The four referral states

Every referral moves through the same short path, and there are exactly four states. Nobody can add more.

Referred: a worker has submitted it. The host company gets a task in their inbox and a notification.

Accepted: staff reviewed it and took it on. The worker's gift card is issued automatically within seconds, and they get a text with a link to redeem it.

Not accepted: staff declined it. The worker is told why.

Paid: weeks or months later, when the referred job is finished and the customer has paid, staff mark it paid and enter the job value. The owner's payout is then recorded.

Every step is logged, and the people involved are notified at the moments that matter to them.