Payout thresholds + schedules
Thresholds + schedules control when commissions become eligible to pay out, how often you run batches, and the minimum balance required to include an affiliate in a batch.
Minimum threshold
Settings → Payouts → Minimum balance to include in batch:
- $50 — standard. Filters out tiny commissions that don’t justify the transaction fee.
- $100 — common for international transfers with $20+ wire fees.
- $25 / $0 — for stores that want to pay everyone every cycle.
Affiliates below the threshold carry their balance to the next batch.
Approval window
How long after order completion before a commission becomes payable:
Settings → Commissions → Approve commissions after N days:
- 0 days — immediate (highest payout speed, highest refund risk)
- 30 days — covers WC’s default refund window (recommended)
- 60 days — for stores with longer refund/chargeback exposure
Schedule
Settings → Payouts → Schedule:
| Frequency | Best for |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Small affiliate counts, fast feedback loops |
| Bi-weekly | Most stores |
| Monthly | Large affiliate counts, lower admin overhead |
| Manual only | Full control, no automated batches |
The batch runs on the chosen day. WP-Cron triggers it on the first page view after the scheduled time — for reliability, replace WP-Cron with a real system cron.
Schedule visibility for affiliates
Affiliates can see the next scheduled payout date in their portal. Disable at Settings → Affiliate portal → Show next payout date if you’d rather not commit publicly.
Per-method scheduling
Different payout methods can run on different schedules. Example:
- PayPal API — weekly auto-batch
- Bank transfer — monthly CSV
- Manual — quarterly
Configure at Settings → Payouts → Per-method schedule.
Dry-run a batch
Before any scheduled batch runs, the plugin can email you a preview. Enable at Settings → Payouts → Email dry-run preview 24h before.