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Setting Up Commission Payout Rules

Define commission rules based on conditions, such as product type, order amount, date range, and more.

Heather Clark avatar
Written by Heather Clark
Updated yesterday

What Are Payout Rules?

Payout Rules allow you to fine-tune your commission structure by applying custom logic to each payout tier within an offer. These rules help you control how and when commissions are awarded—so you can incentivize the right behaviors and optimize for profitability.

How Payout Rules Work

Each payout tier can include one or more payout rules, and each payout rule can contain one or multiple conditions. This gives you flexibility to define commissions based on product types, specific dates, order amount, and more.

For example, you can:

  • Reward creators with higher commissions for selling high-margin products

  • Exclude specific SKUs from commission eligibility

  • Run time-limited promotions with boosted commission rates

To ensure accurate and fair commission tracking, our system follows these core principles:

  1. Single Payout Per Line Item
    Each line item in an order can only receive one commission payout. This means we won’t stack multiple payouts from different rules onto the same item.

  2. Optimize for Creators
    When multiple payout rules could apply to an order, the system will always select the one that provides the highest payout to the creator.

  3. Evaluate Rules First
    Payout rules are evaluated before the fallback value (e.g., 10% CPS on “Everything Else”). If a payout rule applies, it will take priority — even if the fallback rate is higher. This enables flexible commission structures, such as applying lower commissions to specific products while maintaining higher rates for others.

Creating Payout Rules

Before you get started, make sure you’ve added at least one payout tier to your offer. Learn how to add payouts to an offer in this article.

To add payout rules to a payout tier:

  1. Click the ellipsis icon (⋯) next to the payout tier you want to edit, then select Payout Rules from the dropdown.
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  2. In the Payout Rules modal, click Add Rule.
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  3. Enter the commission amount you want to apply for this rule.
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  4. Choose whether the rule should apply if the order matches all conditions (AND logic), or any condition (OR logic).
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  5. Select one or multiple conditions to define the rule:

    • Product – Apply a different commission value to orders that contain specific product(s).

      • If you're using Shopify and your store is connected to Aspire, you'll be able to search and select products from your store.

      • If you're not using Shopify, you will enter the Product Id(s) and must ensure that you're passing these values to Aspire in the order details for each conversion (see this help article for more information).
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    • Collections – Apply a different commission value to orders that contain products from a specific collection.

      • If you're using Shopify and your store is connected to Aspire, you'll be able to search and select your Shopify collection(s).
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      • If you're not using Shopify, you will enter the Collection Id(s) and must ensure that you're passing these values to Aspire in the order details for each conversion (see this help article for more information).
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      ⚠️ Note: To set conditions based on Products or Collections for Link Offers, one of the following is required:

      1. A Shopify store connected to Aspire and conversion tracking configured to send the order ID for each conversion using the adv_unique1 parameter.

      2. Conversion tracking configured to send the order ID for each conversion, in addition to integrating with Aspire’s API to send order details in the required format.
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    • Order Subtotal – Apply a different commission value based on the order subtotal by selecting an operator and entering the amount in USD $.
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    • Date Range – Apply a different commission value to orders placed during a specific time period by selecting a Start Date and End Date.
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    • All Recurring Orders – Apply a different commission value to recurring orders. The commission will be applied to every recurring order in an active subscription.
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      ⚠️ Note: This option is only available for brands using Shopify Subscriptions.

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  6. Click Save to apply the rule to the payout tier.
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  7. You can add multiple rules to a single payout tier to create more advanced logic. Each rule will have its own commission value and set of conditions. Click Done when you finish setting up the rules for a specific tier.

Note: For all orders that do not meet any of the rules set in a payout tier, the commission value that is applicable on "everything else" will apply.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Can we add payout rules to existing offers?

Yes, you can add payout rules to existing payout tiers within your offers.

How many payout tiers can be added to a single offer?

Each offer can have up to 10 payout tiers.

How many rules can be added to a single payout tier?

Each payout tier can have up to 5 rules.
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How many conditions can be added to a single payout rule?

There are only 5 types of conditions that can be added to a single payout rule, and each condition can only be used one time within each rule.
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The 5 conditions are:

  1. Products

  2. Collections

  3. Order Subtotal

  4. Date Range

  5. All Recurring Orders (available for Shopify Subscriptions only)

If an order satisfies two payout rules, which payout rule will be used?

We will always select the payout rule that provides the highest payout to the creator.

If there are conflicting payout rules, which payout rule will be used?

We will always select the payout rule that provides the highest payout to the creator.

Can we exclude certain products or collections from commission calculations?

Yes, you can set up a payout rule that applies 0% CPS to specific products or collections. You can also offer a lower commission value for certain products or collections.

Can we add payout rules to a payout tier that uses CPS + CPA?

No, we don't support payout rules when using CPS + CPA as the payout type.

If I edit a payout rule, will the changes be applied to existing conversions?

No.

Can we use Payout Rules if we're syncing a Promo Code offer to other Shopify stores?

Yes! If you're syncing promo codes to other Shopify stores, you'll be able to select products and collections from the store(s) selected within the offer settings. When products are selected from multiple stores, each store's conditions will be checked separately — they won't combine across stores.

Will creators be able to see the payout rules we configure for the payout tier assigned to them?

Not at this time. We recommend outlining this in your briefs under Compensation or when emailing creators their affiliate link and/or promo code.

When using Date Range as a condition, what is the start time and end time?

The Start Time is 12:00 AM UTC and the End Time 11:59 PM UTC.

Can we offer a different commission rate for subscription orders vs. one-time orders?

If we accept multiple currencies at checkout, how does the Order Subtotal condition work?

The Order Subtotal condition uses USD $. For orders placed in other currencies, we will automatically convert the order amount to USD based on the prior day's closing exchange rate. See this article for more information on currency conversions.

If the value after conversion to USD does not satisfy the condition, that payout rule will not be rewarded.

For example:

  • Condition: Order subtotal > $100

  • Order Subtotal at checkout = 100 CAD

  • Subtotal amount converted to USD = $71.80 USD

  • Result: Condition is not met; the order subtotal must be greater than $100 USD

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