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Payment and models

Commission delay

Also called pending period, lock period, approval period, validation period.

Short answer

Commission delay is the period during which a recorded commission stays pending before it is approved. The period covers return rights, disputes and checks, so the store does not pay for sales that fall through again.

Definition of Commission delay.

The delay has a concrete purpose: it turns approval into a decision the store makes after seeing whether the order holds. Returns, cancellations, failed payments and obvious fraudulent traffic rarely show up on the same day the order lands. Without a period in between, the store pays for sales it later loses.

The length should reflect the reality of the product. Physical goods with a 14-day return right, electronics with long delivery times and subscriptions with free trials each have their own natural window. Set the period shorter than the return right, and the store pays for orders it may get back. Set it significantly longer than necessary, and the affiliate is financing the store's caution.

For the affiliate, the delay is a cash-flow question. The commission is recorded but pending, and it does not count towards a payout. An affiliate who buys traffic pays for clicks today and sees the money again after the approval period plus the settlement cycle – it is the two periods combined that determine how much capital the channel ties up.

Commission delay vs. payout threshold

AspectCommission delayPayout threshold
What it controlswhen a commission is approvedhow large an approved balance must be before it can be paid out
Reasonreturn rights, disputes and checksthe cost of making a transfer
How it looks in the dashboardsales with the status pendingan approved balance below the threshold
What releases the moneythe period expiring without a rejectionthe balance passing the threshold

If money is missing, check the status first: pending sales are waiting for approval, an approved balance is waiting for the threshold.

How it goes wrong

  • 01

    The period is shorter than the return right

    If the program approves after 14 days while the store offers a 30-day return right, the store pays for orders it may still get back. Either the period is extended, or there must be a clawback clause to fall back on.

  • 02

    The affiliate calculates on gross figures

    A figure that adds pending and approved commission together makes a channel look profitable long before it is. Always assess a traffic source on approved sales, especially if you buy the traffic.

  • 03

    No end date on the period

    An approval period without a final deadline means a sale can stay pending indefinitely if the store does not act. Set a point at which the sale is approved automatically.

At Affilyflow

Commission delay in practice

At Affilyflow, the store sets the window per program: 30, 45, 60 or 90 days, typically in line with its return policy. The store can reject a sale during the period, after which it is approved automatically. No conversion credits a balance on its own – everything is created as pending – and a rejection requires a reason the affiliate can read. The balance is calculated from the data rather than stored in a column, and the payout amount is determined by the server.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my commission still pending?

The commission stays pending until the store has had the chance to check the order. The period covers return rights and disputes. At Affilyflow, the store has the program's approval period (30–90 days) to reject a sale, after which it is approved automatically.

How long should an approval period be?

At a minimum it should cover the product's return period. A 14-day return right on a physical product points to a period of around 30 days, while subscriptions with free trials need longer. Write the period into the program terms so it does not come as a surprise after the first sale.

Can a store change the approval period after a sale has happened?

In a program with written terms, the period belongs to the sale it applied to when the click happened. At Affilyflow the period is locked on the sale when it is recorded: if the store changes it, the change only applies to new sales. The store chooses between 30, 45, 60 and 90 days.

Is commission delay the same as the payment term?

No. Commission delay is about when the commission is approved. The payment term is the time from when a payout of an approved balance is requested until the money has been transferred. The two periods add up when you calculate cash flow.

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