Quarterly cadence and sticky status
Levels are set on the first day of each quarter and hold for two quarters — current and next. A bad quarter doesn't drop you immediately; you have time to recover.
Levels are set on the first day of each quarter — 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October — based on the prior quarter's points balance and quality gates. Once set, the level holds for two full quarters: the current one and the next.
The two-quarter window
A builder who slips out of Elite this quarter still receives Elite limits and perks through the following quarter. The intent is to give time to recover without immediate consequence — most performance dips have an explainable cause and can be turned around in the next quarter.
The exception — penalty-point suspensions
The sticky-status rule does not apply to penalty-point suspensions. If you accumulate 12 or more active penalty points, suspension is immediate. The article Penalty points and suspension covers it.
Practical effects
- A move up — if you've earned a higher level, the new level applies from the start of the new quarter.
- A move down — applies one quarter later, giving you the buffer.
- A two-quarter slip — if you've slipped twice in a row, the lower level applies fully from the start of the next quarter (no further buffer).
What this means for you
A bad week, a difficult project, or a single missed deadline doesn't change your level. The system reads patterns across a quarter. If the pattern continues, the level eventually adjusts; if it doesn't, you keep your level. Either way, you can see how you're tracking on the dashboard live.
Related articles
- Builder Levels — the four tiers
- The points subsystem
- Penalty points and suspension