Skip to main content
Refairn separates your earnings into three distinct commission types, each with its own trigger, calculation, and lifecycle. Understanding how each type works — and when money moves from Pending to your payout account — helps you forecast your income accurately and identify any issues before they affect your cash flow. Every commission on the platform is tied to a verified customer event, not a recruitment action or a promise. You earn when real customers pay.

The Three Commission Types

One-Time Referral Commission

A one-time commission is paid once, triggered by the customer’s first confirmed payment after signing up through your referral link. Example: A customer subscribes to a 100/monthplan.Theprogrampaysa20100/month plan. The program pays a 20% one-time referral commission. You earn **20** at the point their first payment is confirmed. You do not receive further referral commissions on that customer’s subsequent payments under a one-time structure. This type rewards you for successfully introducing the customer. It is straightforward and often the fastest commission to receive.

Recurring Referral Commission

A recurring commission is paid repeatedly over a defined period — typically tied to the customer’s subscription cycle — for as long as the customer remains active and the program terms continue. Example: A customer subscribes to a 100/monthplan.Theprogrampaysa10100/month plan. The program pays a 10% recurring referral commission for 12 months. You earn **10/month × 12 months = $120 total** over the life of that customer’s first year, assuming they stay subscribed throughout. If the customer cancels in month 4, your recurring commissions stop at that point. You keep the 40youhavealreadyearned;youdonotreceivetheremaining40 you have already earned; you do not receive the remaining 80.

Support Commission

A support commission is an additional monthly payment you earn while you are actively assigned as the certified support agent for a customer. It stacks on top of any referral commissions that customer already generates for you. Example: You are earning 10/monthinrecurringreferralcommissionsfromacustomer.Theprogramalsopaysa+510/month in recurring referral commissions from a customer. The program also pays a +5% support commission. While you are assigned to that customer, you earn an additional **5/month**, bringing your total monthly earnings from that customer to $15/month. Support commissions begin when the business assigns the customer to you and stop when you are removed from that customer’s support, the customer cancels, or your support access is suspended. Referral commissions are not affected by support changes.

The Commission Lifecycle

Every commission passes through the same stages from creation to payout:
1

Pending

A customer payment is confirmed and a commission is created. It enters Pending status immediately. You can see it in your dashboard, but it is not yet payable. The 14-day hold period begins at this point.
2

Hold Period (14 Days)

The hold period protects against situations where a customer payment is reversed, refunded, or charged back shortly after signup. Most refund windows on SaaS subscriptions fall within this period. Your commission stays in Pending throughout.The hold period is 14 days by default, though individual programs may set a different duration. Check your program’s commission terms for the exact window.
3

Payable

After the hold period passes without a reversal, the commission moves to Payable status. This means the funds are confirmed and queued for the next payout cycle. You can see the total payable amount in your dashboard under [Business Name] → Commissions → Payable.
4

Paid

The business confirms the payment and releases it to your payout method. The commission moves to Paid status and a record is added to your payment history. You receive a notification when a payout is sent.

Commission Status Reference

Every commission in your dashboard carries a status label. Understanding each status helps you quickly identify what is happening with a specific payment and whether any action is needed on your part.
StatusWhat It Means
PendingCommission created after a confirmed customer payment. The 14-day hold period is in progress. Not yet payable.
ApprovedThe business has reviewed and approved the commission. It is confirmed as valid and will proceed to payout.
EarnedThe commission has been fully confirmed as earned — all conditions (hold period, approval) have been met.
PayableThe hold period has passed and the commission is queued for the next payout cycle.
PaidThe business has released the payment. Funds have been sent to your configured payout method.
HeldThe commission is temporarily paused, typically due to a dispute, compliance review, or payout configuration issue.
CancelledThe commission has been cancelled — most commonly because the underlying customer payment was never completed. Referral commissions are never cancelled solely because your support access was removed.
ReversedA previously confirmed commission has been reversed, usually due to a payment reversal, chargeback, or refund on the customer’s subscription.
DisputedThe commission is under active dispute — either you or the business has flagged a discrepancy. The payout is paused until the dispute is resolved.
If you see a commission in Held or Disputed status and do not know why, contact the business through your program workspace to request clarification.

Your Commission Dashboard

Navigate to [Business Name] → Commissions to see a full breakdown of your earnings for that program. The dashboard is divided into columns:
ColumnWhat It Shows
PendingCommissions in the hold period. Not yet payable.
PayableCommissions past the hold period, confirmed, and queued for payout.
PaidAll historical commission payments, with dates and customer references.
You can also see aggregate totals at the top of your agent dashboard across all programs:
  • Total leads — All prospects who clicked your referral link and signed up.
  • Total customers — All leads who made a confirmed payment.
  • Active customers — Customers with a current active subscription.
  • Pending commission — Total commission across all programs currently in the hold period.
  • Payable commission — Total commission across all programs cleared and queued for payout.
  • Paid commission — Cumulative lifetime earnings paid out.
Referral commissions are never cancelled simply because your support access was removed. The two commission types are tracked independently. If a business removes your support access for any reason — SLA issues, a program restructure, or a conduct review — any referral commissions you have already earned or are accruing from customers you originally referred continue through the normal lifecycle uninterrupted.

Common Scenarios and Their Effect on Your Commissions

Your Support Access Is Removed

You referred a customer who pays 100/month.Youwereearning100/month. You were earning 10/month in recurring referral commission plus $5/month in support commission. The business removes your support access.
  • Support commission: Stops immediately.
  • Recurring referral commission: Continues at $10/month for the remainder of the term.
  • Any commissions already in Pending or Payable: Not cancelled. They continue through the normal payout cycle.

A Customer Cancels Their Subscription

You were earning $10/month in recurring referral commissions from a customer who cancels in month 6 of a 12-month term.
  • Future recurring commissions (months 7–12): Stop. The subscription has ended.
  • Commissions already earned (months 1–6): Kept. These are already in your commission ledger, either paid or progressing through the hold period.
  • One-time referral commission (if applicable): Already paid. Not affected.

A Customer Returns Within the Attribution Window

A customer cancels and then re-subscribes within 90 days of their original signup. Because first-touch attribution ties them to your referral code, their returning subscription continues to generate commissions for you under the program’s terms, as if the subscription had not lapsed.

A Customer Returns Outside the Attribution Window

If a customer cancels and re-subscribes after the 90-day attribution window has passed, the re-subscription is treated as a new acquisition. Whether it is attributed to you depends on the circumstances — if they sign up through your link again, attribution is refreshed. If they sign up directly, the commission goes to whichever agent (if any) most recently had a valid click.

Payout Timing and Methods

Payout cycles are set by the business and shown in your program’s commission terms. Common cycles are monthly or bi-weekly. Funds are sent to the payout method you configured in your profile. Make sure your payout details are current and verified before commissions reach Payable status. A missing or unverified payout method delays the release of your funds, even if the business has confirmed the payment on their end. Update your payout details at any time under Profile → Payouts.