Define Commission

Commission is what partners earn when they drive results for your business. This guide explains commission types and how to configure them.

Commission Basics

Every commission has two components:

Component	Description
Rate	How much partners earn (percentage or fixed amount)
Duration	How long partners earn from a referred customer

Commission Types

Partners earn a percentage of each sale from customers they refer.

Example: 30% commission means partner earns $30 on a $100 sale.

This is the default and recommended commission type for SaaS products.

Coming Soon

Type	Description	Example
CPC (Cost per Click)	Fixed amount per click	$0.01 per click
CPL (Cost per Lead)	Fixed amount per signup	$10 per lead
CPS (Cost per Sale)	Fixed amount per sale	$20 per sale
Tiered	Bonuses at milestones	$100 bonus after $100K revenue
Hybrid	Combine multiple types	CPC + CPS + milestone bonuses

These will be available through Group Rewards.

Commission Duration

How long partners continue earning from a referred customer:

Duration	Description	Best for
One-time	First payment only	Simple products, one-time purchases
3 months	First 3 months of payments	Short trial periods
6 months	First 6 months of payments	Medium commitment products
12 months	First 12 months of payments	Annual subscription products
Lifetime	All future payments	Maximum partner incentive
Custom	Configure your own duration	Specific business needs

Recommendation: For SaaS, use 12 months or lifetime. This motivates partners to refer customers who stay, not just customers who sign up.

Setting Your Commission

During Setup

In the setup wizard, you’ll configure:

Commission Rate (%) – e.g., 30%
Commission Duration – e.g., 12 months

This becomes your default commission for all partners.

Example Configurations

Business Type	Rate	Duration	Why
B2B SaaS ($50-200/mo)	30%	12 months	High LTV justifies generous commission
B2B SaaS ($500+/mo)	20-25%	Lifetime	Lower % but longer duration
Consumer SaaS ($10-30/mo)	30-40%	6 months	Higher % to attract volume partners
One-time purchase	20-30%	One-time	Simple, predictable

Commission Calculation

Formula: Commission = Sale Amount × Commission Rate

Example with 30% commission:

Customer Payment	Partner Earns
$100 one-time	$30
$100/month × 12 months	$30/month × 12 = $360 total
$1,000/year lifetime	$300/year ongoing

With Affitor’s 3.5% platform fee:

Sale	Partner Commission (30%)	Platform Fee (3.5%)	You Keep
$100	$30	$3.50	$66.50*

*Before Stripe fees (~2.9% + $0.30)

Changing Commission Rates

You can update your default commission anytime in Program Settings.

Important: Changes apply to new referrals only. Existing customer attributions keep their original commission rate.

Group Rewards (Coming Soon)

Group Rewards will let you create different commission structures for different partners:

Performance tiers – Higher commission for top performers
Partner types – Different rates for influencers vs. agencies
Special promotions – Temporary commission boosts
Milestone bonuses – Extra rewards at revenue thresholds

Best Practices

Be competitive – Research what similar products offer. For AI SaaS, 30%+ is common.
Think lifetime value – A 30% commission on a customer with 24-month LTV is very profitable for you.
Longer duration = better partners – Lifetime commissions attract partners who promote quality, not just volume.
Start generous, optimize later – It’s easier to reduce rates for new partners than to increase them.

What’s Next

Commission Approval & Cash Flow – How commissions are validated and paid
Payouts – Partner payout schedules and methods