Affiliate payments: terms, thresholds and timing

Most affiliate programmes pay once a month, somewhere between the 10th working day and 60 days after the month closes, provided your balance clears a minimum. The useful detail sits in the terms: what starts the clock, who raises the invoice, which payment methods carry higher minimums, and what happens to money left in the account. We read the published affiliate terms of eight programmes in October 2026 and set them out side by side below.

How an affiliate payment cycle works

Commission is worked out per calendar month. On revenue share that is your percentage of the month's NGR. On CPA it is the number of qualifying players multiplied by the agreed fee. The operator produces a statement, and payment follows on the schedule in its payment terms.

Three things decide when money actually lands:

• The trigger. Some programmes pay automatically. Others wait for you to request a payout or send an invoice. bet365 pays valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days of receiving them, so its clock starts with your invoice, not the month end.
• The deadline. Published timings run from the 10th working day of the following month (Super Partners) to up to 60 days after month end (Entain).
• The threshold. Below the payment threshold, the balance rolls forward to the next month.

Payment terms compared across eight programmes

Worth knowing

Terms change often. These were read in October 2026 from each programme's own published terms, and the clause numbers are there so you can check the current wording. "Not stated" means we did not find it in the published terms, not that the programme has no rule.

Thresholds and methods: pick the method that suits your volume

Published minimums run from US$5 (William Hill e-wallets) to €700 (Super Partners bank wire). The method you choose can change the threshold more than the programme does:

• At William Hill, an e-wallet payout has a US$5 minimum and a wire payout £50 or €50.
• At Super Partners, bank wire is used only when €700 or more is owed. Below that, the balance rolls forward, or is paid by wire at the affiliate's cost if you ask. Web wallets have a €100 minimum.
• Rank sets its threshold by where you are: £50 for UK affiliates, £150 for everyone else.
• bet365 pays by bank wire only, with a minimum that depends on your account currency.

If your monthly earnings are modest, a method with a lower minimum gets money to you sooner. Check the method's own fees and currency conversion before choosing.

Money left in the account does not always stay there

Several programmes act on balances that sit unclaimed or never reach the minimum:

• bet365 may apply a 2% monthly "Balance Reduction" to withdrawable balances over £200 left for three months. A balance not withdrawn within 12 months is forfeited.
• Entain rolls amounts under £100 forward. If £100 is not reached within 12 months, the balance can be voided.
• LeoVegas writes off unclaimed amounts after 24 months.
• William Hill can reduce balances on accounts inactive for six months by 50% after giving notice, and then retain the balance in full after 45 days.

Affiliate view

Diary a payout request every month, even when it is small. On programmes where you must request payment, a forgotten balance can shrink or disappear under the published terms, and that is hard to dispute later.

Invoicing and self-billing

There are two broad models in the terms we read.

You invoice the operator. bet365 raises a statement and you use it to issue an invoice. LeoVegas pays once a valid invoice or payment request has been submitted and a valid payment method is registered. At FDJ United, UK VAT-registered affiliates invoice Kindred (London) Ltd in GBP, adding UK VAT.

The operator raises the paperwork. Entain raises revenue share automatically and needs no invoice unless it asks for one. FDJ United pays non-UK-VAT affiliates automatically, with invoices generated in its platform, which is self-billing in effect.

One inconsistency to be aware of: FDJ United's FAQ says UK VAT invoices are due before the 5th of the month, while its March 2026 terms say after the 10th working day. If that applies to you, ask your account manager which date they work to and get the answer in writing.

VAT: what the programmes' terms say

Worth knowing

This section reports what programmes' terms and HMRC's guidance say. It is not tax advice. Your VAT position depends on your own circumstances, so check it with your own tax adviser.

• bet365 states that affiliates contracting with Hillside (Sports) GP Limited in Gibraltar supply services "outside the scope of VAT and no VAT is chargeable". For Hillside (Marketing Malta) Limited, the Maltese company accounts for VAT under the reverse charge.
• 888 says amounts paid are "inclusive of any VAT" and that it will not increase payment if tax applies (5.9).
• Rank says amounts paid are inclusive of value-added tax (7.14).
• LeoVegas says fees are exclusive of taxes and the affiliate is responsible for them (5.4.4).

HMRC's general rule for business-to-business services is that "the supply is made where the customer belongs" (VAT Notice 741A, section 6.3). So the operator entity you contract with, whether in Gibraltar, Malta or the UK, matters to your VAT treatment.

Other things that delay or reduce a payment

• Negative months. Programmes treat a month where players win more than they lose differently. Some carry the negative forward against future commission. Our guide to negative carryover covers which ones do.
• Fraud reviews. 888 can withhold payment during fraud reviews of up to 180 days (5.19).
• Withheld commission. Reasons programmes give, and how to challenge them, are in when affiliate payments are withheld.

What affiliates should check before signing

Affiliate view

Read the payment clause before the commission clause. A good rate paid 60 days late, in a currency you then convert, with a threshold you rarely clear, is worth less than it looks.

• When is payment due, and what starts the clock: month end, your request, or your invoice?
• What is the minimum for the method you will actually use?
• Which currencies are paid, and who bears conversion and wire costs?
• Who raises the invoice, and which legal entity is it addressed to?
• Are amounts inclusive or exclusive of VAT?
• What happens to small or unclaimed balances, and after how long?
• How long is any fraud review, and what is the window to dispute a statement?

What operators should publish

Operator view

Every question above is one your affiliate manager will otherwise answer by email, one affiliate at a time. Putting the answers in the public terms costs nothing and removes a common source of friction.

A clear payment section states:

• The payment date and what triggers it.
• The minimum for each payment method, as a figure. Of the eight programmes we read, only bet365 did not publish one in its terms.
• Currencies paid and who bears transfer costs.
• The invoicing model and the contracting entity.
• The VAT position as you understand it.
• Rules for dormant and below-threshold balances, with time limits.
• The dispute window for statements.

Checklist

• Save a dated copy of the payment terms you signed up under.
• Set the payout method with the lowest minimum that suits your costs.
• Diary monthly payout requests and invoice deadlines.
• Confirm the contracting entity and take tax advice on VAT.
• Check each statement against your own records before you invoice.