Set up an affiliate program in WHMCS

An affiliate program rewards customers and partners who send you new clients. WHMCS has one built in: affiliates get a referral link, WHMCS tracks signups with a cookie and credits commission when the referred client pays. This guide shows how to configure it so it is profitable and resistant to abuse.

Before you start

• Decide your commission model: percentage of the first payment, recurring commission, or a fixed amount per sale.
• Decide how you pay: account credit (cheap and simple) or cash payouts by PayPal or bank transfer.

Enable the affiliate system

1. Go to Configuration → System Settings → General Settings.
2. Open the Affiliates tab.
3. Tick Enable.
4. Set the options:
   • Affiliate Earning Percentage – the default commission, for example 15%.
   • Affiliate Bonus Deposit – an optional amount credited when someone joins.
   • Affiliate Payout Amount – the balance required before a withdrawal request, for example 50.
   • Affiliate Commission Delay – days before a commission becomes available, for example 30, so refunds and fraud are caught first.
   • Payout Request – lets affiliates request payouts; WHMCS opens a ticket for you.
   • Affiliate Links – the HTML banners and text links shown to affiliates.
5. Click Save Changes.

Per-product commissions

1. Go to Configuration → System Settings → Products/Services and edit a product.
2. Open the Other tab.
3. Under Affiliate Payout, choose Use Default, Percentage, Fixed Amount or No Commission.
4. Tick One Time Payout to pay only on the first invoice instead of every renewal.

Disable commissions on low-margin products such as domains so you never pay more than you earn.

How clients become affiliates

Clients click Affiliates in the client area and Activate Affiliate Account. They get a link like https://billing.example.com/aff.php?aff=12 and can see clicks, signups, pending and available commissions. You can also activate a client as an affiliate from their profile.

Manage affiliates

• Go to Clients → Manage Affiliates to see every affiliate, their balance and referrals.
• Open an affiliate to adjust the commission rate for that person, add or remove referrals manually, or change the balance.
• When a payout is due, record a Withdrawal after you pay, or transfer the balance to the client's credit.

Prevent abuse

• Use the commission delay so refunds are reversed before payout.
• Watch for self-referrals (same IP or payment details as the affiliate).
• Publish clear affiliate terms, including forbidden practices such as bidding on your brand name in ads.

Troubleshooting

• Referral not tracked: the visitor used another browser or blocked cookies. Add the referral manually from the affiliate page.
• Commission not credited: the invoice is unpaid, the product has no commission, or the delay has not passed.
• Affiliates menu missing: the affiliate system is disabled in General Settings.

Next steps

• Create promotions and coupon codes.
• Edit affiliate email templates.
• Set up products.