# Referrals and payouts

Source: https://modulify.ai/docs/plans/referrals-and-payouts

Read the Referrals and Payouts tabs, filter and sort them, and get paid to your PayPal address.

The affiliate dashboard at `/dashboard/affiliates` holds two tabs. **Referrals** is who signed up through your link and what each one is worth per month. **Payouts** is the money side, one row per payout Modulify has raised for you.

Both tabs read from the same page and share the same stat cards and code card above them. Switching tabs changes the address, so a tab is linkable.

## The Referrals tab

This is the tab the page opens on. It is a table with six columns.

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **User** | The referred person's avatar and a masked first name |
| **Plan** | `Pro` or `Starter` as a coloured badge. Every other plan, including Enterprise, shows `Free` |
| **Billing** | The billing period of the plan, or `---` when no period is recorded |
| **Status** | `Active`, `Overdue` or `Canceled` |
| **Joined** | The date the referred account was created, as `Mar 4, 2026` |
| **Monthly Earnings** | Your commission for that referral, in dollars |

### Names are masked

You never see a referral's full name. Modulify keeps the first letter of their first name and replaces the rest with asterisks, so `Benjamin Ortiz` reads `B*******`. There is no email address, no surname and no way to contact them from this page.

### What each status means

- **Active** is a live paying referral. It counts towards **Active Referrals** and towards your **Est. Payout**.
- **Overdue** is a referral whose payment has failed. Their subscription has not been canceled, but it is not paying either.
- **Canceled** is a referral who has ended their subscription. The row stays for the record, and the amount has already come off your **Est. Payout**.

Only referrals that are neither canceled nor overdue are counted when a payout is built.

## Filter and sort the referrals

Three controls sit above the table, and each writes its choice into the address so a filtered view can be bookmarked and shared.

- **Search** on the left, placeholder `Search by name`, matching the referred person's name. It writes `?q=`.
- **Status**, a dropdown of `All`, `Active`, `Canceled` and `Overdue`. It writes `?status=`.
- **Sort**, a dropdown of `Newest` and `Oldest`. It writes `?sort=` and defaults to `Newest`.

Sorting is by the date the referred workspace was created, so `Newest` puts your most recent referral first.

### Loading and empty states

Referrals load 8 at a time and fetch the next batch as you scroll to the bottom. Skeleton rows show where the incoming batch will land, and the list refreshes itself about every 10 seconds while you have it open.

With no referrals at all you get **No referrals** and "Share your affiliate link to start earning." With a search term or a status filter applied and nothing matching, it changes to **No results** and "Try a different search or status filter." If the list fails to load you get **Could not load referrals** and "Refresh the page to try again."

## The Payouts tab

Click **Payouts** in the tab strip. The address becomes `/dashboard/affiliates/payouts`. It is a table with four columns.

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Date** | The date the payout was raised, as `Mar 1, 2026` |
| **Users** | How many referrals were counted into it |
| **Amount** | The payout total in dollars |
| **Status** | `In Review`, `Processing`, `Paid` or `Canceled` |

A payout row is a snapshot. It records what your active referrals were worth on the day it was raised, so changes afterwards show up on the next payout rather than editing an existing one.

### How a payout is built

Modulify periodically walks your referrals and builds a payout from the ones that are still paying. Payouts are sent to your PayPal address.

A referred workspace is counted only if all of the following hold. Its subscription is not canceled, it is not overdue, and it is on Starter, Pro or Enterprise. Free workspaces are never counted.

Each qualifying referral contributes its monthly amount, and the **Users** column is the number of referrals that qualified. If nothing qualifies, no row is created at all, so a month with no active referrals leaves no empty payout behind.

### What each payout status means

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **In Review** | The payout has been raised and is being checked. Every payout starts here |
| **Processing** | The payout has been approved and is on its way to your PayPal address |
| **Paid** | The money has been sent |
| **Canceled** | The payout will not be paid |

:::warning{title="Set your PayPal address before your first payout"}
Payouts are sent to the **Paypal Email** on the affiliate **Settings** page, and that field starts empty. Fill it in as soon as you have your first active referral. See [Share and Earn](/docs/plans/share-and-earn) for the form and its rules.
:::

### Filter and sort the payouts

There is no search on this tab, only two dropdowns on the right.

- **Status**, a dropdown of `All`, `Paid`, `Processing`, `In Review` and `Canceled`. It writes `?status=`.
- **Sort**, `Newest` or `Oldest` by the payout date, defaulting to `Newest`. It writes `?sort=`.

### Loading and empty states

Payouts load 8 at a time with the same scroll-to-load behaviour and the same 10 second refresh as referrals.

With no payouts you get **No payouts** and "Payouts appear here after earnings are paid." With a status filter applied and nothing matching, **No results** and "Try a different status filter instead." A failure gives you **Could not load payouts** and "Refresh the page to try again."

## Reading the numbers together

The three cards above the tabs and the two tables answer different questions, and it is worth keeping them apart.

- **Est. Payout** is what your currently active referrals are worth per month, right now. It moves the moment a referral subscribes or cancels.
- The **Payouts** table is history. Each row is fixed at the amount it was raised for.
- **Monthly Earnings** in the Referrals table is per referral. The active ones added together are what the next payout is built from.

## FAQ

:::faq
### Why is a referral's name shown as a single letter and asterisks?

Deliberately. You see enough to tell your referrals apart and nothing that identifies them. There is no way to reveal the full name.

### An overdue referral is on my list. Do I get paid for it?

No. Payouts count only referrals that are neither canceled nor overdue. If their payment recovers, they count again on the next payout.

### A referral canceled. Why is the row still there?

The row stays as a record, marked **Canceled**. The amount has already been taken off your **Est. Payout** and it will not be counted into a payout.

### No payout appeared this month

A payout row is only created when at least one referral qualifies and the total is above zero. With no active paying referrals, no row is raised.

### Where does the money go?

To the **Paypal Email** on the affiliate **Settings** page. If it is empty, fill it in.

### Why does the Billing column read `---`?

No billing period is recorded against that referral's plan. It does not affect the **Monthly Earnings** figure next to it.
:::


## From an AI client over MCP

`list_referrals` and `list_payouts` read your referral record, `check_affiliate_code` tests a code before you claim it, and `update_affiliate` sets your code and payout email.

Reading needs `account:read`, ticked by default. `update_affiliate` needs `account:write`, which is not, and the code cannot be changed once a referral has used it.

See [MCP tools](/docs/mcp/tools).
## Next

- [Share and Earn](/docs/plans/share-and-earn) covers the code, the link and what makes a referral count.
- [Manage your subscription](/docs/plans/managing-your-subscription) is the page your referrals go through to subscribe.
- [Plans](/docs/plans/plans) lists the paid plans that qualify for a payout.