ScaleyHow Do Affiliate Payouts Work?
Answered 6 November 2026 · Written and reviewed by Christopher Krassnig
Affiliate payouts follow four steps: a click sets a cookie, the referral pays, the commission waits out a hold period, and it is paid in the next payout run once your balance passes the minimum. At Scaley AI, which we build, the cookie lasts 30 days, the hold 30 days, and Stripe pays monthly above $50.
The Cookie: When a Click Counts
When someone clicks your link, the program stores a small marker in their browser, called a cookie. If they sign up before it runs out, the referral is yours. At Scaley, that window is 30 days.
A longer cookie helps when people think before they buy. A cookie only counts if the person chose to click, so tools that set cookies without a real click break the rules everywhere, ours included.
The Hold: Why Money Waits
A commission is not paid the day the customer pays. It waits a set time, called a hold, so a refund or a chargeback can clear first. At Scaley, each commission waits 30 days.
The free trial never earns. Only money the program actually collects does.
The Minimum and the Payout Run
After the hold, the commission joins your balance. Programs pay in runs, often once a month, and only above a minimum. At Scaley, Stripe pays monthly, once your balance passes $50. Under that, it rolls over to the next month and you keep it.
Ask any program two things: does a small balance roll over or expire, and how is it sent.
One Referral, Click to Payout
The path one referral takes at Scaley, from the click to the money.
- 1
The Click
They click your link. The cookie lasts 30 days.
- 2
The Signup
They sign up inside that window. The 3-day free trial pays nothing.
- 3
The First Payment
Their first real payment earns you 20% of it. Every later payment does too.
- 4
The Hold
That commission waits 30 days, so refunds and chargebacks can clear.
- 5
The Payout
Stripe pays it in the next monthly run, once your balance passes $50.
Common Questions
Can a payout be held back?
Yes, during a review of a possible rule break. Paid commissions found to break the rules can be taken back from future payouts.
Where do I see my balance?
In your partner dashboard: clicks, signups, paying customers and what you've earned.
Do refunds take back my commission?
A refund or chargeback means that payment was never really collected, so it earns nothing. The hold is there so this clears before you are paid.
Keep Going
- The Scaley affiliate program, every rule
- The affiliate program for coaches
- How much does the Scaley affiliate program pay?
- What is a recurring commission affiliate program?
- Does Scaley AI have an affiliate program?
- Is there a Google Ads AI tool with a recurring affiliate program?
- How can a Google Ads agency earn from clients it can't take?
Earn 20% Every Month Your Referrals Pay
Free to join. 30-day cookie. Paid monthly via Stripe.