Payouts & Billing

How Payouts Work

When affiliates earn commissions, the money flows through a simple lifecycle:

Conversion Created → Commission Pending → Payout Created → Payout Processing → Payout Completed

Payout Lifecycle

Status	Description
`pending`	Commission earned, waiting to reach payout threshold
`processing`	Merchant has started the external payment step
`completed`	Merchant marked the payout as paid
`failed`	External payment attempt failed and can be retried

Payout Thresholds

Affiliates become payout-eligible when approved commissions reach the threshold. You then create the manual payout record in AgentRef. Default threshold: $50 USD. Configurable per program.

Manual payout workflow

This is the active launch contract for payouts today. Affiliates save payout details in AgentRef using PayPal or bank transfer fields. Merchants then:

Create a payout record in AgentRef
Export or prepare the payout externally
Send the payment outside AgentRef
Mark the payout as processing, completed, or failed

AgentRef tracks the payout state and audit trail, but does not move money on the merchant’s behalf.

REST and SDKs can list pending affiliates, create payout records, list payout history, and read payout stats. Marking payout status, listing upcoming payouts, and exporting payout CSV files are currently available through Merchant MCP and the dashboard workflow.

Managing Payouts via API

List Payouts

const payouts = await client.payouts.list({
  programId: 'prg_abc123',
  status: 'pending',
})

payouts = client.payouts.list(
    program_id="prg_abc123",
    status="pending",
)

curl "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/payouts?programId=prg_abc123&status=pending" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY"

List Pending Affiliates

const pending = await client.payouts.listPending({
  programId: 'PROGRAM_ID',
})

pending = client.payouts.list_pending(program_id="PROGRAM_ID")

curl "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/payouts/pending?programId=PROGRAM_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY"

Create a Payout Record

const payout = await client.payouts.create({
  affiliateId: 'AFFILIATE_ID',
  programId: 'PROGRAM_ID',
  method: 'paypal',
  notes: 'April payout',
}, {
  idempotencyKey: 'payout-affiliate-april',
})

payout = client.payouts.create(
    affiliate_id="AFFILIATE_ID",
    program_id="PROGRAM_ID",
    method="paypal",
    notes="April payout",
    idempotency_key="payout-affiliate-april",
)

curl -X POST "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/payouts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: payout-affiliate-april" \
  -d '{
    "affiliateId": "AFFILIATE_ID",
    "programId": "PROGRAM_ID",
    "notes": "April payout"
  }'

Payout Statistics

const stats = await client.payouts.stats({
  programId: 'prg_abc123',
})
// { totalPaid, totalPending, totalFailed, count }

curl "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/payouts/stats?programId=prg_abc123" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY"

AgentRef Billing

AgentRef starts with a free tier and supports paid Starter, Growth, and Pro plans. Billing is managed from the dashboard and through the Billing API.

How It Works

$0 to start – no upfront cost, no credit card required
Upgrade when you need higher limits – paid plans unlock more storage, notifications, and operating room
No automatic downgrade – plan changes are merchant-initiated

Billing API

// View current billing status
const billing = await client.billing.current()

// View available tiers
const tiers = await client.billing.tiers()

# View billing status
curl "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/billing" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY"

# View tiers
curl "https://www.agentref.co/api/v1/billing/tiers" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_live_YOUR_KEY"

Billing is handled automatically through Stripe. You can view your usage and invoices in the AgentRef dashboard under Settings → Billing.

Getting Started

Merchant Guide

Agent Integration

Tracking

Integration Guides

Webhooks

For Affiliates

Resources

Payouts & Billing

How Payouts Work

Payout Lifecycle

Payout Thresholds

Manual payout workflow

Managing Payouts via API

List Payouts

List Pending Affiliates

Create a Payout Record

Payout Statistics

AgentRef Billing

How It Works

Billing API

​How Payouts Work

​Payout Lifecycle

​Payout Thresholds

​Manual payout workflow

​Managing Payouts via API

​List Payouts

​List Pending Affiliates

​Create a Payout Record

​Payout Statistics

​AgentRef Billing

​How It Works

​Billing API

How Payouts Work

Payout Lifecycle

Payout Thresholds

Manual payout workflow

Managing Payouts via API

List Payouts

List Pending Affiliates

Create a Payout Record

Payout Statistics

AgentRef Billing

How It Works

Billing API