What this template covers
This is a commission tracking spreadsheet for referral and channel partner programs. It is not a general partner tracker. It does one job: work out what each partner has earned, what you have approved, and what you need to pay this month. The Excel version calculates every commission and every total. The Word version is the same template, useful as a written record of how you calculate and pay commissions.
It includes six sheets:
| Sheet | What it does |
|---|---|
| Read me | Explains each sheet and the rules the workbook assumes |
| Commission rates | Each partner's rate and how many months it applies to a referred customer |
| Revenue log | One row per payment collected, with Commission calculated as revenue times rate, a status, the paid date and invoice number |
| Partner totals | Net revenue and commission per partner, split into pending, approved, paid and reversed with SUMIF and SUMIFS formulas |
| Monthly payout run | Nine steps from logging payments to recording the payout, with an owner for each |
| Status values | What Pending, Approved, Paid and Reversed mean and who sets each one |
How to fill it in
- Set up the rates. Add each partner to Commission rates with their rate and duration. Copy them from the signed partner agreement, not from memory.
- Log payments, not deals. Each time a partner-referred customer pays you, add a row to the Revenue log with the amount collected and the partner's rate. The status starts as Pending.
- Approve once a month. Check each Pending row against the payment and the agreement, then change it to Approved. Mark refunds and failed payments Reversed.
- Pay and record. Pay each partner the total in the Approved, not yet paid column on Partner totals, then change those rows to Paid and fill in the paid date and invoice number.
- Spell partner names the same way everywhere. The totals match on the exact name, so "Brightline Agency" and "Brightline" count as two partners.
If you have not set your rates yet, the referral fee percentage guide covers typical ranges and how to choose.
A worked example
The template ships with eight payments from three partners across August and September 2026.
- Brightline Agency earns 20% for 12 months. Hawk Digital's $1,500 August payment earned $300, which was paid on September 15. In September, Hawk Digital paid another $1,500 and Atlas Logistics made its first $3,000 payment. Both are approved, so Brightline is owed $300 plus $600, or $900, on October 15.
- Cobalt Consulting earns 15%. Kestrel Foods paid $1,800 on September 12 and was refunded on September 20, so its $270 commission is Reversed and not owed.
- Signal Partners earns 10%. Lumen Health's $6,000 annual payment earned $600, already paid, and a $1,200 payment for added seats is pending review.
Across the three partners, the Partner totals sheet shows $18,000 of net revenue, $2,640 of commission earned, $480 pending, $900 approved and not yet paid, $1,260 paid and $270 reversed. Commission earned counts every commission except reversed ones, so the $270 from the refund never counts.
Tips for paying commissions on time
- Pay on collected revenue. You never pay a commission on an invoice that goes unpaid.
- Pick one payout day and keep it. Partners plan around it, and a fixed date stops "when will I be paid" emails.
- Approve before you pay, every time. The approval step is where you catch the wrong rate or a payment outside the commission duration.
- Collect tax forms before the first payout. For US partners, that is a W-9, and you will likely need to file Form 1099-NEC for them at year end. The 1099 guide for referral fees explains the rules.
- Put the rules in the agreement. The payout day, what revenue counts and how refunds are reversed all belong in your referral partner agreement.
When the spreadsheet runs out
A workbook is manageable with a few partners and a few dozen payments a month. Past that, the time goes into logging payments and checking each row by hand. Partner.io moves each commission from Pending to Approved, Scheduled and Paid, with optional auto-approval, and pays partners through Stripe Connect.