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Refairn uses three distinct commission types to reflect the three distinct ways an agent creates value for a business: bringing in a new customer, keeping that customer subscribed over time, and actively supporting that customer day-to-day. Each type has its own trigger, calculation method, and payout timeline. Understanding how they work—and how they interact—helps you plan your earnings accurately and ensures you know exactly what to expect when a customer’s status changes, support rights shift, or a payment reverses.
Referral commissions and support commissions are never the same thing and must never be treated as interchangeable. Removing an agent’s support access cancels future support commissions but has zero effect on earned referral commissions. The two rewards are tracked on separate ledger lines and settled independently.

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The three commission types

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What it is

A one-time reward paid to you when a lead you referred makes their first payment for the product. It compensates you for the act of customer acquisition.

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How it is calculated

The rate is a percentage of the customer’s first payment, as defined in the program’s commission rules.Example:
  • Program referral commission rate: 20% of first payment
  • Customer’s first payment: $200
  • Your one-time referral commission: $40

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When it triggers

The commission triggers the moment Refairn receives confirmation of the customer’s first payment. It immediately enters Pending status and begins moving through the commission pipeline.

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Attribution requirement

The lead must have clicked your referral link within the program’s attribution window (default 90 days) before making their first payment. Referrals outside the attribution window are not credited.

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Combined earnings example

Here is a complete view of what you might earn from a single $100/month customer over 12 months when enrolled in a program with all three commission types:
  • Total earned: 20(referral)+20 (referral) + 120 (recurring, 12 months) + 30(support,6months)=∗∗30 (support, 6 months) = **170**
  • At month 7, support was removed. Recurring commissions continued without interruption through month 12.

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The hold period

Before any commission becomes payable, it must clear the commission hold period (default: 14 days). This window exists so businesses can account for refunds and chargebacks before releasing funds.
The 14-day clock starts when the commission reaches Earned status—after the business has confirmed the underlying payment. It does not start from when the payment was made.
Once the hold period passes without a reversal event, the commission automatically advances to Payable status and is queued for the next payout run according to the program’s payout frequency.

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Commission statuses

Every commission record moves through a defined set of statuses. Understanding where a commission sits in the pipeline tells you exactly what is happening and what to expect next.

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Commission triggers and cancellation events

Commission triggers

  • Customer’s first payment → one-time referral commission
  • Subscription renewal → recurring referral commission (each period)
  • Renewal while support-assigned → support commission (each period)

Cancellation events

  • Refund or chargeback during hold period → reversal
  • Customer cancellation → stops future recurring and support commissions
  • Support removed → stops future support commissions only
  • Program termination → stops future commissions; past earned commissions are unaffected unless fraud is involved
If you believe a commission has been incorrectly cancelled or reversed, use the dispute workflow in your workspace commission dashboard. Disputes pause the affected commission record and open a review thread with the business.