Paying affiliates: monthly batches, PayPal and Wise mass payouts, W-9 and W-8BEN

Most affiliate platforms do not move money. They compute what is owed, produce a file, and the business pays from its own account. This keeps the platform out of money-transmitter rules and keeps the business in control of its cash.

The monthly cycle

1. Commission records mature: anything whose hold period has passed and has not been reversed becomes available.
2. The platform groups available amounts by partner and by currency, applies the minimum payout, and creates a batch for the period.
3. You export the batch as a PayPal mass-payout CSV or a Wise batch CSV and upload it in that account.
4. After the transfers go out you mark the batch paid; partners see the date and the amount, and the records move to paid.

What the file contains

One row per partner: the payout email or Wise recipient, the amount, the currency, and a note with the period. Partners with no payout method or below the minimum are listed separately so you can nudge them rather than silently skipping them. Negative balances from refunds reduce the next payout instead of being forgiven.

Tax forms

If your business is in the United States, the IRS expects you to collect a W-9 from US partners and a W-8BEN from non-US partners before paying them, and to issue a 1099-NEC to US partners paid $600 or more in a calendar year (the threshold is scheduled to rise to $2,000 for payments made in 2026). The obligation sits with the payer, which is you, not the platform. Collect the form once, verify the name and tax ID, and keep it on file.

Practical settings

• Minimum payout: $50 keeps transfer fees sensible.
• Hold period: 30 days for monthly subscriptions, 60 if you offer long refund windows.
• Currency: pay in the currency you invoice in; keep one balance per currency.
• Statements: give partners a monthly statement with every record and every payment so support questions answer themselves.