Partner Federation — last updated September 2026

How Partners Actually Get Paid: Payout Methods, Thresholds & Timing

Once you’ve earned a commission — whether it’s CPA, revenue share, lot rebate, or spread share — the practical question is how, when, and in what form that money actually shows up. This is the operational side of partnership programs that most pages skip entirely, and it varies from broker to broker. Here’s how it typically works.

• Payout methods: bank wire, crypto, e-wallets
• How often you get paid
• Minimum payout thresholds
• What currency you’re paid in
• Reinvesting into a trading account
• What happens if your client blows their account
• FAQ

Payout methods: bank wire, crypto, e-wallets

Most brokers offer a mix of payout methods: bank wire, crypto (usually a USDT or other major stablecoin), and e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. Exactly which methods are on offer — and which one is fastest or cheapest — varies by broker; some support all of the above, others only two or three.

Crypto (typically USDT) has become the most commonly preferred method among partners, largely because network fees are low and settlement is close to instant compared with a bank wire. Bank wire remains the most universal option but is usually the slowest, and can carry the highest minimum thresholds and fees. E-wallets sit in between on both speed and cost.

As an illustration of how much this can vary by method: one payments-industry guide puts typical bank-wire minimums at $500–$1,000 with $25–$50 flat fees, e-wallet minimums at $100–$250 with 1–4% fees, and crypto minimums as low as $50–$100 with just a $1–$10 network fee — a big part of why crypto has become the default choice for partners who don’t want a balance sitting locked up while it waits to clear a higher wire threshold.

How often you get paid

Payout schedules vary from daily to weekly to monthly, and monthly remains the most common default across the industry. Some programs offer weekly or even on-demand payouts to higher-volume partners, sometimes gated behind a minimum balance or additional KYC.

One industry guide characterizes monthly (net-30) as still the default cadence, with bi-weekly and weekly increasingly offered to high-volume affiliates, and on-demand payouts emerging as a perk reserved for top-tier partners.

Minimum payout thresholds

Most brokers set a minimum payout threshold — commonly around $50 — below which your commission balance simply keeps accumulating rather than being paid out. If you’re under the threshold at the end of a payout cycle, the balance rolls forward to the next one rather than being forfeited. Higher-friction methods like bank wire tend to carry higher minimums than crypto, for the same reasons covered above.

What currency you’re paid in

Commissions are typically calculated and paid in USD, regardless of which currency a referred client trades or deposits in. If you want to be paid in a different currency, that’s something to negotiate directly with the broker — it’s not the default, and it usually requires a prior agreement rather than being an automatic option in the partner portal.

Reinvesting into a trading account

Nearly every broker makes it simple to transfer your accumulated commission straight into a trading account instead of withdrawing it — useful if you also trade with the broker you’re referring clients to and would rather compound your commission than cash it out. This is typically an instant internal transfer rather than an external payout, so it doesn’t need to wait on payout schedules or minimum thresholds the same way a withdrawal does.

What happens if your client blows their account

This is one of the most common points of confusion for new partners, and it covers two very different situations that get handled very differently.

Normal trading losses. If your client’s balance drops to zero through legitimate trading — a string of losing trades that empties the account — that alone is not a reason for a broker to claw back commission you already earned. This matters most for revenue share and lot rebate specifically: both models are calculated against volume and spread markup actually generated, not against the client’s outcome. A losing client can still generate real spread markup and lot volume right up until the account hits zero, and a broker doesn’t reverse commission on trades that were real and settled just because the client ultimately lost. Many brokers also offer Negative Balance Protection, which stops the client’s own account from going below zero after an extreme loss — that protects the client, not your already-earned commission, and doesn’t change how partner payouts work.

Chargebacks and payment reversals. What does get clawed back is commission tied to a deposit that’s later reversed — a chargeback, a reclaimed bank transfer, a disputed card payment. Since CPA (and, less commonly, some revenue share triggers) is tied to a client’s first deposit clearing, a reversed deposit typically means the broker reverses the commission that deposit generated too. This is a fraud and payment-integrity issue, not a trading-outcome issue, and it’s the same category of risk covered in full on Partner Fraud & Prohibited Practices.

Holdback periods. Because of that chargeback risk, most brokers hold a newly-earned commission for a short window — commonly somewhere in the range of one to four weeks — before it’s confirmed and released for payout, rather than paying it out the moment a deposit or trade happens. This holdback is standard fraud-detection practice, not a sign anything is wrong with a specific payout.

If a payout is delayed beyond what’s typical here, or a broker stops paying altogether, see What to Do If a Broker Stops Paying Your Commissions for what real recourse looks like.

Some partners are offered a rate well above a broker’s standard payout because the broker has marked up the client’s spread to fund it — see Markups Explained for how that works and what to check before you agree to one.

FAQ

How often do partners get paid?
It varies by broker — options span daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly, with monthly still the most common default. Some programs offer faster or on-demand payouts to higher-volume partners.

What’s a typical minimum payout threshold?
Commonly around $50, though it varies by broker and payment method — bank wire minimums tend to run higher than crypto or e-wallet minimums. Balances under the threshold simply roll over to the next payout cycle.

What currency will I be paid in?
Almost always USD, unless you’ve made a prior arrangement with the broker for a different currency.

Which payment method is most common among partners?
Crypto — typically a USDT stablecoin — has become the most commonly preferred option, mainly because of low fees and near-instant settlement compared with a bank wire. Bank wire, PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are all still widely offered alongside it.

Can I reinvest my commission into a trading account instead of withdrawing it?
Yes — most brokers let you transfer your commission balance directly into a trading account as an instant internal transfer, which is a common option for partners who also trade.

If my referred client loses their entire account balance, do I lose my commission?
No, not for a normal trading loss — commission already earned on real trading activity isn’t clawed back just because the client’s account eventually went to zero. Commission is reversed for fraud or payment issues, like a chargeback on the original deposit, not for ordinary market outcomes.

Related terms

Negative Balance Protection · KYC · CPA Affiliates · Revenue Share · Lot Rebate · Spread Share · Partner Fraud & Prohibited Practices · Partner Commission Taxation · Cashback · Running Multiple Broker Relationships · Metrics That Matter · Negotiating Your Rate