> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://doc.trackrev.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Commission structures

> Percentage vs flat, one-time vs recurring, per-partner coupons, caps, and how the commission ledger works.

Commissions are the heart of a cash programme. TrackRev computes them from real orders, so they
reconcile with your revenue and reverse automatically on refunds.

## Commission type & rate

Set these in the programme form (cash programmes only):

| Setting             | Options                                | Default |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------- |
| **Commission type** | Percent of sale · Flat amount per sale | Percent |
| **Commission rate** | 1–100% (percent) or a \$ amount (flat) | 20%     |

<Note>
  Enter percentages as whole numbers — `30` means 30%. The seller can never earn more than the
  programme allows (percent is capped at 100%; in a [multi-tier](/affiliate/multi-tier) programme
  the whole chain is capped at the pool).
</Note>

## Recurring commissions

Decide whether renewals keep paying:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="One-time" icon="1">
    Commission on the **first sale only**. The default.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Lifetime" icon="infinity">
    Commission on **every renewal, forever**.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom (N months)" icon="calendar">
    Commission for a set number of renewal months (default 6).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Renewals are ingested as [orders](/revenue-attribution/orders) and inherit the original sale's
partner, so recurring commissions follow the subscription's real lifecycle. See
[Refunds & renewals](/revenue-attribution/refunds-and-renewals).

## Coupon-code tracking

Not every partner drives clicks — a podcaster or creator may only give out a code. Each
enrollment can carry two codes:

* **Coupon code** — the code TrackRev credits the partner on. When a sale uses this code, the
  commission is written even with no referral-link click.
* **Referee promo code** — a discount code the partner shares with their audience (for two-sided
  programmes).

Codes are uppercased and must be 3–40 characters of letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores, and
unique within a programme. Edit them per partner from the **Partners** table.

<Tip>
  Coupon tracking is the answer to *"how do I attribute a YouTube sponsor read or a podcast ad?"*
  — give that partner a unique code, connect it in your processor, and the sale credits them
  automatically.
</Tip>

## The commission ledger

Open **Affiliate program → Commissions** to see every commission. The table shows **When,
Partner, Source, Tier, Type, Sale, Earnings, Status**.

* **Source** — Link, Coupon (with the code), or Manual.
* **Tier** — *Direct* for the seller; *Tier N (from {seller})* for network commissions.
* **Type** — click, lead, sale, recurring or manual.

### Commission statuses

| Status               | Meaning                                     |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **pending**          | Newly accrued, not yet batched              |
| **eligible**         | Included in an open payout batch            |
| **paid**             | Settled and marked paid                     |
| **refunded**         | Reversed because the sale was refunded      |
| **void** / **fraud** | Cancelled or flagged; excluded from payouts |

<Info>
  Commissions are **idempotent per order and partner** — re-syncing never double-credits, and a
  partner appears at most once per order (even across multiple tiers). Refunds flip a sale's
  commissions to `refunded` and back out the partner's totals automatically.
</Info>

## Monthly commission cap

Your plan meters **commission tracked** — the sum of partner *earnings* recorded in a calendar
month (never the underlying sale revenue): Starter **$10K**, Growth **$100K**, Scale
**unlimited**. When a cap is reached, monetary accrual pauses until you upgrade or the month
rolls over; refunded/void commissions free room, and credit (non-cash) grants are exempt. See
[Plans & billing](/account/plans-and-billing#understanding-commission-tracked).