A complete guide to paying your affiliates

Wondering how to pay your affiliates for their referral earnings? AffiliateWP offers several flexible payout methods, including Stripe, PayPal, Store Credit, and Manual Payout.

Whether you prefer automatic payments or manual options, this guide walks you through each method and how to run payouts, so your affiliates get paid on time.

How payout method routing works

Every affiliate has one effective payout method, the one the system uses when paying their referrals. The system resolves it in this order:

1. Admin override: if you’ve set a specific method on the Edit Affiliate screen, that takes priority over everything else.
2. Affiliate’s own choice: if the affiliate has selected a method themselves (or connected Stripe), that’s their method, as long as it’s still enabled on your site.
3. Default Payout Method: if neither of the above applies, the affiliate falls back to your site-wide default. There’s always a fallback. The default can’t be left empty.

This means you can run one batch and the system handles routing automatically, without you needing to track who’s on which method.

Paying affiliates via Stripe Connect

Stripe Connect is a built-in integration that transfers commissions directly to affiliates’ bank accounts. Affiliates connect their Stripe account once from their Affiliate Area, and all future payouts go straight to their bank.

To set up Stripe Connect:

1. Go to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. Click the Stripe Payouts card to expand it.
3. Enter your Stripe API keys and save.

For full setup instructions, see Setting up Stripe Connect.

Paying affiliates via PayPal

PayPal sends commissions directly to affiliates’ PayPal accounts. Payouts are processed in bulk and run in the background, so you don’t need to stay on the page while they process.

To set up PayPal:

1. Go to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. Click the PayPal card to expand it.
3. Enter your PayPal API credentials and save.

For full setup instructions, see Setting up PayPal.

Paying affiliates via Store Credit

Store Credit adds commission amounts to affiliates’ store balance as spendable credit, rather than sending money to an external account. Affiliates can use that balance toward purchases on your site. Store Credit is a first-class payout method just like Stripe and PayPal. Affiliates on Store Credit are paid in the same batch as everyone else, with no separate steps needed.

To set up Store Credit:

1. Go to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. Click the Store Credit card to expand it.
3. Enable Store Credit and save.

For full setup instructions, see Setting up Store Credit payouts.

Paying affiliates via the Payouts Service (Retiring September 30, 2026)

The Payouts Service is being retired on September 30, 2026. If you’re currently using it, your payouts will continue to work normally until that date. We recommend switching to one of the built-in payout methods above — Stripe Payouts, PayPal Payouts, or Store Credit — which offer better reliability and direct integration with your payment provider.

Manual Payout

Manual Payout means AffiliateWP records that a payout occurred, but no money moves through the plugin. You pay the affiliate outside AffiliateWP by bank transfer, check, wire, or any other method, and the system keeps a record.

Manual affiliates are included when you run a payout batch. After the batch completes, a Download CSV link appears in the Summary card inside the batch drawer. The CSV contains the payment details for each Manual affiliate so you have everything you need to complete those payments offline.

Configuring your payout settings

Once you’ve enabled at least one payout method, go to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts. The Payout Settings card at the top of the page holds the controls that govern routing and failure recovery across your entire program.

Default Payout Method

The fallback method used for every affiliate who hasn’t configured their own. The dropdown only shows currently enabled methods plus Manual Payout, so enable your methods before setting the default.

To set your default:

1. Go to AffiliateWP » Settings » Payouts.
2. Under “Payout Settings,” open the Default Payout Method dropdown.
3. Select the method most of your affiliates will use.
4. Click Save Changes.

If you later disable a method that’s set as the default, the resolver falls back to Manual Payout until you set a new default.

Allow affiliates to choose their payout method

When this toggle is on, a Payout Method dropdown appears on the affiliate’s Settings page in the Affiliate Area whenever two or more methods are enabled. Affiliates can switch between available methods at any time.

When the toggle is off, affiliates are paid via the site default and see a static “Paid via [Method]” status on their Settings page. No dropdown appears.

• Fresh installations: on by default.
• Upgraded sites: off by default, preserving your existing routing workflow.

Auto-email affiliates about failed payouts

When a payout fails because the affiliate needs to take action (for example, their PayPal account isn’t set up or they haven’t completed Stripe Connect), AffiliateWP can automatically send them a method-specific email explaining what to do and where to do it.

The email includes a direct link to the affiliate’s Settings page. A 7-day cooldown per affiliate prevents repeated emails if the same issue persists.

• Fresh installations: on by default.
• Upgraded sites: off by default. This prevents existing failed payouts from generating unexpected emails on upgrade day.

Auto-retry failed payouts

When on, a background job runs daily and checks every failed payout that’s waiting on the affiliate to resolve a blocker.

Once the affiliate is ready (their PayPal email is verified or Stripe Connect is complete), the payout retries automatically without any admin involvement.

• Fresh installations: on by default.
• Upgraded sites: off by default.

Letting affiliates choose their payout method

When Allow affiliates to choose their payout method is on and at least two methods are enabled, affiliates see a Payout Method dropdown on their Settings page inside the Affiliate account.

The dropdown shows every enabled method available to affiliates. Manual Payout is always admin-only and never appears in the dropdown.

When affiliates save their choice, it becomes their configured method and overrides the site default going forward. Their effective method is visible in the Affiliates admin list and on the Edit Affiliate screen.

What affiliates see after selecting each method:

• PayPal: a Payment Email field to enter the address they want payouts sent to.
• Stripe: a Stripe Connect section with their connection status, or a “Set Up Stripe Payouts” button if not yet connected.
• Store Credit: their current available store credit balance.

The Affiliate Area updates the visible fields immediately when the dropdown changes, without a page reload.

Overriding an affiliate’s payout method

If you need to route a specific affiliate through a different method regardless of what they’ve chosen, set an override on their profile.

1. Go to AffiliateWP » Affiliates and click the affiliate’s name.
2. Locate the Payout Method field.
3. Select the method you want to use for this affiliate.
4. Click Update.

The override takes priority over the affiliate’s own selection and the site default. It stays in place until you clear it.

Running a payout batch

Navigate to AffiliateWP » Payouts and click Pay Affiliates.

Set your filters:

• Date range: Limit payouts to referrals recorded within a specific window. Preset options include: All unpaid up to today, This month, Last month, Last 30 days, Last 90 days. Or set a custom range with the date picker.
• Minimum earnings: Skip affiliates who have earned less than this amount.
• Ignore commission holding period: Bypass the configured holding window for this batch only.
• Include: Pay all affiliates, or narrow to specific affiliates and/or affiliate groups.
• Payout method: Only include affiliates whose effective method matches one of the selected methods. Useful when you want to process one method at a time.

Preview before sending:

Click Preview Payout to see exactly who will be paid and how, before any money moves. The preview shows:

• Total amount and affiliate count
• A per-method breakdown showing exactly where funds are directed
• Pre-flight issues, including affiliates whose setup would cause a failure (for example, a PayPal affiliate with no email address on file)

Referrals do not show as “Paid” until the payout actually settles. The preview is a safe step to verify before committing.

Send the batch:

Once the preview looks correct, click Pay affiliates to confirm and send.

• Stripe and PayPal run asynchronously: payouts are submitted to the provider and move through a “processing” state while the provider confirms. You can close the browser; processing continues in the background.
• Store Credit and Manual are synchronous: balance updates and CSV generation happen immediately.

When the batch completes, results are visible under AffiliateWP » Payouts (individual payouts) and the Batches tab within that same page (the aggregate batch record).

If your batch included Manual affiliates: open the batch from the Batches tab and look for the Download CSV link in the Summary card inside the batch drawer. The CSV contains the payment details for each Manual affiliate.

Payout Batches

The Batches tab at AffiliateWP » Payouts shows one row per “Pay Affiliates” run, giving you an aggregate view of every batch you’ve run.

Click a batch row to open the Batch drawer, an inline panel that shows the full per-affiliate breakdown and lets you drill into individual payouts without leaving the list.

Retrying a failed batch: when a batch has failures, an inline “Retry N failed” action appears on the row. Clicking it creates a new batch containing only the failed payouts and runs them through their effective methods again. The new batch shows “Retry of Batch #N” so the audit trail stays intact.

When a payout fails

AffiliateWP categorizes every payout failure into one of these classes, which determines what happens next:

• Affiliate action required: the affiliate needs to do something, such as verify their PayPal email or complete Stripe Connect. An auto-email is sent to them (if enabled) and the daily auto-retry sweep retries the payout once they’re ready.
• Admin action required: you need to fix something, such as topping up your account balance or updating API credentials. No auto-retry. The payout drawer surfaces the specific issue.
• Transient: a temporary error such as a rate limit, network timeout, or provider outage. No auto-retry. You can retry manually from the payout drawer.
• Data error: the affiliate’s profile has an issue, such as an invalid email format or currency mismatch. No auto-retry. Edit the affiliate to fix the data, then retry.

Viewing and resolving a failed payout

Click any failed payout in AffiliateWP » Payouts to open its drawer. The Next Steps card shows:

• The failure class
• A plain-language explanation of what went wrong
• The primary action button: email the affiliate, retry, or a link to the specific admin setting to fix

Switch payout method from the drawer

If a payout is stuck and you want to reroute the affiliate through a different method, expand the Switch payout method section at the bottom of the Next Steps card.

1. Click Switch payout method to expand the options.
2. Select an alternative method from the list.
3. Click Switch and retry.

This updates the affiliate’s configured method, creates a new payout under the new method, and links it to the original failed payout for audit trail purposes. You don’t need to leave the drawer or run a new batch.

Example: an affiliate’s PayPal account is on hold. Open their failed payout drawer, switch to Store Credit, click “Switch and retry.” The affiliate is paid via Store Credit immediately and the original failed payout is marked as superseded.

PayPal-specific failure statuses

PayPal returns three distinct statuses that all fall under “affiliate action required” but have different resolutions:

• Unclaimed: the recipient email isn’t linked to a verified PayPal account. PayPal has sent them a signup invitation and is holding the funds for 30 days. If the affiliate creates a PayPal account on that email within 30 days, the funds land automatically. The auto-retry sweep picks this up once they’re set up.
• Returned: the 30-day claim window expired, or the affiliate explicitly refused the payment. Contact the affiliate and consider switching their payout method.
• Blocked: PayPal blocked the transaction due to compliance, fraud, or an account hold on their PayPal account. Switch the affiliate’s payout method. They’ll need to resolve the block directly with PayPal before switching back.

Commission holding period

The Commission Holding Period is a feature that allows you to delay paying affiliate commissions for a set number of days after a referral is made. This helps protect your business from issues like refunds, chargebacks, or fraud, ensuring that affiliates are only paid for finalized sales.

To set up the Commission Holding Period:

• Navigate to AffiliateWP » Settings » Commissions and look for the Commission Holding Period field.
• Enter the number of days you wish to delay commission payouts. For example, if your refund period is 30 days, it’s recommended to set the holding period to 37 days (refund period + 7 days).

The extra 7 days help account for potential payment processing delays or disputes, ensuring commissions are only paid out once the sale is fully finalized.

By delaying payouts, you can ensure that any refunds or disputes are resolved before commissions are paid, protecting your business from paying out on sales that don’t ultimately complete.

Frequently Asked Questions