# Manually attribute paywall sales to affiliates

https://help.circle.so/p/payments/affiliates/manually-attribute-paywall-sales-to-affiliates

Category: [Payments](https://help.circle.so/p/payments) › [Affiliates](https://help.circle.so/p/payments/affiliates)

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_Last updated: August, 2026_

When the paywall sale is not linked to any affiliate, you have the option to add attribution to a particular affiliate. This article will walk you through the steps involved in the manual attribution process.

## Understanding manual attribution

Manual attribution is a feature that lets you personally link a sale to an affiliate, ensuring they receive the commission they deserve. This functionality proves beneficial, especially in situations where an affiliate’s link is not utilized, when you wish to reward a specific affiliate for a sale, or when you’ve removed an existing attribution and want to transfer it to another affiliate.

Here are some key aspects of this feature:

- **Paywall prices:** You can manually attribute various types of sales, including subscriptions, installments, and one-time fee paywalls.

- **Past and future commission consideration:** When adding an affiliate attribution to a subscription or installments, commissions will be generated for past and future successful payments based on your[configured commission rate](/p/payments/affiliates/set-up-an-affiliate-program) for the respective paywall price.&nbsp;

- **Refunded transactions:** If you attribute a paywall sale to an affiliate with a partially refunded transaction, a commission will be generated on the remaining amount after deducting the refund value. In the case of a fully refunded transaction, a sale will still be attributed to the affiliate; however, a commission will not be calculated.

- **Canceled subscriptions:** If you attribute a subscription that has been canceled, we will calculate the commissions for past successful payments based on your[configured commission rate](/p/payments/affiliates/set-up-an-affiliate-program) for the respective paywall price.

- **Existing attribution:** If a paywall sale has already been attributed to an affiliate manually or via automated referral tracking, you have the flexibility to [remove the existing attribution](https://help.circle.so/p/payments/affiliates/remove-affiliate-attribution) and add it to a different affiliate.

> **💡 Tip:** When adding an attribution, if there is an existing affiliate attribution to a sale, you’ll see the **Manage affiliate attribution** option in the menu instead. In this case, you can remove the existing attribution and then add a new one if you want to provide attribution to a different affiliate. To learn more about removing an attribution, see [Remove affiliate attribution](https://help.circle.so/p/payments/affiliates/remove-affiliate-attribution).

## Attribute a subscription or installment sale to an affiliate

1. Click **Payments** in the left sidebar, then select **Subscriptions**.

2. Click&nbsp;**More actions (three dots)** beside the member’s subscription or installment entry and select&nbsp; **Add affiliate attribution**.

3. In the **Add affiliate attribution** dialog, enter the affiliate’s name and select them from the list. If you selected the wrong affiliate, hover over their name and select **Remove**.

4. Once you have reviewed the affiliate information, click&nbsp; **Confirm**.

Upon confirming the attribution, the commissions linked to this sale will be displayed on the [**Commissions**](/p/payments/affiliates/view-commissions-earned-by-affiliates) page, where you can review the commission calculations for each transaction.

## Attribute a one-time fee sale to an affiliate

1. Click the community name or logo in the top-left corner and select **Paywalls**.

2. From the sidebar menu, navigate to the **Transactions** page.

3. Find the member’s one-time fee transaction entry, click the **More actions (three dots)** icon next to the entry, and select **Add affiliate attribution**.

4. In the **Add affiliate attribution** dialog, type the name of an affiliate and select from the list. If you accidentally chose an incorrect affiliate, hover over their name and select **Remove.**

5. Once you have reviewed the affiliate information, click **Confirm**.

After you have confirmed the attribution, commissions associated with the one-time fee transaction will appear on the [**Commissions**](/p/payments/affiliates/view-commissions-earned-by-affiliates) page.

## Provide manual attribution to an affiliate via their member profile

In addition to the subscription and transaction pages in the paywall settings, you can provide the attribution to an affiliate via a member’s profile.

1. Click **Audience** in the left sidebar, then select **Audience**.

2. Use the filters on the search bar to find the member associated with the paywall sale you wish to attribute.

3. Click&nbsp;**More actions (three dots)** beside the member entry and select&nbsp; **Edit**.

4. In the **Membership history** section, click&nbsp;**More actions (three dots)** beside the entry and select&nbsp; **Add affiliate attribution**.

5. In the&nbsp; **Add affiliate attribution** &nbsp;dialog, type the name of an affiliate and select from the list. If you accidentally chose an incorrect affiliate, hover over their name and select&nbsp; **Remove**.

6. Once you have reviewed the affiliate information, click&nbsp; **Confirm**.

## Relevant articles

- [**Set up an affiliate program**](/p/payments/affiliates/set-up-an-affiliate-program)

- [**View commissions earned by affiliates**](/p/payments/affiliates/view-commissions-earned-by-affiliates)

- [**View affiliates and their referral activity**](/p/payments/affiliates/view-affiliates-and-their-referral-activity)

- [Remove affiliate attribution](https://help.circle.so/p/payments/affiliates/remove-affiliate-attribution)
