Affiliate Program Terms & Conditions Template
A clear, plain-English outline for affiliate program terms & conditions — eligibility, commissions, prohibited promotion, payouts, and termination.
Use this as the skeleton for your program's terms. It is a starting point, not legal advice — have a lawyer review the final version before you publish it, especially the tax, liability, and governing-law sections.
The template
Select all, copy, and paste into your own doc. Replace anything in [BRACKETS].
AFFILIATE PROGRAM TERMS & CONDITIONS — [YOUR COMPANY]
Last updated: [DATE]
1. ACCEPTANCE
By applying to or participating in the [YOUR COMPANY] affiliate program ("Program"),
you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not join the Program.
2. ELIGIBILITY
- You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract.
- You must provide accurate account, contact, and payout information.
- We may approve or reject any application at our sole discretion.
3. ENROLLMENT
- Approval is not guaranteed and may be revoked at any time.
- Your account is personal to you and may not be transferred without our consent.
4. COMMISSIONS
- Commission rate: [e.g. 20% of net revenue / $X per qualified signup].
- A sale or action qualifies when [definition: e.g. payment clears and the
refund/return window of [N] days has passed].
- Attribution window (cookie): [N] days, [last-click / first-click].
- Commissions are calculated on net amounts, excluding taxes, shipping,
discounts, chargebacks, and refunds.
5. PAYMENTS
- Minimum payout threshold: [$AMOUNT].
- Payout schedule: [e.g. monthly, net-30 after the close of each month].
- Payout methods: [PayPal / bank transfer / Wise / store credit].
- You are responsible for any taxes on commissions you earn. We may require
a completed tax form (e.g. W-9 / W-8BEN) before issuing payment.
6. PROHIBITED CONDUCT
You may NOT:
- Bid on our brand terms or trademarks in paid search ("brand bidding")
unless we expressly permit it in writing.
- Use spam, unsolicited email, or misleading advertising.
- Make false or unauthorized claims about our products, pricing, or guarantees.
- Self-refer, use your own links for your own purchases, or generate fake
clicks, leads, or sales ("fraud").
- Offer unauthorized coupons, discounts, or cashback we have not approved.
- Use cookie stuffing, forced clicks, typosquatting, or malware.
7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive license to use our approved
logos and creative solely to promote our products under this Program. All
brand assets remain our property and must be used per our brand guidelines.
8. CONFIDENTIALITY
Non-public information shared through the Program (rates, conversion data,
roadmap) is confidential and may not be disclosed without our consent.
9. TERMINATION
- Either party may end participation at any time, for any reason, with notice.
- We may withhold or reverse commissions tied to fraud, chargebacks, refunds,
or any breach of these Terms.
- Approved, earned, and unpaid commissions accrued before termination are paid
on the next normal cycle, subject to the threshold and clawback rules above.
10. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes take effect [N] days
after we post them or notify you. Continued participation means you accept the
updated Terms.
11. DISCLAIMER & LIABILITY
The Program is provided "as is." To the maximum extent permitted by law, our
total liability under these Terms is limited to the commissions paid to you in
the [3] months before the claim.
12. GOVERNING LAW
These Terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION], without regard to its
conflict-of-laws rules.
Questions? Contact [AFFILIATE-EMAIL].How to use this template
- Replace every [BRACKETED] placeholder with your real numbers, dates, and contact details.
- Decide your attribution model and cookie window up front — they drive sections 4 and the rest of your tracking setup.
- Spell out exactly what counts as a qualified sale and what triggers a clawback (refunds, chargebacks, fraud) so there are no disputes later.
- Have a lawyer review sections 5 (tax), 11 (liability), and 12 (governing law) before publishing.
- Link to these terms from your affiliate sign-up page and require a checkbox acceptance at application time.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a substitute for legal advice?+
No. It's a structured starting point so you don't face a blank page. The tax, liability, and governing-law clauses in particular should be reviewed by a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction before you publish them.
What attribution window should I use?+
30 days last-click is the most common default and a reasonable starting point for most programs. Shorter windows (7–14 days) favor bottom-of-funnel partners like coupon sites; longer windows (60–90 days) reward content and review partners whose readers convert later.
Do I need a minimum payout threshold?+
It's optional but recommended. A threshold (commonly $25–$100) reduces transaction fees and admin overhead from many tiny payouts. State it clearly in section 5 so affiliates know when they'll be paid.
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