What lead assignment rules do
A lead assignment rule is a set of ordered rule entries. Each entry has criteria (for example, Country equals United States) and an owner: a user or a queue. When a lead is created, Salesforce checks the entries in order and assigns the lead to the owner of the first entry that matches.
- Only one lead assignment rule can be active at a time, but it can contain many entries.
- Rules run for leads from Web-to-Lead, the Data Import Wizard (when you choose to apply them) and the API, and for manually created leads when the assignment checkbox is ticked.
Before you start
- You need the Customize Application permission (System Administrators have it).
- Create any queues you want to assign to (Setup → Queues), for example US Sales and EMEA Sales.
- Write your routing logic down first: which criteria go to which owner, and in what order.
Step 1: Create the rule
- Click the gear icon → Setup.
- In Quick Find, type
Lead Assignment Rulesand open it. - Click New, enter a name such as Lead Routing 2026, tick Active and click Save.
Step 2: Add rule entries
- Open your new rule and click New in the Rule Entries section.
- Enter a Sort Order (1 is checked first).
- Set the criteria, for example
Lead: CountryequalsUnited States, USA, US. - Choose the owner: a user or a queue such as US Sales.
- Optionally pick an email template to notify the new owner, then Save.
- Repeat for each route, and add a final catch-all entry with no criteria so no lead is left unassigned.
Step 3: Test the rule
- Go to the Leads tab and click New.
- Fill in a test lead that matches one of your entries (for example Country = United States).
- Make sure Assign using active assignment rule is ticked, then save.
- Check the Lead Owner: it should be the user or queue from the matching entry.
If you want the checkbox ticked by default for your team, edit the Lead page layout, open Layout Properties and tick Default next to Assignment rule checkbox.
Common mistakes
- No catch-all entry: leads that match nothing stay with the creator or default lead owner.
- Wrong order: general entries above specific ones.
- Inconsistent data: “US”, “USA” and “United States” all appear in real data; include every variant or use a picklist.
- Forgetting the checkbox: manual leads ignore the rule unless the assignment checkbox is ticked.
Need round-robin routing, territory logic or Slack alerts for new leads? Those go beyond standard rules and are usually built with Flow. See our Salesforce implementation services.
Free template
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | Do this |
|---|---|
| A new lead was not assigned | Check the rule is Active, the lead matches an entry, and “Assign using active assignment rule” was ticked when saving. |
| Lead went to the wrong owner | Check the sort order: a broader entry above a specific one catches the lead first. |
| Web-to-Lead leads stay with the default owner | Make sure the rule is active and set a sensible Default Lead Owner in Lead Settings for unmatched leads. |
| Owner not notified | Add an email template to the rule entry and check the owner’s email deliverability settings. |
FAQ
Can more than one lead assignment rule be active?
No. Only one lead assignment rule can be active at a time, but it can contain many entries.
Does Salesforce support round-robin assignment?
Not with standard rules. Round-robin is usually built with Flow or an AppExchange app.
Do rules run again when a lead is edited?
Only when the lead is saved with the assignment checkbox ticked or the assignment rule is applied via the API.
Can I assign leads to a queue?
Yes. Assigning to queues is a great way to let a team share new leads fairly.