Turning On KYC
Go to Settings → KYC & Tax Forms and switch on Collect KYC from affiliates. KYC is off by default, so nothing changes for your affiliates until you turn it on.
Under What affiliates provide choose what to ask for. Personal details are always collected; the rest is up to you:
- Identity document
- Selfie
- Proof of address
- Business documents (business accounts only)
- Tax form — filled in and e-signed online, with no printing or scanning
Add a Note to affiliates to explain why you ask. It is shown at the top of their verification page and improves completion.
Tax Forms
Affiliates are told which form to sign — they never have to work it out. Choose one mode:
| Mode | What affiliates sign |
|---|---|
| Tax declaration | One simple form for every country: tax residence, tax ID (PAN, GSTIN, VAT, ABN, TIN…) and VAT/GST status. |
| US IRS forms | For networks paying from the US. W-9 for US taxpayers, W-8BEN for non-US individuals, W-8BEN-E for non-US companies — picked from the affiliate's answers. W-8 forms are valid for about three years. |
Documents and tax forms with an expiry date are marked expired automatically, and the affiliate is asked for a current one.
Verification Rules
These decide what an unverified affiliate is held back from:
- Verify before approving new affiliates — the Approve button on pending sign-ups stays locked until KYC is verified. Applicants cannot sign in yet, so they get a private link to submit their documents.
- Approve the account when KYC is verified — verifying a pending applicant also activates their account and sends the welcome e-mail.
- Hold payouts until verified — invoices of unverified affiliates are left out of Mass Payments and shown as held. Earnings keep accruing.
- Who has to verify — All affiliates, or New affiliates only. New affiliates only exempts everyone who joined before KYC was first switched on; they can still verify voluntarily.
What Affiliates Do
Affiliates open Payments → KYC & Tax Forms in their portal, complete each step and submit for review. They are notified when you verify them, request changes or reject the submission.
Reviewing Submissions
Open Affiliates → KYC & Tax Review. The queue lists each affiliate with their KYC status, compliance score, risk level, country and submission date. Filter by status or risk.
The compliance score (0–100) comes with a breakdown showing every point gained or lost, so it is never a black box. Open an affiliate to view documents, approve or reject each one, request changes or verify the account.
Team members need the View KYC permission to open the queue and documents, and Review KYC to approve, reject, verify or see full tax IDs. Give them only to people who need them — see Team & Permissions.
KYC Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not started | Nothing submitted yet. |
| In progress | The affiliate has started but not submitted. |
| In review | Submitted and waiting for your team. |
| Changes requested | You asked the affiliate to fix something. |
| Verified | Complete. Holds and approval locks are lifted. |
| Rejected | Verification was not approved. |
| Expired | A document or tax form has passed its expiry date. |