Payouts & Billing

How affiliate payouts work and how AgentRef billing and plan limits are managed.

How Payouts Work

When affiliates earn commissions, the money flows through a simple lifecycle:

Conversion Created → Commission Pending → Payout Created → Payout Processing → Payout Completed

Payout Lifecycle

Status	Description
pending	Commission earned, waiting to reach payout threshold
processing	Merchant has started the external payment step
completed	Merchant marked the payout as paid
failed	External payment attempt failed and can be retried

Payout Thresholds

Affiliates become payout-eligible when approved commissions reach the threshold. You then create the manual payout record in AgentRef. Default threshold: $50 USD. Configurable per program.

Manual payout workflow

This is the active launch contract for payouts today.

Affiliates save payout details in AgentRef using PayPal or bank transfer fields. Merchants then:

1. Create a payout record in AgentRef
2. Export or prepare the payout externally
3. Send the payment outside AgentRef
4. Mark the payout as processing, completed, or failed

AgentRef tracks the payout state and audit trail, but does not move money on the merchant’s behalf.

REST and SDKs can list pending affiliates, create payout records, list payout history, and read payout stats. Marking payout status, listing upcoming payouts, and exporting payout CSV files are currently available through Merchant MCP and the dashboard workflow.

Managing Payouts via API

List Payouts

Node.js

const payouts = await client.payouts.list({
  programId: 'prg_abc123',
  status: 'pending',
})

List Pending Affiliates

Node.js

const pending = await client.payouts.listPending({
  programId: 'PROGRAM_ID',
})

Create a Payout Record

Node.js

const payout = await client.payouts.create({
  affiliateId: 'AFFILIATE_ID',
  programId: 'PROGRAM_ID',
  method: 'paypal',
  notes: 'April payout',
}, {
  idempotencyKey: 'payout-affiliate-april',
})

Payout Statistics

Node.js

const stats = await client.payouts.stats({
  programId: 'prg_abc123',
})
// { totalPaid, totalPending, totalFailed, count }

---

AgentRef Billing

AgentRef starts with a free tier and supports paid Starter, Growth, and Pro plans. Billing is managed from the dashboard and through the Billing API.

How It Works

• $0 to start – no upfront cost, no credit card required
• Upgrade when you need higher limits – paid plans unlock more storage, notifications, and operating room
• No automatic downgrade – plan changes are merchant-initiated

Billing API

Node.js

// View current billing status
const billing = await client.billing.current()

// View available tiers
const tiers = await client.billing.tiers()

Billing is handled automatically through Stripe. You can view your usage and invoices in the AgentRef dashboard under Settings → Billing.