How to Pay Affiliate Sales and Referral Commissions

Affiliates can earn commissions when they refer customers or generate sales through their affiliate store. DecoNetwork allows you to pay these commissions either automatically through PayPal or manually by recording an external payment.

This guide explains how both commission payout methods work and how to record or track payments made to affiliates.

In this article

• Prerequisites
• Why pay affiliate commissions through DecoNetwork?
• Pay affiliate commissions automatically using PayPal
• Record a manual commission payment
• View commission payment reports
• Best-Practice Tips
• Troubleshooting
• FAQs
• Additional Resources

Prerequisites

Why pay affiliate commissions through DecoNetwork?

DecoNetwork tracks affiliate sales and calculates the commissions owed for each order. Paying commissions through the system helps you maintain accurate records and ensures affiliates are compensated correctly.

Using DecoNetwork to manage commission payments allows you to:

• Automatically pay affiliates on a scheduled basis.
• Track which commissions have been paid.
• Record manual payments made outside the system.
• Generate reports for accounting and reconciliation.

Pay affiliate commissions automatically using PayPal

The easiest way to pay affiliates is to configure automatic payouts through PayPal. When enabled, DecoNetwork can send commission payments automatically from your PayPal account to the affiliate’s PayPal account on a scheduled basis.

Step 1: Open the commission payment settings

1. Go to Admin → Websites → Commission Settings → PayPal Mass Payments.
2. Locate the PayPal Username field.

Step 2: Add the your PayPal email

1. Enter your PayPal email address.
2. Save the changes.

Once configured, DecoNetwork will automatically send commissions to the affiliate’s PayPal account according to the payout schedule (commonly the first day of each month).

Record a manual commission payment

If you prefer to pay affiliates using another method (such as bank transfer, check, or another payment service), you can record the payment manually.

Step 1: Open the commission settings

1. Go to Admin → Administration → Store Commission Settings.
2. Select Record External Payment.

Step 2: Select the commissions to pay

1. Review the list of orders with outstanding commissions.
2. Select the orders you want to include in the payment.
3. The system will display the total commission amount selected.

Step 3: Record the payment method

1. Choose the payment method used (for example, bank transfer or check).
2. Confirm and save the payment record.

Recording the payment ensures the commission is marked as paid and maintains accurate financial records.

View commission payment reports

You can run reports to review commissions that have been paid to affiliates.

1. Go to Admin → Reports.
2. Select the Commission Payments report.
3. Review or export the report for accounting and tracking purposes.

Best-Practice Tips

• Use automatic PayPal payouts whenever possible to reduce manual administration.
• Verify the affiliate’s PayPal email address before enabling automatic payments.
• Regularly review the Commission Payments report to confirm payouts.
• If paying manually, always record the payment in DecoNetwork to maintain accurate records.

Troubleshooting

Affiliate did not receive their PayPal payment

• Verify that the correct PayPal email address is entered in the commission settings.
• Confirm that the payout date has passed.
• Check the PayPal transaction history for the payment.

Commission is still showing as unpaid

• Ensure the commission payment was recorded correctly.
• If you paid manually, confirm you used Record External Payment.

FAQs

Do I have to use PayPal to pay affiliate commissions?

No. PayPal is the only automated option, but you can pay affiliates using any method and record the payment manually in DecoNetwork.

When are automatic PayPal payouts sent?

Automatic payouts are typically sent on the first day of each month, depending on your commission payout configuration.

Can I pay multiple commissions at once?

Yes. When recording an external payment, you can select multiple orders and pay their commissions in a single payment.

Additional Resources

• Setting Up Affiliate Stores
• Configuring Affiliate Commissions
• Understanding Affiliate Reports