How to Set Commission Length and Variable Commissions in Sparkforge

Commission Length and Variable Commissions let you control how long and how much affiliates earn on recurring sales. Cap payouts at a specific charge count or shift the rate after the first few payments.

What each feature does

• Commission Length — pay affiliates for a limited number of transactions, not indefinitely.
• Variable Commissions — set different commission rates for specific charge counts, so the first few charges pay differently than the rest.

Step 1: Open or create a campaign

In Affiliate Manager, create a new campaign or edit an existing one. The commission settings live in step 2 of the campaign builder.

Step 2: Set the default commission

Enter the default percentage or flat amount affiliates earn on every qualifying sale. This is the baseline before length or variable rules kick in.

Step 3: Enable Commission Length

1. Click Commission Length.
2. By default, commissions continue until the customer cancels.
3. Choose By Count to limit by charge count.
4. Set the number of charges (for example, 3). The affiliate earns on the first 3 charges and nothing after.

The cap counts charges, not time. A monthly subscription and a yearly subscription both run to the same charge count before stopping.

Step 4: Set Variable Commissions

1. Toggle Variable Commissions on.
2. Choose Two Levels to define a different rate for the first N charges versus the rest.
3. Configure the values. Example: 33% for the first 3 charges, then drop to the default 23% for every charge after.
4. Add more tiers if you need granular control across the lifecycle.

Step 5: Publish

Save the campaign. The new commission rules apply to every sale tracked from that point forward.

Commission priority order

When multiple rules could apply to the same charge, Sparkforge resolves them in this order:

1. Product-based commissions
2. Variable commissions
3. Default commissions

Specific settings always override general ones.