Hold Period Settings

Overview

Hold periods allow you to delay when affiliate earnings become eligible for payout. This protects your business against refunds, chargebacks, and subscription cancellations by ensuring commissions are only paid out after a safe waiting period.

When a hold period is configured, affiliate earnings are divided into two categories:

• Total Earnings: All commissions earned, regardless of hold period
• Eligible Earnings: Commissions that have passed the hold period and are available for payout

Configuring Hold Periods

Setting Up Hold Periods

To configure a hold period for your affiliate program:

1. Log in to your Refgrow dashboard
2. Select your project
3. Navigate to Project Settings
4. Click on the Payouts tab
5. Find the "Hold Period Settings" section
6. Enter your desired hold period in days (0-365)
7. Click Save Settings

Hold Period Options

How Hold Periods Work

Earnings Calculation

When a conversion occurs, the system:

1. Records the conversion and calculates the commission
2. Adds the commission to the affiliate's Total Earnings
3. Checks if the conversion date is older than the hold period
4. If yes, adds the commission to Eligible Earnings
5. If no, the commission remains in the hold period

Example Scenario

Automatic Release

Earnings are automatically released from the hold period:

• The system checks daily for earnings that have passed their hold period
• Eligible earnings are immediately available for payout requests
• Affiliates see updated balances in their dashboard
• No manual intervention is required

Affiliate Experience

Dashboard Display

When hold periods are configured, affiliates see:

• Total Earnings: All commissions earned to date
• Available for Payout: Earnings eligible for withdrawal
• Pending Release: Earnings still in hold period with release dates
• Hold Period Policy: Information about your hold period settings

Payout Requests

When affiliates request payouts:

• Only eligible earnings are included in payout calculations
• Held earnings are clearly excluded from payout requests
• Affiliates can see when their next earnings will become available
• Minimum payout thresholds apply only to eligible earnings

Admin Management

Viewing Held Earnings

In your admin dashboard, you can:

• View total vs. eligible earnings for each affiliate
• See upcoming earnings release dates
• Filter affiliates by earnings status
• Export earnings reports with hold period breakdowns

Processing Payouts

When processing payouts:

• Bulk payout tools automatically use only eligible earnings
• Manual payout forms show eligible amounts
• Held earnings are protected from accidental payout
• Payout reports clearly distinguish between held and paid earnings

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Earnings Not Becoming Eligible

If earnings aren't being released from hold period:

1. Check that the conversion date is older than your hold period
2. Verify the hold period is configured correctly in project settings
3. Ensure the system's daily processing is running (contact support if needed)
4. Check for any system-wide issues or maintenance windows

Affiliate Confusion About Hold Periods

To reduce affiliate confusion:

1. Add clear explanations to your affiliate onboarding materials
2. Include hold period information in email notifications
3. Provide examples of how hold periods work
4. Consider creating FAQ documentation for affiliates

Changing Hold Periods

When modifying hold periods:

1. Changes only apply to new conversions going forward
2. Existing held earnings maintain their original release dates
3. Communicate changes to affiliates in advance
4. Consider the impact on affiliate cash flow and satisfaction

API Integration

When using the Refgrow API, hold period information is included in affiliate and earnings responses:

• eligible_earnings: Earnings available for payout
• held_earnings: Earnings still in hold period
• next_release_date: When next earnings become eligible

See the API Reference for complete documentation on hold period fields.