Why is Balance Management Important?
Understanding your data points is essential for maintaining trust with your partners and ensuring financial accuracy. By keeping your balances in check, you can avoid payment confusion, identify tracking issues early, and ensure every affiliate is paid exactly what they have earned.
Understanding the Numbers: Reports vs. Balances
Confusion often arises from the difference between your reporting snapshots and the actual running balance.
The Report Section: This provides a snapshot of the total commissions earned by a publisher during a specific period. It represents the revenue generated, regardless of whether it has been paid yet.
The Balance Section: This is a running tally of the financial transactions between you and the affiliate. It reflects the net difference between total commissions earned and the total payments you have already made.
The Root Cause of Mismatches: Most confusion stems from the timing of payments or batch processing.
Underpayments: If you haven't paid the full commission earned, the balance will show a positive value (the amount you still owe).
Overpayments: If payments exceed the earned commission, the balance will show a negative value.
How to Check Affiliate Payments
You can verify the financial history of any partner at any time:
Navigate to the Affiliates section.
Select the specific affiliate you wish to review.
Click on "Go to full profile" to see a comprehensive list of all past payments made to that affiliate.
To see details of currently owed amounts, hover over the amount in the "Balances" section.
Best Practices for Data Accuracy
To maintain a healthy and accurate affiliate program, follow these standard procedures:
Regular Reviews: Periodically audit your affiliate reports to catch inconsistencies or anomalies before they grow.
Open Communication: If you notice a data mismatch, reach out to your affiliates directly to clarify misunderstandings.
Verify Tracking: Ensure your partners are using the correct tracking links; incorrect links are a common cause of inaccurate data.
Document Everything: Maintain records of data confusion, including screenshots and communication logs, to assist in troubleshooting.
Contact Support: If an issue remains unresolved, email our team at support@tapfiliate.com for technical assistance.
Next Steps
Automate Your Payouts: Learn how to set a Payment Threshold to simplify your monthly routine.
Advanced Tracking: Need to differentiate between customer types? Check our guide on Tracking New vs. Existing Users.
Custom Links: If you are implementing vanity URLs, ensure your Custom Tracking Method is correctly configured to avoid balance errors.