Auto-pay Overview & Processing Fees
What is Autopay?
Autopay pays your affiliates from a card or bank account that you connect. Stripe processes the payments. This article explains the fees. For the set-up steps and the monthly schedule, see How to Set Up Autopay and Pay Your Affiliates.
Understanding Processing Fees
When you use our Auto-pay system to pay commissions to your affiliates, a processing fee is applied to each transaction. This fee is paid by you, the merchant, in addition to the full commission amount earned by your affiliate. These fees cover the costs associated with securely and efficiently processing these payments through our platform and payment partners, including any costs related to currency conversion if applicable. We aim to keep these fees transparent.
Fee Structure:
The processing fee that you, the merchant, will pay is based on your selected merchant plan and on the payment method that you connect to Autopay. The table below outlines the fee structure:
|
Payment Method |
Starter Plan |
Basic Plan |
Pro Plan |
Premium Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank account (US bank account, SEPA Direct Debit, Canadian Pre-authorized Debit or Bacs Direct Debit) |
3.9% |
3.9% |
3.9% |
2.9% |
Card (credit or debit) |
8.9% |
8.9% |
8.9% |
6.9% |
Your affiliate will always receive the full commission amount they have earned. The processing fee is an additional cost to you. For example, if an affiliate has earned $100 in commission, and your applicable processing fee (based on your plan and the transaction type) is 3.9%, the fee amount would be $3.90. In this scenario:
Your affiliate receives: $100.00
Your processing fee: $3.90
Your total cost for this payout: $103.90
You can view a detailed breakdown of all commission payouts and the associated fees in your merchant dashboard. These fees are essential for covering the transaction costs charged by our payment processor, facilitating currency conversions where needed, and maintaining a robust and secure payment infrastructure for your affiliate program.
Low Volume Fee
From November 1, 2026, Autopay adds a low volume fee to each affiliate payout under a set amount. Our payment partners charge a fixed cost for each payout, and a percentage fee does not cover that cost on a small payout.
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Amount: 2 USD for each affiliate payout under 25 USD.
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Your currency: You see and pay the fee in your store currency, for example 2 EUR for each payout under 20 EUR, 1.50 GBP under 20 GBP, 3 CAD under 35 CAD and 3 AUD under 35 AUD. Simple Affiliate shows the amounts for your currency on the Plans page and in Settings > Payout.
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When it applies: The fee applies one time to each affiliate whose payout amount is under the limit. A payout at or above the limit has no low volume fee. PayPal and store credit payouts have no low volume fee.
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Where you see it: Each Autopay payout shows the low volume fee on its own line, with the number of payouts under the limit. Your invoice shows the same line.
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How to avoid it: In Settings > Payout, set the payout threshold to the limit or more. Monthly payments then wait until the balance of an affiliate reaches the threshold.
For example, a monthly payment on the Pro plan by bank account pays one affiliate $20.00 and another affiliate $100.00:
Your affiliates receive: $120.00
Your processing fee (3.9%): $4.68
Your low volume fee (1 payout under $25.00): $2.00
Your total cost for this payout, before any sales tax: $126.68
During a 0% Autopay fee period, the low volume fee does not apply.
Tax Documentation: Form 1099-K for U.S. Affiliates
For eligible U.S. affiliates paid with Autopay, Simple Affiliate can facilitate IRS Forms 1099-K and 1099-NEC. See Does Simple Affiliate file 1099 tax forms? Ask a tax professional about the tax duties of your business.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
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Q: Is there a minimum amount an affiliate needs to earn before I pay them?
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A: You can set a minimum payout threshold in Settings > Payout. Monthly payments include an affiliate only when the balance reaches the threshold. A threshold equal to the low volume fee limit or more (25 USD, or the amount for your currency) removes the low volume fee from monthly payments.
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Q: Why does my payout show a low volume fee?
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A: The payout includes one or more affiliates whose payout amount is under the limit (25 USD, or the amount for your currency). The line shows how many payouts are under the limit and the fee for each one.
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Q: How can I track the payments I've made and the fees applied?
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A: The "Payments" section in the app provides a detailed history of all payouts, including the full commission amount paid to them and the separate processing fees charged to you.
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