Some gokenin who had assumed yakukata (an administrative post or a clerical post) such as a governmental accountant or a post at O-oku (the inner halls of Edo-jo Castle where the wife of the Shogun and her servants resided) or their soryo were promoted to Kojunin thanks to a distribution of rewards according to their merits.
官庁会計・大奥をはじめとする役方（行政職・事務職）の役職に就任していた御家人（あるいはその惣領）が論功として小十人になることがあった。