Affiliate earnings calculator
Most affiliate calculators multiply a commission rate by a plan price and call it income. This one models each monthly cohort separately and applies churn, because that is what actually happens.
How the calculation works
Referrals arrive every month, and each month's cohort decays at the retention rate you set. A cohort stops paying once it passes the commission window. Year-one revenue is the sum of every active cohort's contribution across twelve months, not a single month multiplied by twelve.
The first month's referrals, before any churn has occurred.
Every cohort summed across twelve months, with retention applied and the commission window enforced.
What you earn in month twelve alone — the recurring base you carry into year two.
Total commission from a single referral across the whole window, discounted for churn.
Three real structures, compared
These are verified terms from the directory. Load each into the calculator to see how differently they behave over two years.
$50–$450 one-time per sale depending on toolkit, plus $10 per free trial activation
- Commission
- $50–$450
- Window
- One-time
Set recurring months to 0 — this is a one-time bounty.
30% monthly recurring commission for up to 12 months per referred customer
- Commission
- 30%
- Window
- 12 months
Set recurring months to 12 to enforce the cap.
30% lifetime recurring commission on paid plans
- Commission
- 30%
- Window
- Lifetime
Set recurring months to 36 or more to model a lifetime program over a realistic horizon.
Calculator FAQs
What does "monthly retention" mean here?
The share of referred customers still subscribed at the end of each month. At 85% retention, 100 referrals become about 85 after one month and about 54 after four. It is the single biggest driver of what a recurring program is actually worth, and almost no vendor publishes it — you are estimating.
How do I model a one-time bounty program?
Set recurring months to 0. The calculator then treats each referral as a single payment and ignores retention entirely, which is exactly how a bounty behaves. Enter the bounty amount as the plan value and 100 as the commission rate.
Why is year-one revenue lower than referrals times commission times twelve?
Because referrals arrive throughout the year rather than all in January, and some churn. A referral acquired in month ten only pays for three months of that year. The calculator models each monthly cohort separately, which is why the number is lower — and more realistic — than the simple multiplication most calculators do.
Are these numbers guaranteed?
No. They are estimates based on the assumptions you enter. They exclude approval rates, refunds and clawbacks, payout thresholds, currency conversion, tax, and the fact that referrals are not evenly distributed across months. Treat the output as a comparison tool between two programs, not a forecast of your income.
What retention rate should I assume?
It depends heavily on the product. Accounting software, email platforms and hosting retain very well — 92–97% monthly is not unusual. Funnel builders, AI writing tools and anything bought on impulse retain far worse. If you have no data, 85% is a reasonable middle assumption and 95% is optimistic.
Compare programs on real numbers
Every record shows commission, recurring window, cookie duration, payout threshold and the date it was last verified.