TL;DR. If a brand you promote runs its program on Rekomi, here is how affiliates get paid: automatically, with no invoices. Rekomi pays you through Stripe in 42 countries (including the whole United States), with PayPal rolling out for more. You connect your payout account once and complete one tax form, a W-9 if you are in the US or a W-8 if you are not.
If you are a US affiliate and earn $600 or more from a brand in a year, Stripe issues you a 1099-NEC. Affiliate income is taxable either way, so set a little aside and keep records.
Rekomi is the platform a growing number of SaaS and subscription brands use to run their affiliate programs, and the wider creator economy it sits in is already worth around $250 billion (Goldman Sachs). If you promote one of those brands, this guide explains exactly how the money reaches you and what it means at tax time.
The short version: it is refreshingly hands-off. You set things up once, then payments arrive on a schedule and the tax paperwork is handled for you.
How affiliates get paid on Rekomi
You are not paid by each brand directly. Rekomi sends your commission to you automatically, and the payout method depends on your country, not on what you would prefer:
- Stripe covers 42 countries, including all of the United States, most of Europe, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan, and Singapore. If your country is on that list, you are paid through Stripe.
- PayPal is rolling out for many of the other countries. In those regions you can sign up and earn now, and get paid once it goes live.
- Manual payment is the fallback where neither option reaches, arranged with the brand.
The rail is tied to your country so the tax side stays clean, and it is set once. The big convenience: you connect a single payout account, and every brand you promote on Rekomi pays into it. No juggling a different setup per program.
Setting up your payouts
Setup is a one-time step. On the Stripe rail you connect a Stripe Express account: you confirm your identity, add your bank details, and your country is locked in at that point, so pick the right one if you have more than one. On the PayPal rail you connect your PayPal email instead. After that, you do nothing; payouts run on their own.
When and how much you get paid
Commissions do not arrive the instant a sale happens. Here is the rhythm on Rekomi:
- A holding period. New commissions wait out a short grace window (often about a month) so any refunds or cancellations clear before you are paid on them.
- A minimum threshold. Brands usually release a payout once your balance clears a minimum, commonly around $50, so you are not getting tiny transfers.
- One consolidated payout. Your cleared earnings are bundled into a single payment on the brand’s schedule, usually monthly.
- A small payout fee. Rekomi’s standard withdrawal fee is a flat $2.25 plus 0.25 percent, which covers the cost of moving the money. Your dashboard always shows your net.
The tax form you complete once
Before you can be paid, you complete one short tax form. Which one depends on where you are a tax resident:
- W-9 if you are in the United States, confirming your name and taxpayer ID.
- W-8BEN if you are an individual outside the US, certifying that you are not a US taxpayer.
- W-8BEN-E if you are a company outside the US.
On the Stripe rail, you fill this out inside Stripe’s own onboarding, so Rekomi never sees your full document or your taxpayer ID; Stripe holds it. On the PayPal rail you upload your W-8 to Rekomi, where it is stored securely. Either way it takes a few minutes, once.
Will you get a 1099?
- US affiliates on Stripe: if you earn $600 or more from a single brand in a year, Stripe issues you a 1099-NEC for that income. You do not have to chase the brand for it.
- US affiliates under $600 from a brand: you may not get a 1099 for that brand, but the income is still reportable. A missing form does not make it tax-free.
- Affiliates outside the US: you generally do not receive a US 1099. Your W-8 documents that your income is not US-taxable at the source, and you report it at home.
Do you owe tax on what you earn?
Yes. The basics of affiliate marketing taxes are simple: commissions are income, and in most places that means they are taxable, whether or not a form shows up. A few habits keep it painless:
- Set money aside. Payouts arrive without tax withheld, so move a portion of each one into a separate account for your tax bill.
- Track your expenses. If you run this as a business, costs like hosting, software, and ads may be deductible, which lowers what you owe.
- Watch for estimated taxes. In the US, if affiliate income is more than a small side amount, you may need to pay quarterly rather than waiting until April.
How to report your affiliate income
Report all of it, with or without a 1099. In the US, most affiliates report this as self-employment income (commonly on a Schedule C) and pay income and self-employment tax on the profit after expenses. Outside the US, you follow your local rules for self-employment or business income. Keep your own records, since your Rekomi dashboard and your 1099 may use slightly different timing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get paid on Rekomi?
Automatically. You connect a payout account once (Stripe in supported countries, PayPal rolling out elsewhere), and Rekomi sends your cleared commissions on the brand’s schedule, usually monthly.
Can I choose PayPal instead of Stripe?
Usually not. The rail is set by your country so tax reporting stays clean. If your country is Stripe-supported, you are paid through Stripe; PayPal is used for other regions as it rolls out.
Will I get a 1099 from Rekomi?
If you are a US affiliate paid through Stripe and you earn $600 or more from a brand in a year, Stripe issues you a 1099-NEC. Affiliates outside the US do not get a US 1099.
Do affiliates outside the US pay US tax?
Generally no. Your W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E certifies you are not a US taxpayer, so the income is not taxed at the US source. You report and pay it under your own country’s rules.
How long until I actually get paid?
After a commission clears its grace window (often about a month) and your balance passes the brand’s minimum, it goes out in the next scheduled payout, usually monthly.
The bottom line
Getting paid as a Rekomi affiliate is about as simple as it gets: connect your account once, get paid automatically based on your country, complete one tax form, and remember the income is taxable even when no form arrives. Keep a little aside for taxes and keep good records, and the money side takes care of itself.
Disclaimer. This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Tax rules vary by country and change over time, so please talk to a CPA or a qualified tax professional about your own situation before making decisions.
