Tax Form (W-9 / W-8BEN)
A tax form such as the W-9 or W-8BEN collects the legal and tax information a merchant needs to pay an affiliate and meet reporting obligations.
In US-based programs, domestic affiliates submit a W-9 (providing their taxpayer ID) and foreign affiliates submit a W-8BEN (certifying foreign status, often to claim a reduced withholding rate under a tax treaty). The merchant uses these to report payments and apply any required withholding.
Best practice is to collect the correct form during onboarding, before the first payout, and to gate payment until it is on file — this keeps the program compliant and avoids chasing paperwork after money is owed.
See also
- Payout Threshold
A payout threshold is the minimum balance an affiliate must accumulate before the program will release a payment.
- Payout Cadence
Payout cadence is how frequently an affiliate program pays out approved commissions, such as weekly, monthly, or net-30 after a sale clears.
- Commission
A commission is the payment an affiliate earns for each qualifying conversion they drive, set as a percentage of the sale or a fixed amount per action.
- Affiliate
An affiliate is an individual or company that promotes another business's products in exchange for a commission on the sales or actions they generate.
Turn the theory into a live program
Afflio handles tracking, commissions, and payouts so you can run the program these terms describe — start free in an afternoon.
Find brands to promote →