Updated September 2026
If you've searched for a Salesforce partner recently, you've probably run into a badge you don't recognize. Salesforce spent years sorting consulting partners into four tiers. In March 2026, it collapsed all of them into two.
Salesforce's partner tiers are the levels Salesforce assigns to its consulting partners based on certifications, delivered projects, and customer satisfaction, and as of 2026 there are only two: Select and Summit. MagicFuse holds Summit status, so this isn't a recap written from the outside. It's what the change actually looks like from inside the tier Salesforce built the new system around.
This guide covers what changed, what Select and Summit each signal, what happened to the tiers you might still see referenced elsewhere, and where tier stops being useful information for you as a buyer.
Key Takeaways
- Salesforce collapsed its four-tier consulting partner structure into two tiers, Select and Summit, effective March 2026.
- Salesforce also cut its badge system from 170 legacy distinctions down to 28 core competencies, each earned at an Accredited or Expert level.
- Select signals a proven delivery partner meeting Salesforce's current performance standards. Summit signals a top-tier partner aligned with Salesforce's strategic growth priorities.
- The specific point thresholds behind each tier and competency level aren't published in Salesforce's own materials, so treat any exact numbers you see quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed.
- Tier confirms a partner cleared Salesforce's bar, but not whether the specific team on your project has done the kind of work you need.
- MagicFuse is a Salesforce Summit Partner, the top tier under the new structure.
What Are Salesforce's Partner Tiers?
Salesforce's partner tiers rank consulting partners, the companies that implement and customize Salesforce for their clients, based on certifications, completed projects, and customer satisfaction scores. Salesforce uses the tier to decide how much visibility, co-marketing support, and strategic investment a partner gets, and it's the fastest signal a prospective client has for gauging a partner's track record before talking to anyone.
How the Tier System Changed in 2026
Until early 2026, Salesforce ran four consulting partner tiers. On March 2, 2026, Salesforce announced it was moving to a simplified two-tier structure: Select and Summit. The rest of this guide covers what that means in practice.
Salesforce Partner Tiers at a Glance
What Changed in the Salesforce Partner Program in 2026?
Salesforce didn't just rename its tiers. It rebuilt the whole scoring system to measure outcomes: success is now tracked through CSAT scores, specializations, and competency certifications instead of the manual checklists the old scorecards ran on. Salesforce frames the two-tier move as removing the friction of navigating those legacy scorecards and incentive calculations, with the badge overhaul framed around specialization:
"Specialization is the new currency of the agentic era."
Nick Johnston, SVP of Global Consulting Partners and Partner Sales, Salesforce
The badge cut is the bigger practical change for anyone evaluating a partner. Salesforce replaced 170 legacy competency distinctions with 28 core competencies, each measured by certifications, completed projects, and customer satisfaction, and each earned at one of two levels: Accredited or Expert. Salesforce is also targeting $1 billion in revenue driven through the new partner incentive structure.
Why Salesforce Made the Change
Salesforce's stated reasoning is that 170 overlapping badges made it hard for customers to find the right specialist for an AI-era project, and that a smaller, outcome-verified set of competencies does that job better. Industry analysts frame the shift in similar terms:
"As AI adoption scales across enterprises, trust and governance are vital. Partner programs that drive certification and architectural standards minimize customer risk and accelerate time to value."
Steve White, Program Vice President, Worldwide Channels and Alliances Research, IDC
Salesforce Ben's independent coverage adds a fair caveat worth repeating rather than glossing over: the new competency set leans heavily toward AI and Agentforce work, and there's real community skepticism about whether Agentforce adoption is moving fast enough to justify how much weight it now carries. That's a legitimate open question, and we don't have a tidy answer to it either.
What's the Difference Between a Select and a Summit Partner?
Salesforce's own FY27 partner program materials describe Select partners as those "meeting clear performance standards" for proven delivery, and Summit partners as the top tier, "aligned to strategic growth." In practice, Select is the floor: a partner has certifications, a track record, and satisfied customers on file. Summit sits above it, reserved for partners Salesforce has identified as strategically important, with a broader base of verified outcomes behind them.
You'll see specific point thresholds, certification counts, and CSAT cutoffs quoted across other sites covering this change. We checked Salesforce's own program materials directly and couldn't confirm those numbers ourselves, so we're not repeating them here as fact. If a partner's exact qualifying criteria matter to your decision, ask them directly, or ask your Salesforce account team.
What Happened to Salesforce's Older Partner Tiers?
If you've seen references to a mid-level tier that no longer shows up on a partner's profile, that's the March 2026 change. Salesforce's previous four-tier structure is retired, replaced entirely by Select and Summit. You'll still see the old tier names discussed across the Salesforce ecosystem, since plenty of partners and content published before 2026 still refer to them, but they no longer appear in Salesforce's current partner documentation, so we're not going to guess at the exact list here. What matters for you as a buyer is simpler: any partner still marketing an old tier name is describing a status Salesforce no longer assigns.
What Are Salesforce's 28 Partner Competencies?
A competency is Salesforce's way of certifying that a partner is genuinely good at a specific kind of work, such as Agentforce implementation, Data Cloud, or Field Service, beyond a general Salesforce certification. Each of the 28 competencies is earned at one of two levels. Accredited reflects demonstrated capability in that area. Expert reflects scaled delivery excellence: more completed projects, more verified customer outcomes, a deeper track record in that specific competency.
If you're hiring for a specific kind of project, an Agentforce rollout, a Data Cloud build, a Field Service implementation, the relevant competency and its level tell you more about fit than the partner's overall tier does.
Other partners in the new program echo the same trust-first framing:
"Trust is the foundation of the Agentic Enterprise."
Abhishek Sinha, Chief Delivery Officer, Perficient
Does a Higher Tier Mean Better Service?
Tier is a real signal, but treat it as a floor. Summit status tells you a partner has cleared Salesforce's bar for strategic partners; it doesn't tell you whether the specific consultants staffed on your project have shipped the kind of work you need.
What Tier Doesn't Tell You
Before you sign with any partner, tier included, check three things tier alone won't show you: whether the specific consultants assigned to your project hold relevant, current certifications; whether the partner can point to real, similar projects with concrete outcomes; and whether they'll tell you honestly what your project will and won't need. A partner willing to push back on scope before you've signed anything is usually the one that manages it honestly afterward.
What Does the Tier Change Mean If You're a Nonprofit or ISV?
If you're a nonprofit evaluating a partner on a fixed budget, tier matters less than fit: a Select partner with real Nonprofit Cloud experience is a better bet than a Summit partner whose competencies sit entirely in enterprise commerce. Ask for the specific competency, not just the tier badge.
If you're an ISV weighing implementation help for your own Salesforce-native product, note that ISV partnership tiers are a separate track from consulting tiers entirely, so a delivery partner's Select or Summit consulting status doesn't tell you anything about their AppExchange or Security Review experience specifically. Ask about that track record directly.
What Does It Take to Become a Salesforce Summit Partner?
MagicFuse is a Salesforce Summit Partner, which means we sit in Salesforce's top consulting tier under the new structure. That status rests on 270+ Salesforce certifications and 12+ years of Salesforce-ecosystem delivery work, the kind of track record Salesforce built the new competency system to verify in the first place.
We'd encourage you to check that track record yourself. Look at named, public case studies: they tell you more than a tier badge does. Ask any partner you're evaluating, us included, to show you the same.
FAQs
- What are Salesforce's partner tiers called now?
As of March 2026, Salesforce has two consulting partner tiers: Select and Summit. Summit is the higher of the two.
- What happened to Salesforce's older partner tiers?
Salesforce retired its previous four-tier consulting structure in March 2026 and replaced it with the current two tiers, Select and Summit. Older tier names still appear across the Salesforce ecosystem in content published before the change, but they no longer appear in Salesforce's current partner materials.
- What's the difference between a Select and a Summit partner?
Select partners meet Salesforce's current performance standards for proven delivery. Summit partners sit in the top tier, reserved for partners Salesforce has identified as strategically aligned with its growth priorities, typically with a broader base of verified outcomes.
- Does partner tier matter when choosing who to hire?
Treat it as a useful first filter early in your search. Tier tells you a partner cleared Salesforce's bar overall, but it doesn't tell you whether the specific team assigned to your project has the competency and experience your project actually needs.
- What are Salesforce's 28 partner competencies?
They're specialty certifications Salesforce awards partners for demonstrated or scaled delivery excellence in specific areas, such as Agentforce or Data Cloud, at an Accredited or Expert level. Salesforce introduced the 28-competency system in 2026, replacing an earlier set of 170 badges.
