This SaaS affiliate program example uses a 25% recurring commission, a 90-day cookie, and monthly net-30 payouts after a 30-day validation period. The worked example shows the CAC, gross-profit impact, refund handling, and written terms behind those numbers.

If you still need the strategic setup, start with [how to set up a SaaS affiliate program](/en/blog/how-to-set-up-affiliate-program-saas). For payout methods, thresholds and tax workflow, read [how to pay affiliates in SaaS](/en/blog/how-to-pay-affiliates-saas).

## The SaaS company

Use this fictional but realistic case:

| Input | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Product | B2B analytics SaaS |
| Main plan | $99/month |
| Gross margin | 85% |
| Paid acquisition CAC | $240 |
| Refund window | 30 days |
| Target customers | Founder-led B2B SaaS teams |
| Sales cycle | Trial, then subscription within 14-45 days |

The goal is not to build the most generous program. The goal is to create a program that is attractive enough for good partners while staying inside the CAC envelope.

## The affiliate offer

This is the public-facing offer an affiliate would see.

| Term | Example setting | Why it works |
|------|-----------------|--------------|
| Commission | 25% recurring for the first 12 paid months | Easy to understand and aligned with subscription revenue |
| Cookie window | 90 days | Covers trial, demo and delayed purchase paths |
| Attribution | First-click, server-side, customer-level | Rewards the partner who introduced the product |
| Approval | Application required | Filters out coupon-only and low-fit partners |
| Payout validation | Commission becomes payable after the 30-day refund window | Prevents paying on refunded revenue |
| Payout schedule | Monthly, net-30 | Gives the merchant time to reconcile refunds and failed invoices |
| Minimum payout | $50 | Avoids tiny transfers while remaining reachable for new affiliates |
| Payment methods | Bank transfer for domestic partners, PayPal for international partners | Covers most early-stage affiliate rosters |

The headline version is simple: **25% recurring commission, 90-day cookie, monthly net-30 payouts after a 30-day validation period**.

## The commission math

For one referred customer on the $99/month plan:

| Month | Customer pays | Affiliate earns | Merchant keeps before platform costs |
|-------|---------------|------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 1 | $99.00 | $24.75 | $74.25 |
| 3 | $297.00 | $74.25 | $222.75 |
| 6 | $594.00 | $148.50 | $445.50 |
| 12 | $1,188.00 | $297.00 | $891.00 |

The 12-month affiliate CAC is $297. That is slightly above the company's $240 paid CAC, but it is performance-based and spread over revenue as it arrives. If the affiliate sends lower-churn customers than paid ads, the economics can still work.

Gross-profit view:

| Metric | Calculation | Result |
|--------|-------------|--------|
| 12-month revenue | $99 x 12 | $1,188.00 |
| 12-month gross profit | $1,188 x 85% | $1,009.80 |
| 12-month commission | $1,188 x 25% | $297.00 |
| Commission as gross-profit share | $297 / $1,009.80 | 29.4% |

That is the number to watch. If the commission share of gross profit climbs above your CAC target, reduce the duration, add tiers only for high-quality partners, or pay a lower rate after month 12.

## The first payout example

Assume an affiliate sends eight paid customers in March.

| Event | Count | Commission impact |
|-------|-------|-------------------|
| Paid conversions in March | 8 | 8 x $24.75 = $198.00 pending |
| Refunds during April validation | 1 | -$24.75 removed |
| Payable conversions after validation | 7 | $173.25 payable |
| Payout timing | End of May | Monthly net-30 after validation |

The affiliate sees $198.00 as pending, then $173.25 as payable after the refund window. Because the payable balance is above the $50 threshold, the payout is sent in the next monthly cycle.

This avoids the worst version of affiliate payouts: paying instantly, then manually chasing a clawback after a refund or chargeback.

## The rules affiliates need in writing

The program terms should be short enough to understand and specific enough to enforce.

Use clauses like these:

- Commission is calculated only on paid subscription revenue, excluding tax, credits, refunds and chargebacks.
- Trial signups do not create commission until the subscription is paid.
- Refunded invoices remove unpaid commission from the affiliate balance.
- Chargebacks or confirmed fraud can reverse unpaid commission and trigger account review.
- Brand search ads, coupon-site submissions and fake reviews require written approval.
- Affiliates must disclose the commercial relationship in content that includes affiliate links.

Those rules prevent a friendly growth channel from becoming an accounting dispute.

## When to add tiers

Start with one rate. Add tiers only after you can measure partner quality.

Example tier model:

| Tier | Requirement | Commission |
|------|-------------|------------|
| Standard | 1-5 active referred customers/month | 25% recurring for 12 months |
| Growth | 6-15 active referred customers/month and refund rate below 8% | 30% recurring for 12 months |
| Partner | 16+ active referred customers/month and shared launch plan | Custom rate or fixed bonus |

Do not raise commission just because an affiliate sends volume. Raise it when the volume is incremental, qualified and low-refund.

## Copy this structure

For an early SaaS program, use this as your starting configuration:

- 25% recurring commission for the first 12 paid months
- 90-day attribution window
- First-click attribution with server-side customer matching
- 30-day validation period before commission becomes payable
- Monthly net-30 payouts
- $50 minimum payout threshold
- Application review before approval
- Written rules for refunds, chargebacks, branded search and disclosure

Then model the numbers against your own price, margin and CAC. A $39/month product may need a lower rate or a shorter commission duration. A $499/month product may work better with a fixed bounty plus a smaller recurring percentage.

## Build the example in RefCampaign

RefCampaign supports this structure with recurring commissions, validation states, payout thresholds, affiliate portals and Stripe-aware attribution.

[Start a free trial](https://app.refcampaign.com/auth/signup?locale=en) and create the example program with your own price, refund window and payout threshold.