Affiliate agreement template for a Shopify brand
An affiliate agreement is a short written deal between a brand and a person who earns a commission, a cut of each sale they send you. It says what they may do, what you pay, when you pay it and what gets them removed. Copy the template below and fill in the brackets.
This is a starting template, not legal advice. Have a lawyer read it before you rely on it, especially if you sell in more than one country. For a small Shopify brand, it gives you a clear paper trail and sets out what happens if someone breaks the rules. Whether a court enforces a term depends on your country.
What goes in an affiliate agreement?
Twelve short parts cover the ground. Each has text below that you can paste.
| Part | What it settles |
|---|---|
| Parties | Who is agreeing to what |
| What you may do | Where and how the affiliate may promote |
| Links and codes | How a sale is tied to them |
| Rate and cookie window | What you pay and how long a click counts |
| Payment and the return hold | When commission becomes payable |
| Disclosure | How every post says it is paid |
| Banned practices | What gets commission voided |
| Product claims | What the affiliate may say |
| Independent contractor | States they are not your employee |
| Ending the deal | How either side leaves |
| Changes | How you update the terms |
| Governing law | Which law applies |
What numbers should you start with?
Start with the middle of what other Shopify brands publish. We read the public affiliate pages of 168 Shopify brands on 23 October 2026. Of those, 137 named a base rate, the lowest rate a program promises. The median was 10%. The middle half sat between 8% and 15%. Beauty and skincare was higher, at a median of 15%.
A cookie window is how long after a click a sale still counts for the affiliate. Of the 73 pages that stated one, the median was 30 days.
The template uses 10% and 30 days as its starting numbers. These are rates on pages, not what brands pay in practice, and not a random sample. 31 of the 168 hid their rate behind a sign-up form, so they are not in the rate figures. Check the rate against your own margin before you commit. Our guide on what commission a Shopify program should pay shows the sum. The full method and limits are on the commission rates data page.
The template, ready to copy
Replace every [bracket]. Delete any clause you don't need. If you delete clause 2 or 8, update clauses 3 and 10. Keep clauses 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10. Keep 8 if the affiliate makes product claims. Each clause is short on purpose, so an affiliate can read it in a minute.
1. Parties
This agreement is between [Brand legal name] ("the Brand"), of [address], and [Affiliate name or business name] ("the Affiliate"), of [address]. It starts on the date the Affiliate accepts it, by signing or by ticking the box on the Brand's sign-up page.
2. What the Affiliate may do
The Affiliate may promote the Brand's products on [the website, channel or account the Affiliate gave on their application]. The Affiliate may use the Brand's product photos and logo from [link to press kit] for this purpose only. The Affiliate may not promote the Brand anywhere else without the Brand's written yes.
3. Links and codes
The Brand will give the Affiliate a tracked link and, if the Brand chooses, a discount code. A sale counts for the Affiliate only when it is tracked to their link or code. The Affiliate may share the code only on the places named in clause 2. The Brand may change or end a code at any time.
4. Rate and cookie window
The Brand will pay the Affiliate [10]% of the order value of each qualifying sale. Order value is the price of the goods after discounts, and before tax and shipping. A sale qualifies if the buyer clicks the Affiliate's link and buys within [30] days of that click, or if the buyer uses the Affiliate's code at checkout. The Brand may offer a higher rate later, in writing. A higher rate leaves the rest of this agreement the same.
5. Payment and the return hold
Each commission is held for [30] days after the order, so the Brand can see whether the buyer returns it. If the order is cancelled or refunded in full during the hold, the commission is cancelled. If part of the order is refunded, the commission is cut to match. When the hold ends, the commission is payable. The Brand will pay it [each month / twice a month] by [PayPal / bank transfer / the affiliate app], once the Affiliate has at least [amount and currency] owing.
6. Disclosure
The Affiliate must make it clear that they earn a commission, every time they promote the Brand. The words must be plain, such as "Ad: I earn a commission if you buy through my link." They must sit near the link or in the post itself, and be easy to see. For video and audio, the Affiliate must say it aloud as well. "Affiliate link" on its own is not enough. The Brand will send example wording on request. The Brand may ask the Affiliate to fix a post that doesn't follow this rule, and the Affiliate will fix it within [3] working days.
Our guide with affiliate disclosure examples has ten lines by channel to give your affiliates. Paste two or three of them under this clause.
7. Banned practices
The Affiliate must not do any of the following. Breaking this clause lets the Brand remove the Affiliate and cancel unpaid commission on affected orders.
(a) List the Brand's discount codes on a coupon, deal, voucher or cashback site, unless the Brand agrees in writing.
(b) Bid on the Brand's name, or a close variation of it, in paid search ads.
(c) Post, buy or ask others for fake reviews, or reviews that don't reflect a real experience of the product.
(d) Buy through their own link or code, or place orders to earn commission on them.
(e) Say they are the Brand, or that they speak for it.
(f) Send unsolicited bulk email or messages about the Brand.
(g) Use a code the Brand did not give them.
8. Product claims
The Affiliate will only say what the Brand has approved, or what can be shown to be true. The Affiliate will not promise medical results, health benefits or savings that the Brand has not approved. The Brand will send a list of approved claims on request.
9. Independent contractor
Status depends on how the work is done and varies by country, so have a lawyer check it.
The Affiliate works for themselves. They are not an employee, partner or agent of the Brand. They choose how to promote, and pay their own taxes. The Brand gives no benefits.
10. Ending the deal
Either side may end this agreement at any time by writing to the other. The Brand may end it at once if the Affiliate breaks clause 6, 7 or, if you kept it, 8. When it ends, the Affiliate removes the Brand's links and codes within [7] days. The Brand pays any commission that has cleared its hold and was earned fairly before the end date. Unpaid commission on orders that break clause 7 is cancelled.
11. Changes
The Brand may change these terms by emailing the Affiliate [14] days before the change starts. If the Affiliate doesn't agree, they may end the deal under clause 10. A change doesn't affect commission on orders placed before it starts.
12. Governing law
This agreement follows the law of [country or state]. Any dispute goes to the courts of [place].
Acceptance
Accepted for the Brand: [name, date]. Accepted by the Affiliate: [name, date].
How do you fill in the rate, window and hold?
Take them one at a time. Each one is a number in a bracket, so a change is quick.
Rate. Set a base rate you can afford out of profit, not the median. Say your order is $100 and you keep $40 after costs. A 10% commission is $10 and leaves you $30. State the base rate first. Pages that say only "up to 15%" leave the affiliate guessing what day one pays.
Cookie window. 30 days is the common choice. Go longer if your buyers take a while to decide, as with a mattress.
Return hold. Set it to at least your return window. If you accept returns for 30 days, hold for 30. Shopify Collabs, Shopify's own affiliate app, holds each commission for 30 days by default. You can set it from 1 to 90 days. During that time, "the commission of canceled and fully refunded orders are automatically canceled" (Shopify Help Center, Collabs payments for merchants, checked 28 October 2026). Clause 5 does the same in your own words, so it works with any affiliate app. For the full flow from click to payout, read how the money moves in Shopify affiliate marketing.
Why do the disclosure and banned-practice clauses matter most?
They protect you. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says "Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf." It expects "reasonable programs in place to train and monitor members of their network." Its sample line for an affiliate is "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post" (FTC, Endorsement Guides questions, checked 28 October 2026).
Clause 6 puts the rule in writing. Once a month, search your brand name plus your code, open five posts and look for the line. If one is missing, send the affiliate the exact wording and ask for a fix.
In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says both the business and the affiliate marketer are responsible under its code (ASA, affiliate marketing, checked 28 October 2026). The ASA says a clear label such as "Ad" is the most straightforward choice, and a bare "affiliate" label is not enough.
Fake reviews are a separate risk. The FTC's final rule, announced on 14 August 2024, bans fake and AI-generated reviews and testimonials. It lets the FTC seek civil penalties against knowing violators (FTC press release, checked 28 October 2026). So clause 7(c) may also carry legal weight, beyond brand protection. This is US guidance, and other countries have their own rules.
What about coupon sites and brand bidding?
A coupon site lists discount codes for many shops. One that joins your program can earn commission on sales you'd have made anyway. Brand bidding means buying search ads on your brand name, so the affiliate appears above your own result. The buyer was already looking for you.
Clause 7(a) and 7(b) forbid both. The clause only works if you act on it. Turn off auto-approval, check each applicant's site, and give each affiliate their own limited code. Our guide on how to stop coupon sites joining your affiliate program walks through each step. Some brands pay coupon sites on purpose. If you want that, change clause 7(a) to name the sites you allow.
When should you use a different paper?
An affiliate agreement is for a person paid commission only. Other deals need different terms:
- A creator you pay a fee to make content. Use an influencer contract. It covers deliverables, usage rights and a fee.
- A fee plus commission. Use the influencer contract and add the commission clause from it, or add a fee clause here.
- A long-term fan on perks. Our guide to brand ambassador programs covers that setup.
Not sure which deal fits? Affiliate, influencer or ambassador sets out the differences.
How do you use the agreement day to day?
Put the text on your sign-up page, or link to it, with a tick box. Most affiliate apps let you add terms there. Ask applicants for a link to where they will promote you. Our affiliate application form questions give seven to copy.
Keep a copy of what each affiliate accepted and when. If you change the terms, email everyone, as clause 11 says. Then keep the program full. An agreement only matters once people sign it.
RecruitAffiliates.ai finds the people already covering shops like yours. It finds the websites, blogs, review sites, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, and Instagram and TikTok creators. It gets their verified email and sends a personal outreach sequence from your inbox. All you do is reply. Your emails link to your own sign-up page, where this agreement waits. See the Shopify page for how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an affiliate agreement?
A short written deal helps even when nothing forces you to have one. It records the rate, the payment date and the disclosure rule. It also sets out when you can remove someone who breaks the rules. Whether a court enforces a term depends on your country. Most affiliate apps let you show terms on your sign-up page.
Is this affiliate agreement template legal advice?
No. It is a starting template in plain words. The right terms depend on your country, your product and your size. Have a lawyer read it before you rely on it.
What commission and cookie window should I put in?
Start from 10% and 30 days, the medians in our read of 168 public Shopify programs on 23 October 2026. Then check the rate against your margin. Beauty and skincare brands often go higher, with a median of 15%.
How long should I hold commission before paying?
At least as long as your return window. Shopify Collabs holds each commission for 30 days by default, and you can set 1 to 90 days. If a buyer returns the order during the hold, the commission is cancelled.
Does an affiliate have to disclose that they are paid?
In the US and UK, regulators expect it. The FTC wants a clear and conspicuous line near the link. The ASA says both the business and the affiliate are responsible. Other countries differ, so check yours. Clause 6 makes the rule part of the deal.
How do I end a deal with an affiliate?
Write to them. Clause 10 lets either side leave at any time and lets you end it at once for a breach. Pay what has cleared its hold and was earned fairly. Cancel the rest on orders that broke the rules.