Why a commission can reverse and what to do | Harmonia

The short answer

If an affiliate commission disappeared or your earnings dropped, the cause is almost always a refund. When a sale you drove is refunded inside the program's refund window, the commission for the refunded amount reverses, and your balance drops by that amount.

This is normal. It only affects the refunded portion of that one order. Every other sale stays credited exactly as it was. You earn the commission the brand sets, in full: the 20% platform fee is billed to the brand, so it is never taken out of your payout, even on a reversal.

What a reversal is

When someone clicks your tracking link and buys, the order is credited to you through first-party, server-side attribution, and a commission is recorded. If that customer later returns the product and is refunded, the sale that earned the commission no longer stands. So the commission reverses for the refunded amount. That recorded-then-reversed event is a reversal.

Two windows decide what happens, and they are different:

• Attribution window: how long after a click a sale still counts as yours. Set per program.
• Refund window: how long after a purchase a refund can reverse the commission. Also set per program, and separate from the attribution window.

A reversal only happens when a refund lands inside the refund window. For how the two clocks differ and why they are set separately, see attribution window vs refund window. For how a sale moves from credited to paid, see understanding affiliate earnings.

Reversals are proportional and pro-rated

A refund does not have to be all-or-nothing. If a customer is refunded part of an order, only the matching part of your commission reverses. We pro-rate it: the reversed commission matches the share of the order that was refunded.

The math is the refund fraction, applied to your commission:

• Refund fraction = amount refunded / order total.
• Reversed commission = your commission for that order x the refund fraction.
• You keep the rest.

Worked example, on a $50 commission for one order:

40%order refunded 40%commission reversed $30athlete keeps

A partial refund only ever dents your commission by the same share the customer got back. The whole commission is gone only when the whole order is refunded.

Cumulative-refund math, when refunds come in steps

Sometimes a customer is refunded in more than one step, days apart. We always measure against the running total refunded for that order, not each refund on its own. That way the reversal stays correct no matter how many partial refunds arrive, and you are never reversed twice for the same dollars.

Here is how it adds up on the same $100 order with a $50 commission:

Each step looks at the new cumulative total, works out how much of your commission should be reversed in total, then reverses only the difference not yet reversed. Add up the right-hand column and it equals exactly the full $50 once the whole order is refunded. Never more.

What a reversal does not touch

A reversal stays inside the lines of the one refunded order. It does not reach your legitimate earnings beyond it.

• Your other sales. Every other order stays credited exactly as it was. One refund does not ripple across your account.
• Earnings beyond the refunded amount. Only the refunded share of that one commission reverses. The part the customer kept stays yours.
• The commission the brand set. A refund does not change the brand's commission per sale. Your future sales earn the same.
• Your payout share. You keep 100% of the commission the brand sets. The 20% platform fee stays on the brand's side, on a sale and on a reversal.
• Your standing. A refund is the customer's decision about a product. It is not a quality flag on you, and click quality score is never an automatic clawback.

Why this is normal, not a problem

A reversal is the honest counterpart to getting credited in the first place. You are credited when a real sale happens, and the credit is adjusted when part of that sale is undone. Nothing is taken from you that the customer did not send back.

• It only affects the refunded portion. The reversal is capped at the share of the order returned. Your earnings beyond that share are never touched.
• It is bounded by the refund window. Once the program's refund window closes, the commission stands and can no longer reverse. After that point, the sale is final.
• It keeps the model clean. Because commission tracks real, kept sales, Harmonia never has to claw back a payout you already received. Reversals land while the balance is still being settled, not after the money reaches your bank.

When and how to raise a dispute

If a sale was refunded, the reversal is correct and expected, and it will stand on review. But if the amount looks off, or a reversal appears for an order you do not think was refunded, ask us to check it.

How to raise a dispute:

1. Open your earnings page on your dashboard and find the line for the reversed sale.
2. Request a review from that earnings line.
3. Include the details that help: the order reference and the date of the refund.
4. Wait for the outcome. A correct refund reversal stays as is; a genuine mistake gets corrected.

Note that a few things look like a reversal but are not the same and are handled separately: a brand changing its commission for future sales, or a program closing. Those are not refund reversals, and a refund dispute will not change them.

For the full steps, what to include, and what happens next, see disputing a commission decision. For the athlete-portal explanation of a single dropped commission, see why did my commission reverse.

Where to go next

• Affiliate marketing 101: how tracked links, attribution, and payouts fit together.
• Understanding affiliate earnings: how a sale moves from credited to paid.
• Attribution window vs refund window: the two clocks that govern a sale.

FAQ

Why did my affiliate commission get removed?

Almost always because the order was refunded. When a sale you drove is refunded inside the program's refund window, the commission for the refunded amount reverses, and your balance drops by that amount. This is normal and only affects the refunded portion. Every other sale stays credited exactly as it was. You earn the commission the brand sets, in full: the 20% platform fee is billed to the brand, so it is never taken out of your payout, even on a reversal.

Is the whole commission gone on a partial refund?

No. A partial refund reverses only the matching share of your commission, and you keep the rest. If a customer gets back 40% of a $100 order, 40% of your commission reverses and you keep 60%. The full commission reverses only when the full order is refunded. The reversal always tracks the share of the order returned, never more.

What is the refund window?

The refund window is the period after a purchase during which a refund can reverse a commission. The brand sets it per program, tied to its return policy. A refund inside the window reverses the matching share of the commission; a refund after the window closes leaves the commission standing. The refund window is separate from the attribution window, which decides whether a click counts toward a sale in the first place.

Can I dispute a reversal?

Yes. If a reversal looks wrong, or appears for an order you do not think was refunded, request a review from the earnings line on your dashboard. Useful details include the order reference and the refund date. See disputing a commission decision for what to include and what happens next. A correct refund reversal will stand, but a mistake gets fixed.

Why did my earnings drop after I was already credited?

A commission you were credited can still reverse during the program's refund window. Being credited means the sale was attributed to your tracking link; it does not make the sale final yet. If the customer returns the order inside the refund window, the commission for the refunded amount reverses. Once the refund window closes, the commission stands and cannot reverse.