Affiliate Payouts, Refunds and 1099-NEC

This guide is for members of the affiliate program, which pays cash commissions. For the in-app referral program that pays account credits, see Referral Program.

Before your first payout

Three things must be in place, all from the affiliate portal:

Your application is approved.
A W-9 is on file and verified. Submit it under Profile. Our team verifies it before any money moves; until then your earnings keep accruing but nothing is sent.
A payout method is chosen: bank deposit through Stripe, ACH, PayPal or wire.

Bank deposit through Stripe

Under Profile, select Connect bank account. You are taken to Stripe, which collects and verifies your bank details. Muin never sees your account number.
When you return, Profile shows anything Stripe still needs. Select Resume setup to finish it.
Once Stripe has verified the account, Profile says so and you receive an email. Payouts are then deposited to that account.

A sent deposit shows as Processing on the Payouts page until the bank confirms it, then as Completed. A bank can return a deposit up to about 60 days after it arrives, for example when the account was closed. A returned deposit shows as Returned with the bank’s code, the commissions go back to your available balance, and the payout no longer counts toward your 1099-NEC. Check your bank details with Stripe from Profile.

How a commission becomes a payout

A referred organization pays its Muin invoice. Your commission is calculated on the amount actually paid, before tax.
The commission is held for 30 days, so a refund in that window can reverse it before it is paid. You can see each commission and its hold date under Earnings.
On the 15th of each month, commissions past their hold are gathered into one payout, provided the total reaches the minimum for your payout method. The current minimums are shown on the Payouts page. Below the minimum, the balance carries to the next month.
Our team approves the payout and sends it. The Payouts page shows its status and, once sent, the payment reference.

Refunds and chargebacks

Before the commission is paid: a full refund reverses the commission; a partial refund reduces it in proportion to the amount refunded.
After the commission is paid: you are never invoiced. The refunded share is recorded as a clawback and deducted from your next payout or payouts. Earnings shows the refunded amount on the commission it came from, and Payouts shows any clawback still waiting to be deducted.

When a payout fails

If a bank or provider rejects a payout, you receive an email, and the Payouts page shows the payout as failed with the reason. The commissions in that payout return to your available balance, and any clawback it deducted is restored, so the next payout includes them. Check your payout details under Profile if the reason points to them.

1099-NEC reporting

We report what was actually paid to you in a calendar year: completed payouts, dated by the day they were sent. Failed payouts are not counted, and commissions still on hold are not counted.
Payouts over every method you used that year are added together.
A 1099-NEC is issued when that total reaches $2,000 for payments made in 2026 or later, or $600 for 2025 and earlier.
The name, address and taxpayer ID on the form come from your W-9, so keep it current.

Affiliate Payouts and 1099s