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

# Affiliates

> Run a native affiliate program inside Macropay — recruit partners, track referrals, and pay commission on the sales they drive.

<Info>
  Affiliates is a new feature. We're shipping fast and actively want your
  feedback.
</Info>

## Grow revenue with partners who get paid for results

Macropay Affiliates lets you run a native partner program — recruit affiliates,
give each a unique referral link, and accrue commission on every sale they
drive — without bolting on a third-party tool. Referrals, attribution, and
earnings all live in the same dashboard where you already manage products,
customers, and payments.

It's built for the way modern software sells: partners promote your product,
Macropay attributes the resulting purchases, and you see exactly what each
affiliate earned — so you can reward the people sending you real revenue.

## How it works

A referral travels through five stages, all tracked for you:

1. **Affiliates apply** — partners sign up to your program through a hosted
   application page.
2. **You approve** — review and accept each applicant, or turn on auto-approve
   to onboard instantly.
3. **They get a referral code/link** — every approved affiliate receives a
   unique code and shareable link.
4. **Macropay attributes the sale** — when a referred buyer purchases, we match
   the sale to the affiliate and accrue a commission.
5. **You review and mark paid** — track accrued earnings, export them, and mark
   them settled.

<Note>
  **v1: you settle with affiliates; Macropay tracks and reports.** Macropay
  records every referred sale, calculates commission, exports a payout CSV, and
  lets you mark earnings as paid. Sending the money to your affiliates is done
  by you in this version — we handle the tracking, math, and bookkeeping.
</Note>

### Commission models

You decide how partners earn. Macropay supports:

| Model                       | How it pays                                                             | Good for                                                       |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Percentage of sale**      | A % of each referred order's value                                      | Most programs; scales with order size                          |
| **Fixed per conversion**    | A flat amount per referred purchase                                     | Predictable payouts, low-ticket products                       |
| **Recurring on renewals**   | Commission on each subscription renewal, with an optional **month cap** | Subscriptions where partners earn over the customer's lifetime |
| **Per-affiliate overrides** | A custom rate for a specific partner                                    | Negotiated deals, high-value influencers                       |

<Tip>
  Use a **month cap** on recurring commission to reward partners for the
  customers they bring while keeping your lifetime payout per referral bounded —
  e.g. pay on the first 12 renewals, then stop.
</Tip>

### Attribution

Macropay uses **last-click attribution within a configurable cookie window**.
When a visitor follows an affiliate's link, we set a cookie; if they purchase
before it expires, the most recent affiliate to refer them earns the
commission. You set the window length to match your typical sales cycle.

## Merchant of Record context

Because Macropay is your **[Merchant of Record](/merchant-of-record/introduction)**,
we are the legal seller on every referred order — we compute and remit global
sales tax and VAT on the underlying sale. Affiliate commission is calculated on
the order value you choose to base it on, and the tax machinery on the sale
itself stays our responsibility, not yours.

## Launch your program

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure your program">
    Set a default commission model and rate, choose your cookie window, and
    decide whether applications are auto-approved or reviewed manually. See
    [Set up](/features/affiliates/setup).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Recruit and approve affiliates">
    Share your application page with potential partners. Approve applicants (or
    let auto-approve do it), and set per-affiliate overrides for negotiated
    deals.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Affiliates share their link">
    Each approved partner gets a unique referral code and link to drop into
    content, emails, and social posts. See [For affiliates](/features/affiliates/for-affiliates).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sales are attributed automatically">
    When a referred buyer purchases within the cookie window, Macropay matches
    the sale to the affiliate and accrues commission against it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review earnings and mark them paid">
    Track accrued commission per affiliate, export a payout CSV, settle with
    your partners, and mark the earnings paid. See
    [Earnings & payouts](/features/affiliates/payouts).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Explore

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Set up" icon="sliders" href="/features/affiliates/setup">
    Configure commission models, cookie window, approvals, and per-affiliate
    overrides.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Earnings & payouts" icon="money-bill-transfer" href="/features/affiliates/payouts">
    Review accrued commission, export payout CSVs, and mark earnings as paid.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For affiliates" icon="link" href="/features/affiliates/for-affiliates">
    How partners apply, get their referral link, and track what they've earned.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does Macropay pay affiliates for me?">
    Not in v1. Macropay **tracks** every referred sale, **calculates**
    commission, lets you **export a payout CSV**, and lets you **mark earnings
    as paid** — but you send the actual payment to your affiliates yourself. We
    own the attribution, the math, and the reporting; you handle the transfer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What commission models are supported?">
    Four models, mixable per program and per partner: **percentage of sale**,
    **fixed per conversion**, **recurring on subscription renewals** (with an
    optional month cap), and **per-affiliate overrides** for custom negotiated
    rates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How are sales attributed to an affiliate?">
    Macropay uses **last-click attribution within a configurable cookie window**.
    Following an affiliate's link sets a cookie; if the visitor purchases before
    it expires, the most recent referring affiliate earns the commission. You
    choose the window length.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a third-party affiliate tool?">
    No. Affiliates is native to Macropay — recruitment, referral links,
    attribution, and earnings all live alongside your products, customers, and
    payments, with no external integration to maintain.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>