How to Manage Affiliate Payouts and Commissions in Sparkforge

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Sparkforge tracks commissions on Stripe sales and lets you delay payouts NET-7 to NET-90 to absorb refund windows. Payouts move through four statuses — Pending, Approved, Paid, Denied — generated automatically on the 1st of each month.

Affiliate payouts are what you owe affiliates for the sales they drove. Sparkforge tracks commissions automatically on Stripe sales and gives you payout terms (NET-7 through NET-90) so you don't pay out before refund windows close.

How commissions are tracked

Source — sales processed through Stripe. The system does not auto-track refunds for one-time products or subscriptions, so review before approving payouts.
Subscription cancellations — admins can delay payments 15, 30, or 60 days after the sale to absorb cancellations. Canceled subscriptions move the lead to churned, but they can be reactivated.
One-time and recurring — commissions can be either, based on the Stripe product.
Coupons — if a discount is applied at checkout, commission is calculated on the discounted amount, not the list price.

Payout terms

Payout terms set the delay between when a commission is earned and when it's paid — designed for businesses with refund windows. Offer 30-day refunds? Set NET-30 so you don't pay commissions you'll have to claw back.

Supported terms

NET-7 — 7 days after month end
NET-15 — 15 days after month end
NET-30 — 30 days after month end
NET-45 — 45 days after month end
NET-60 — 60 days after month end
NET-90 — 90 days after month end

Configure terms in Campaign → Additional Settings or Global Settings. Affiliates see the term in their portal.

Payouts tab — four statuses

Pending

All pending payouts, organized by campaign and month. Open the three-dot menu to see the breakdown by campaign and month, then approve or deny.

Approved for Payout

Approved payouts ready for disbursement. Export the list, run payments through your gateway, then mark as Paid. You can also bounce items back to Pending if needed.

Paid

Final status. Lists every paid affiliate with the transaction date. Paid payouts cannot be modified.

Denied Payouts

Anything denied from Pending or Approved for Payout lands here.

How payouts are generated

Sparkforge generates payouts in the Pending tab on the 1st of every month. Each payout has a Due date based on your campaign's payout term. This gives you a window to handle refunds and cancellations before the money goes out.

How commissions tie to payouts

Commissions are the foundation of payouts — affiliates earn one per sale through their unique link, at the percentage set on the campaign (or overridden at the affiliate level). Payouts are simply the rolled-up commissions per affiliate per month.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does Sparkforge generate affiliate payouts?

Payouts generate automatically on the 1st of every month in the Pending tab, with a Due date based on your campaign's payout term.

What payout terms can I choose?

NET-7, NET-15, NET-30, NET-45, NET-60, or NET-90 — measured from month end. Set the term in Campaign Additional Settings or Global Settings.

Does Sparkforge track refunds automatically?

No. Refunds for one-time products and subscriptions aren't auto-tracked, so review before approving. Use a longer NET term to give yourself time to spot refunds.

Can I move a paid payout back to Pending?

No. Paid is the final status and cannot be modified. You can move Approved for Payout items back to Pending, but not Paid.

How is commission calculated when a coupon is applied?

On the discounted amount the customer actually paid — not the original price.