Also known as: Net 30, Net 60, Payment Terms
Net Terms define how many days after the end of a period the broker pays a partner. 'Net 30' means payment lands 30 days after the invoicing period closes; 'Net 60' means 60 days.
Net terms count from the close of the invoicing period, not from the date of each individual conversion. On Net-30, all of a month's earned commission is paid roughly 30 days after that month ends, so a conversion early in the period effectively waits closer to 60 days for cash. Net-60 doubles that lag.
For a performance partner fronting daily ad spend, net terms are a working-capital constraint more than an accounting detail. The longer the term, the more of the broker's growth the partner finances from their own balance sheet, and the harder it is to keep scaling a campaign that is technically profitable but cash-starved. This is why shortening terms, to Net-15, weekly, or even upfront for trusted partners, is one of the highest-leverage things a media buyer can negotiate: it directly raises how fast commission can be recycled back into buying more traffic.
Agree the invoicing window, usually a calendar month, over which commission accrues.
The window ends and the broker totals the commission owed for it.
The net-term countdown begins from the period close, not per conversion.
The broker pays the full period's commission once the net days elapse.
Trusted partners renegotiate to Net-15 or weekly to improve cash recycling.
Why it matters for partnership: For a media buyer fronting daily ad spend, net terms decide cash flow. Long terms mean the partner finances the broker's growth out of their own pocket for weeks, which can starve a scaling campaign of the cash it needs to keep buying traffic.
An affiliate on Net-30 who spends $20,000 on ads in January does not receive the corresponding commission until the end of February, so they must carry that spend for a month before recouping it.
| Term | Cash-flow impact | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Net-15 | Fast recycling of commission into spend | Proven paid-media partners |
| Net-30 | Standard, one-month carry | Established affiliates |
| Net-60 | Two-month carry, heavy capital drag | Broker-favourable / new partners |
For paid-media partners, negotiate Net-15 or weekly payouts. Shorter terms let you recycle commission back into ad spend faster and scale quicker.
Scaling ad spend aggressively on Net-60 terms without the working capital to bridge the two-month gap.
Yes. Proven, low-fraud partners routinely negotiate shorter terms or even upfront/weekly payouts.