Free Affiliate Agreement Template

An affiliate agreement is a contract between a business and a partner who promotes its products in exchange for a commission. It records how the partner earns, what they are allowed to say, and how long the arrangement runs.

Affiliates go by many names. Publishers, creators, referral partners, and brand ambassadors all work the same basic way, so the title matters far less than the written terms.

Most programs share a simple shape. The business supplies tracking links and approved marketing assets, then the partner drives traffic and earns a share of each resulting sale.

Without something in writing, both sides work from memory. That becomes expensive the moment a large commission comes due, or when a partner publishes a claim the business never approved.

The document also does quiet work day to day. It gives your team one place to point when a partner asks how refunds affect payouts, and it gives partners confidence that the rules will not shift without notice.

Put terms in writing whenever someone will be paid for sending you customers.

Common triggers include:

• Launching a referral program — gives every partner one consistent set of rules.
• Signing a single creator or influencer — covers disclosure, approved messaging, and payment timing.
• Partnering with a newsletter or review site — settles tracking, attribution, and how refunds are handled.
• Paying a consultant on commission — keeps a partner relationship clearly separate from employment.

The document works just as hard from the other side. If you promote other companies’ products, a signed affiliate agreement protects commissions you have already earned when a program later changes its rates.

Tip: Ask about the tracking window before you commit. A program that credits a click for 30 days and one that credits only the same browsing session will pay very differently on identical traffic.

A strong contract answers four questions in order: who, what, how much, and for how long.

Parties and Program Scope

Name the business and the partner, then describe which products or services earn commission. A narrow scope prevents arguments when a new product line launches.

Commission Structure

State the rate, the amount it applies to, and whether it is flat or tiered. Say plainly what happens to commission on refunds, chargebacks, and cancelled orders.

Tracking and Attribution

Explain how sales get credited, whether through unique links, coupon codes, or a partner dashboard. Include the attribution window so both sides know when a click stops counting.

Payment Terms

Set the payout schedule, the minimum threshold, and the payment method. Clear timing here prevents the majority of partner disputes.

Promotional Rules

List what partners may and may not do. Many programs restrict bidding on branded search terms, unsolicited email, and specific earnings claims.

Term and Termination

Say how long the arrangement lasts and how either side can end it. Address whether pending commissions are still paid after the relationship ends.

Independent Contractor Status

Confirm that the partner is not an employee and cannot sign contracts on the company’s behalf. Add a short confidentiality clause covering sales data and program terms.

Commission is earned when a tracked action happens, so the tracking method decides who gets paid.

Programs usually pay on one of three events:

1. A completed sale, priced as a percentage of order value.
2. A qualified lead, such as a demo request or a trial signup.
3. A flat bounty per new customer, common with subscriptions.

Attribution settles the harder cases. When two partners touch the same buyer, the contract should say whether the first or the last referral wins, and both sides should agree on that rule before the first payout.

Also plan for reversals. Refunds and failed payments claw back commission, and a contract that ignores them leaves the business absorbing the loss quietly.

Tip: Set a payout threshold you can live with. A low minimum creates constant small transfers, while a high one can leave smaller partners waiting months to see anything.

Most affiliate arrangements are ordinary business contracts, so what matters is clear terms and proof that both sides agreed.

Beyond that, rules on advertising disclosure, contractor classification, and tax reporting vary by state and by industry. Check your state’s official website, then confirm program-specific obligations with the company running the program.

Two questions are worth settling in writing:

• Who is responsible for disclosing the paid relationship in published content?
• How will earnings be reported at the end of the tax year?

Regulated categories deserve extra care. If your program promotes financial products, health claims, or alcohol, or if partners operate in other countries, an hour with a local attorney is money well spent.

Both parties sign and date the document, and each keeps a copy.

Electronic signatures are the norm in this space, since partners are often in another city or another country. With Document Genius, you can send your affiliate agreement for e-signature and keep the executed version with the rest of your business contracts.

Larger programs tend to keep one master document and attach a short schedule for anyone on custom rates. That approach keeps the paperwork consistent without freezing everyone into a single commission structure.

Revisit the terms once a year, or sooner if your pricing changes. Rates, product lists, and payout thresholds go stale faster than the rest of the contract.

Build your affiliate agreement now and have it ready for partners today.