> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.refairn.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Commission Types: How Refairn Earnings Are Calculated
> Learn how Refairn separates referral, recurring, and support commissions—and how each type is calculated, tracked, and paid out to agents.
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.
## The three commission types
### 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.
### 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**
### 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.
### 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.
### What it is
A repeating reward paid each billing cycle that the referred customer **remains an active subscriber**. It compensates you for the ongoing revenue your customer acquisition generates for the business.
### How it is calculated
The rate is a percentage of each renewal payment, applied for each active billing period up to the program's duration cap.
**Example:**
* Program recurring commission rate: **10% per month**, capped at **12 months**
* Customer's monthly subscription: **\$100/month**
* Your monthly recurring commission: **\$10/month**
* Maximum total recurring commission for this customer: \*\*$120** (12 months × $10)
### When it triggers
A new recurring commission record is created each time the customer's subscription renews, for as long as the customer is active and the duration cap has not been reached.
### What stops it
Recurring commissions stop when the customer cancels their subscription, when the duration cap is reached, or when the business terminates your relationship in the program. A commission for a billing period that has already started is not retroactively cancelled if the customer cancels partway through—only future periods are stopped.
### What it is
An additional reward paid on top of your recurring referral commission for each billing cycle that you are **actively assigned to support a specific customer**. It compensates you for the ongoing work of managing and assisting that customer.
### How it is calculated
The rate is an additional percentage applied to each billing period while you hold Certified Support Agent status and are assigned to that customer.
**Example:**
* Recurring referral commission rate: **10% per month**
* Support commission rate: **+5% per month**
* Customer's monthly subscription: **\$100/month**
* Your combined monthly earnings while supporting this customer: \*\*$15/month** ($10 recurring + \$5 support)
### When it triggers
The support commission triggers at the same time as the recurring referral commission—on each renewal—provided you are an approved Certified Support Agent and assigned to that customer at the time of the renewal event.
### What stops it
Support commissions stop immediately if:
* You lose Certified Support Agent status (support removed or suspended)
* You are unassigned from the customer
* The customer cancels
* The program's recurring duration cap is reached
Losing support access **never cancels referral commissions** you have already earned or are earning. Your support commission line closes; your referral commission line continues unaffected.
## 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:
| Month | Event | Referral (one-time) | Recurring (10%/mo) | Support (+5%/mo) | Monthly total |
| ----- | ------------------ | ------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------- | ------------- |
| 1 | First payment | \$20 | \$10 | \$5 | \$35 |
| 2–6 | Active, supported | — | \$10 | \$5 | \$15/mo |
| 7 | Support removed | — | \$10 | **\$0** | \$10 |
| 8–12 | Active, no support | — | \$10 | \$0 | \$10/mo |
* **Total earned:** $20 (referral) + $120 (recurring, 12 months) + $30 (support, 6 months) = **$170\*\*
* At month 7, support was removed. Recurring commissions continued without interruption through month 12.
## 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.
## 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.
| Status | Meaning |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Pending** | The triggering event (payment) has been detected. Awaiting business confirmation. |
| **Approved** | The business has confirmed the payment is legitimate. |
| **Earned** | Attribution is verified and the commission is formally recorded. The hold period clock starts. |
| **Held** | The commission is within the hold period and not yet payable. Normal state after **Earned**. |
| **Payable** | The hold period has cleared. The commission is queued for the next payout run. |
| **Paid** | The business has released the payment and it has been sent to your account. |
| **Cancelled** | The commission was voided before it reached Earned—typically because the payment failed or the lead was disqualified. |
| **Reversed** | A previously earned commission was clawed back due to a refund or chargeback occurring within the hold period. |
| **Disputed** | You or the business has raised a dispute about this commission record. Payouts are paused until the dispute is resolved. |
## Commission triggers and cancellation events
* Customer's **first payment** → one-time referral commission
* Subscription **renewal** → recurring referral commission (each period)
* Renewal while **support-assigned** → support commission (each period)
* **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.