How it works
How to calculate affiliate commission
Punch in your numbers
Add the product price, how many sales you made, and your commission percentage. The calculator does the rest.
Subtract the stuff that eats into profits
Platform fees, refund rates, fixed monthly charges. If you promote a subscription product, set the recurring months too.
Check what you actually keep
You get your net commission for a single payout, plus total recurring earnings if it is a subscription. Use it to compare programs and pick the one that pays best.
How to make more per sale
A few things that actually move the needle on affiliate income.
Go for bigger ticket items
A 5% cut on a $200 product beats 20% on a $10 product. Price matters more than rate in most cases.
Pick recurring over one-time
SaaS and subscription programs keep paying month after month. One sale can earn you 12 or 24 commissions instead of just one.
Push back on platform fees
If you are sending real volume, ask for a lower processing fee. Most networks have room to negotiate, but only if you ask.
Cut refunds by matching audience to product
Refunds tank your earnings. The best fix is sending the right people to the right product so they do not buy something they will return.
Run the numbers for each program
Do not assume a higher commission rate means more money. A program with 30% and 15% refunds can pay less than one with 15% and zero refunds.
Check estimates against real payouts
This calculator gives you a forecast. Compare it to what actually lands in your account each month and adjust your inputs.
More free tools
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- Markup calculatorRetail price, profit per unit and margin from your cost.
- Psychological pricing toolSix price variants for one target price, with the reasoning.
- Discount calculatorSale price and savings for any percentage off.
FAQ
Questions, answered
It takes your product price times the number of sales to get total revenue. Then it applies your commission rate to get gross commission. After that it subtracts platform fees (percentage of gross), estimated refund losses, and any fixed charges. What is left is your net commission. If you set recurring months above 1, it also shows total payout over the full subscription period.
Gross is the full amount before anything gets taken out. Net is what you actually receive after the platform takes its cut, refunds eat into your earnings, and fixed fees are deducted. Most affiliates focus on gross and then wonder why payouts look smaller. Net is the number that matters.
On your commission. That is how most affiliate networks do it. So if you earned $500 in gross commission and the platform fee is 5%, they take $25 from your commission, not from the total sale amount.
It is for subscription affiliate programs where you get paid every month the customer stays subscribed. Enter how many months you expect the average customer to stick around. The calculator multiplies your net one-time payout by that number. For one-time products, leave it at 1.
Yes, that is one of the best uses. Run the numbers for each program separately and compare the net commission. You will often find that a lower commission rate with better fees or lower refunds pays more than a flashy high-rate offer.
It depends on the product type. SaaS and digital products usually offer 20% to 50%. Physical products are more like 5% to 15%. But rate alone does not tell you much. A 10% recurring commission on a $100/month SaaS product is worth $120/year per customer. A one-time 30% on a $20 ebook is $6. Run both through the calculator and compare.
More than most people think. When a customer refunds, the affiliate network claws back your commission on that sale. If your refund rate is 10%, you are losing a tenth of everything you earn. The best way to keep it low is to promote products that actually deliver on their promises.
No. This is a planning tool, not an accounting tool. It does not handle tiered rates, attribution windows, chargebacks, or subscriber churn curves. Use it to compare programs and estimate what to expect, then check against your actual payout reports.
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