Referral Program
The NetPad Referral Program enables organizations to earn commissions by referring new users to the platform. Platform administrators can create and manage referral codes, configure incentives for both referrers and referred users, and process commission payouts.
The referral program is a cloud-only feature available on NetPad Cloud deployments.
Overview
The referral system consists of two types of incentives:
- Commissions for Referrers - Percentage of each invoice paid by the referred organization
- Benefits for Referred Users - Discounts, credits, or trial extensions for new signups
Accessing Referral Management
Organization Dashboard (Referrer View)
Organization owners can access their referral dashboard at:
- Settings → Referrals tab
- View their referral code and share URL
- Track referral performance and earnings
- Request payouts when earnings become available
Admin Dashboard (Platform Admin View)
Platform administrators can manage all referrals at:
- Admin → Referrals (
/admin/referrals) - Create and manage special referral codes
- View all referrals and their status
- Approve or reject payout requests
Referral Code Types
NetPad supports different referral code types with varying commission structures:
| Code Type | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year N | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20% | 15% | 10% | 10% | Auto-generated for organizations |
| Partner | 30% | 25% | 20% | 15% | Strategic partnerships |
| Influencer | 25% | 20% | 15% | 10% | Content creators and advocates |
| Campaign | 20% | 15% | 10% | 10% | Marketing campaigns |
Commission rates decrease over the lifetime of the referral. Year 1 applies for the first 12 months after attribution, Year 2 for months 13-24, and so on.
Commission Structure
How Commissions Work
Commissions are calculated as a percentage of each invoice amount paid by the referred organization:
- Referral Attribution - When a new user signs up using a referral code, they are "attributed" to the referrer
- Qualification Period - Referrals must make 2 payments to become "qualified"
- Commission Accrual - After qualification, each payment generates a commission
- Hold Period - Commissions have a 30-day hold before becoming available
- Payout Request - Referrers can request payouts once they have $50+ available
Commission Calculation Example
If a referred organization pays a $100/month invoice:
| Referral Age | Commission Rate | Commission Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1-12 | 20% | $20/month |
| Month 13-24 | 15% | $15/month |
| Month 25-36 | 10% | $10/month |
| Month 37+ | 10% | $10/month |
Referred User Benefits
In addition to commissions for referrers, you can configure incentives for the person being referred:
Available Benefit Types
| Benefit | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Discount Percentage | X% off first N payments | 10% off first 3 payments |
| Account Credit | Flat dollar amount credited | $20 account credit |
| Trial Extension | Extra days added to trial | +14 extra trial days |
| Feature Unlocks | Temporary premium access | (Future enhancement) |
Configuring Benefits
When creating a special referral code in the admin panel:
- Toggle "Add benefits for referred users"
- Configure the desired benefits:
- Discount: Set percentage (0-100%) and number of payments
- Credit: Set dollar amount
- Trial Extension: Set number of extra days
- Review the benefit summary before creating
Benefits are optional. You can create codes with only referrer commissions, only user benefits, or both.
Creating Referral Codes
Automatic Code Generation (Standard)
Organizations automatically get a referral code when they access the Referrals section in Settings. These codes:
- Use the "standard" commission rates (20%/15%/10%/10%)
- Are tied to the organization
- Cannot have custom benefits
Admin-Created Codes (Special)
Platform administrators can create special codes with custom configurations:
- Navigate to Admin → Referrals → Referral Codes tab
- Click "Create Code"
- Configure the code:
- Code: 4-20 alphanumeric characters (auto-uppercased)
- Type: Partner, Influencer, or Campaign
- Benefits: Optional incentives for referred users
- Organization: Optional assignment (can be left unassigned)
- Click "Create"
Unassigned vs Assigned Codes
| Status | Description | Commission Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| Unassigned | Not linked to any organization | No commissions earned |
| Assigned | Linked to a specific organization | Organization earns commissions |
Create unassigned codes in advance for marketing campaigns or partnerships. Assign them to organizations when needed.
Referral Lifecycle
The complete journey of a referral:
1. SHARE → Referrer shares their code URL (netpad.io/signup?ref=CODE)
↓
2. CLICK → Prospect clicks the link (code stored in 30-day cookie)
↓
3. SIGNUP → Prospect creates account and organization
↓
4. ATTRIBUTED → Referral is recorded with "pending" status
↓
5. PAYMENT 1 → First payment → status becomes "qualifying"
↓
6. PAYMENT 2 → Second payment → status becomes "qualified" ✓
↓
7. ONGOING → Each subsequent payment generates commission
↓
8. HOLD → Commissions held for 30 days
↓
9. AVAILABLE → Commissions become available for payout
↓
10. PAYOUT → Referrer requests payout → Admin approves
Referral Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending | Attributed but no payments yet |
| Qualifying | Has 1 payment, needs 1 more to qualify |
| Qualified | Met qualification threshold, earning commissions |
| Active | Qualified and actively generating commissions |
| Churned | Referred organization cancelled subscription |
Managing Payouts
Payout Requirements
- Minimum Payout: $50 USD
- Hold Period: 30 days from commission accrual
- Status: Earnings must be "available" (not "pending")
Payout Methods
Referrers can request payouts via:
- PayPal
- Wise
- Bank Transfer
- Other (with details)
Admin Payout Workflow
- Navigate to Admin → Referrals → Pending Payouts tab
- Review the payout request:
- Organization name
- Amount requested
- Payment method and details
- Choose an action:
- Approve - Marks for processing
- Reject - Denies with reason
Approved payouts require manual processing outside of NetPad. After approving, coordinate with finance to send the payment via the specified method.
Organization Search
When creating or assigning referral codes, administrators can search for organizations by:
- Organization Name - Full or partial name match
- Organization Slug - URL-friendly identifier
- Owner Email - Email address of the org owner
This makes it easy to assign codes to specific users or organizations.
Tracking & Analytics
Admin Dashboard Metrics
The referral management page displays:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending Payouts | Payout requests awaiting approval |
| Active Codes | Total number of active referral codes |
| Unassigned Codes | Codes not yet linked to an organization |
| Qualified Referrals | Referrals that have reached qualification |
Referral Details
For each referral, you can view:
- Referrer organization
- Referred organization
- Current status
- Payment count
- Attribution date
- Qualification date (if applicable)
Best Practices
For Platform Administrators
- Pre-generate campaign codes - Create unassigned codes before marketing campaigns
- Use appropriate code types - Match commission rates to partnership value
- Configure meaningful benefits - Incentives for referred users increase conversion
- Process payouts promptly - Build trust with referrers by timely payments
- Monitor churned referrals - High churn may indicate targeting issues
For Referrers
- Customize your code - Use a memorable code that represents your brand
- Share consistently - Include referral links in content and communications
- Track performance - Monitor your referral dashboard for insights
- Request payouts regularly - Don't let available earnings accumulate
API Reference
Admin Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/api/admin/referrals | GET | List all referrals |
/api/admin/referrals/codes | GET | List all referral codes |
/api/admin/referrals/codes | POST | Create special code |
/api/admin/referrals/codes/[code]/assign | POST | Assign code to org |
/api/admin/referrals/payouts | GET | List payout requests |
/api/admin/referrals/payouts/[id]/approve | POST | Approve payout |
/api/admin/referrals/payouts/[id]/reject | POST | Reject payout |
Organization Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/api/organizations/[orgId]/referrals/code | GET | Get org's referral code |
/api/organizations/[orgId]/referrals/stats | GET | Get referral stats |
/api/organizations/[orgId]/referrals/earnings | GET | List earnings |
/api/organizations/[orgId]/referrals/payouts | POST | Request payout |
Public Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/api/referrals/validate | GET | Validate a referral code |
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Referral not attributed
- Ensure the referral code cookie is set (30-day expiry)
- Check that the code is active and valid
- Verify the referred org wasn't already attributed
Commission not appearing
- Referral must be "qualified" (2+ payments)
- Check the 30-day hold period
- Verify the referred org is still active
Payout request rejected
- Verify minimum $50 threshold is met
- Ensure earnings are "available" not "pending"
- Check payment details are complete
Support
For referral-related issues, contact support with:
- Referral code in question
- Organization ID (referrer and/or referred)
- Description of the issue
- Any error messages received