For brands and partners
Payouts, holds and refunds
A commission becomes payable once the brand approves it and its hold has passed (15 days after the sale by default, never more than 30). Brands are invoiced on the 1st and 16th; partners are paid as soon as the brand pays, at the latest on the 13th or 28th.
The life of a commission
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The sale was recorded. The brand has not approved it yet. |
| In hold | Approved, but the hold (refund window) has not passed. |
| Payable | Approved and past the hold. From here the brand can reverse it only for fraud. |
| In a payout | Included in a payout batch that is being sent. |
| Paid | The transfer has gone through. |
The payout calendar
There are two cycles a month. All dates are UTC.
| Cycle | Commissions cleared by | Brand invoiced | Invoice due | Partners paid at the latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | The 15th, 23:59:59 | The 16th | The 23rd | The 28th |
| B | The last day of the month | The 1st of the next month | The 8th | The 13th |
Partners are paid as soon as the brand's payment can be sent on, not on a fixed day. The payout day is a backstop that pays anything still payable and funded. Payouts never send more than the brand has paid in.
Why a payout can wait
- Below the minimum. The balance carries forward to the next payout.
- No tax form once the partner's earnings this year reach the threshold.
- No payout account, or the partner has not confirmed their email. The payout is listed for the brand to pay by bank transfer, with the reason.
- Not funded. The brand has not paid its invoice yet.
- Under review. A partner suspended for a breach is not paid for up to 30 days while it is reviewed. Every commission not reversed is then paid.
Paying partners yourself with a payout sheet
Payouts listed for the brand to pay by hand can be paid all at once from the brand's own payout tool. Partners say once, under Getting paid in their portal, where to send money: a PayPal or Wise email, or a bank account (UK sort code and account number, an IBAN, or a US routing and account number). Bank numbers are encrypted and only ever shown back masked.
| File | Upload it to | Who is in it |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Payouts | PayPal, Pay & Get Paid, Payouts (up to 5,000 payments a file) | Partners who chose PayPal |
| Wise batch | Wise, Payments, Batch payments (up to 1,000) | Partners who chose Wise, paid by their email |
| Revolut Business bulk transfer | Revolut Business, Transfer, Bulk transfer (up to 1,000) | Partners with a UK bank, an IBAN or a US bank |
| UK bank bulk payment | Your bank's bulk or batch payment import | Partners with a UK bank, for programs in pounds |
| Airwallex batch transfer | Airwallex, Batch transfer: paste the rows into the .xlsx template Airwallex generates for your account (up to 1,000) | Partners with a UK bank (pounds), a US bank (dollars), an IBAN (euros locally, other currencies by SWIFT with a BIC), or PayPal (dollars or pounds) |
| US ACH (NACHA) file | Your US bank's ACH origination upload; you type your bank's routing number and your ACH company name and ID at download, and they are not saved | Partners with a US bank, for programs in dollars |
| CSV | Any other tool, or to pay by hand | Everyone with details |
The console says who is missing details, and they stay owed until paid another way. Only an owner can download a sheet, every download is logged, and downloading never marks anything as paid: after the tool has sent the payments, mark the sheet paid with the tool's batch reference.
Refunds and reversals
- A refund reported by Stripe, Shopify or the event API reduces the commission, the recruiter override and the fee in proportion to the amount refunded, at any time, including after payout. After payout, the partner's balance shows the amount to recover.
- A brand can reject a sale by hand before it is payable, for one of the listed reasons below. Once payable, only fraud.
- A recruiter override is always reversed with the commission it came from.
The listed reasons: the customer was refunded; the payment was charged back or disputed; the customer did not meet the valid customer rule; the sale was a duplicate or a test order; the customer was the partner, someone in their household, or the brand's employee; the sale came from a banned source or banned conduct; the coupon code was posted on a leak or deal site without permission; the sale was fraudulent.
Something here does not match what you see in the product? Email max@viralpayouts.com.