Hold periods and minimum payout thresholds are built-in safeguards that protect your budget and keep payment processing lean. Set them once during onboarding, and Modash handles the rest automatically.
How hold periods work
When a creator drives a sale, the earned commission doesn't become payable right away. It enters a hold period - a waiting window that accounts for potential returns, cancellations, and chargebacks.
If the customer returns the product during the hold period, the commission is automatically cancelled. No manual work needed.
If the hold period passes without a return, the commission moves to the creator's available balance and becomes eligible for payout.
Here's an example:
A customer purchases through a creator's link on June 15
Your hold period is set to 30 days
The commission becomes eligible on July 15
Eligible commissions are paid out from the 1st of the following month - in this case, August 1
This means you'll never pay out a commission before you're confident the sale is final.
How minimum payout thresholds work
Creators need to accumulate at least the minimum threshold amount before receiving a payout. The default minimum is $50, but this is customisable per brand.
If a creator has earned $35 and your threshold is $50, that balance carries forward to the next month. Once their total commissions reach $50 and the hold period has passed, the payout is included in the next payment cycle.
This keeps payment processing efficient by reducing the number of small transactions.
Commission on fulfilled orders only
You can also enable a setting to only pay commissions on fulfilled orders. This means creators only earn commission when an order is successfully delivered - not just placed. Cleaner data, fewer disputes, and you only reward real, completed sales.
Pro tip: Hold periods and minimum payout thresholds are confirmed with your Success Manager during affiliate onboarding. If you need to adjust them later, reach out to your Success Manager or hello@modash.io.
FAQs
FAQs
What's a typical hold period?
30-60 days is standard for most e-commerce businesses, matching common return windows. Choose a period that aligns with your return policy.
Can I change my hold period or minimum threshold after setup?
Yes. Reach out to your Success Manager or hello@modash.io to make changes. Hold periods and thresholds are set at the workspace level.
What if a creator never reaches the minimum threshold?
Balances carry forward indefinitely. The creator's earnings accumulate until they cross the threshold, at which point the payout is included in the next monthly cycle.
Can creators see their pending vs. available balance?
Yes. Creators can see both their held commissions and available balance in their own dashboard, so they always know where their earnings stand.
What happens if a customer returns a product after the hold period?
Once the hold period has passed, the commission is already cleared for payout. Returns after the hold period don't affect the creator's commission. That's why choosing the right hold period length is important.
Do these settings apply to fixed fee payments too?
No. Hold periods and minimum payout thresholds apply to affiliate commissions only. Fixed fee payments are approved and processed directly without a hold period.