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# Create Category Exception Lists

Create category exception lists to apply different payout rates by category.

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Category exception lists let you pay partners different rates based on the category associated with an action.

**When would I use this feature?**

* **Lead Gen:** Category-based payouts may be implemented for lead generation campaigns that wish to vary payouts according to demographics. For example, your business may have a higher lead conversion rate for customers from the United States as compared to other countries. You could then decide to assign a higher category payout to leads for customers in the US.

## Create a category exception list

1. From the top navigation bar, select ![](https://4048883401-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwMLlMoFBtKJa8ptd3zaw%2Fuploads%2F210dEQa93qyQgoJDkieL%2FUser%20profile.svg?alt=media\&token=f84c5b17-fae4-4a30-990a-9de5e57a150b) **\[User profile] → Settings**.
2. In the *Program* column, scroll to *Exception Lists* and select [**Category**](https://app.impact.com/secure/advertiser/campaign/itemlist/view-categoryitemlist-flow.ihtml).
3. In the upper right corner, select **Add New Category List**.
4. Fill out the following information:

   <table><thead><tr><th width="269.796875">Field</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>List Name</strong></td><td>Add a name for this list—this will only appear internally to you and other account members; partners will not see it.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Associate Event Type</strong></td><td>Select 1 or more event types to associate with this exception list.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Match Expression</strong></td><td><strong>[Advanced &#x26; Optional]</strong> Enables the system to match a part of the category value via specifying a regular expression with 1 grouping. The value represented by the grouping will be matched against the category value in this list. If you have a use case for regex but are unsure how to configure it, <a href="https://app.impact.com/support/portal.ihtml?createTicket=true&#x26;">contact support</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>
5. Select **Save and Add Items** to continue.
6. You can add **Categories** and optional **Display Values** using the fields in the UI, or you can **Upload a CSV or Excel file** with your categories.
7. Once you've added items or uploaded a file, select **Save** to complete the process. You'll now see your new category exception list on the *Category Lists* screen.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://4048883401-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwMLlMoFBtKJa8ptd3zaw%2Fuploads%2FvD0JEUv4z5YD7AUe5UWk%2FScreenshot%202026-04-21%20at%2018.06.48.png?alt=media&amp;token=62ec3787-adaa-40af-b107-262e328037d0" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Category exception list format

Create a .CSV or .XLS/.XLSX file using the two column names below.

<table><thead><tr><th width="170.484375">Column</th><th width="169.7734375">Type</th><th width="169.9453125">Required</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Category</td><td>String</td><td><strong>Yes</strong></td><td>The value that is included in tracking conversion data.</td></tr><tr><td>Display Value</td><td>String</td><td>No</td><td>Enter a display value if you want to show a different value in reporting. For example, if the Category value is some sort of computer generated value, then you might want to enter a display value to make it easier to understand in reporting.</td></tr></tbody></table>

**For example:**

```programlisting
Category, Display Value
NEW PRODUCTS, Latest Releases
```

Typically, payout rates are based on item categories; however, you can also set a payout rate for a specific item. You would need to create an item category for each item you want to have a specific payout. When you create template terms, you'll need to specify payout rates for each category list. All category names associated with a category list will have the same payout rate per the contract.


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