How to Set Up PayPal Auto Payouts in Sparkforge

PayPal Auto Payouts connect the PayPal Payouts API to Sparkforge so you can pay affiliates from one place — no logging into PayPal, no manual mark-as-paid. PayPal is currently the only supported method for Auto Payouts.

Requirements

• A PayPal Business account
• Payouts enabled on that account (steps below)

1. Set up PayPal for Auto Payouts

Step 1: Open the PayPal Developers dashboard

Go to the PayPal Developers page and click Log into dashboard in the top-right.

Step 2: Enable Payouts

1. Click My Account in the top-right.
2. Scroll to the Permissions table.
3. Confirm Payouts shows a green checkmark in the Live column.
4. If not, click Enable and follow the prompts. PayPal may need to manually enable the Payouts API for your account.

Step 3: Create the app

1. In the left menu, click Apps and Credentials.
2. Click Live, then Create App.
3. Name the app Sparkforge Payouts and click Create App.
4. Skip if you already have a Live app — you can reuse it.

Make sure Live is selected (not Sandbox) at the top-right after creation.

Step 4: Get the credentials

After creating the app, PayPal shows a Client ID and Secret Key. Copy them — you'll paste them into Sparkforge.

Step 5: Connect Sparkforge to PayPal

1. In Sparkforge, open the Payment Integration page.
2. Scroll to PayPal and click Manage.
3. Paste the Live Client ID and Secret Key.
4. Save.

For sandbox testing, repeat with sandbox credentials and switch the toggle to Sandbox in PayPal's Apps and Credentials page.

2. Pay affiliates with Auto Payouts

Step 1: Open the Payouts page

In the Sparkforge Affiliate Manager, go to Payouts.

Step 2: Open Approved Payouts

Switch to the Approved for Payouts tab.

Step 3: Select affiliates

Check the box next to each affiliate you want to pay.

Step 4: Initiate the payout

Click Pay to batch-pay multiple affiliates, or use the blue Pay icon next to a single affiliate to pay them individually.

Step 5: Review and confirm

Verify the selected payouts and click Pay Now.

If your PayPal Business account isn't linked, you'll get an error prompting you to link it.

What happens after a payout

• Successful payouts move to the Paid tab.
• PayPal may take time to process — status may show Pending briefly. Refresh to update.
• Both you (sender) and the affiliate (receiver) get a confirmation email.

3. Affiliate PayPal accounts

Before you can pay an affiliate via PayPal, their PayPal email must be linked to their Sparkforge profile. See the affiliate PayPal linking guide for the steps.