fee and payout treatment              |
| [Finance Source Authority](/finance/source-authority) | Which money claims each source can support |