Nathan FieldThe Skool affiliate program pays you 40% of the Skool plan of every new owner who starts a group through your link. That is $39 a month for a Pro group and $3.60 a month for a Hobby group, going by Skool's help centre. This guide covers who can join, what it pays, how referrals are tracked, how payouts work, and the separate member affiliate feature owners switch on for their own group. Every fact here was checked on 29 September 2026, on Skool's own pages. We use the program ourselves, so if you start a Skool community (affiliate link) from a link on this blog, we earn this commission.
The Skool affiliate program pays 40% of a referred owner's Skool plan: $39 a month for a Pro group and $3.60 for a Hobby group, per Skool's help centre. Skool's affiliate page says "for life". Your link is in Settings, under Affiliates. A 14-day cookie tracks each click, and the last link clicked gets the credit.
Two affiliate programs, not one
"Skool affiliate" can mean two different things, and they work in different ways.
| Skool's affiliate program | Member affiliates | |
|---|---|---|
| You refer | New owners who start a Skool group | New members to one Skool group |
| Who pays you | Skool | The group's cash flow, at the rate its owner sets |
| What it pays | 40% of the referred owner's Skool plan | The percentage the owner chooses |
| Who can use it | You need a Skool account. No other entry test is listed. | Members of a Pro group that has it switched on. Not owners or admins. |
| Tracking | 14-day cookie, last click wins | 14-day cookie, last click wins |
Most of this guide is about the first one. Member affiliates have their own section near the end.
What the Skool affiliate program pays
Skool describes the commission on two pages, in slightly different words. Here is what each one says.
- The affiliate program page is headed "Earn 40% of recurring revenue". It says: "Refer people to Skool and earn 40% of monthly recurring revenue for life." Further down: "You'll earn 40% of their monthly subscription fee for life."
- The help article, How to refer others to Skool?, says you "earn 40% of Skool's subscription price", then gives the amounts: "$39 per month in commissions" for a Pro group and "$3.6 per month" for a Hobby group. It adds: "Changing plans will change the commissions respectively." It does not use the words "recurring" or "for life".
| Referred owner's plan | Plan price | Commission, per Skool's help article |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $99 a month | $39 a month |
| Hobby | $9 a month | $3.60 a month |
One small gap to know. 40% of $99 is $39.60, but the help article prints $39. We quote Skool's own figure. Skool's pages do not say how yearly plans are counted, so we have left that out.
When "for life" ends
"For life" means the life of that group on its current owner. The help article lists the limits:
- If the group moves to a new owner, the payout stops. Skool treats it as the first owner canceling the group.
- If the owner archives the group, the commissions stop. Skool's terms say a group is archived at the end of the billing period after its owner cancels.
- If the owner changes plans, your commission changes with it.
Who can join
Neither Skool page lists an application, a minimum audience or a fee. The help article's steps start from your own Skool account settings, so you need a Skool account. The affiliate page also has a line for community owners: "If somebody creates a group from your group, we attribute it to you automatically." So if you run a group and one of your members starts their own, Skool credits you without a link.
The rules, from the help article:
- Self-referrals are not allowed. You cannot earn on your own new group.
- "Running ads to the Skool keyword is prohibited."
The affiliate page also offers "free training on how to promote it".
How to get your Skool affiliate link
These are the steps from Skool's help article:
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then click Settings.
- Click the Affiliates tab.
- Copy your affiliate link and share it.
When someone clicks your link, Skool says it "will always show who they were referred by while creating their community."
How referrals are tracked
Skool uses what it calls "a 14-day last-touch attribution method". In plain words:
- When someone clicks your link, Skool puts a cookie in their browser.
- If they sign up within 14 days, the referral is yours.
- If they click someone else's affiliate link after yours, the most recent click gets the credit.
So a referral can be lost if the person waits more than 14 days, uses another browser or device, or clicks another affiliate's link later. Skool's pages do not say more than this about how the cookie works.
What if a referral was not attributed
Skool's article What to do if a referral wasn't attributed? is blunt. For a new group, "the only way to attribute is to cancel your current free trial and then create another free trial by clicking on the affiliate link." It links to Skool's steps for canceling, which we also cover in how to cancel a Skool subscription, and to steps for copying courses into the new group.
The same article says support "cannot re-assign/add affiliate attribution to any user at all." The system is automated end to end. So ask anyone you refer to use your link from the start, in the browser they will sign up in.
Payouts
- Pending first. "When you earn a commission, we'll hold the payment as pending for 14 days to make sure the customer is aware their payment went through and doesn't refund."
- Then you pay it out. Once you have an available balance, the help article's steps are: click PAYOUT, pick the country your bank is in, confirm your phone with a code, fill in your personal details exactly as on your ID, verify your identity documents, then click PAY OUT.
- Delays. The article opens with a note: "Delays in payouts are expected due to the US bank holidays."
Skool is changing how payouts are set up. Its newer article, How to set up payouts? (NEW), says the new system "is currently rolled out for all regions except the United States." Under it, your group payouts and affiliate payouts go to the same bank account, in your local currency, with "no additional fees for currency conversion". Identity checks are mandatory.
Is the Skool affiliate program worth it?
It depends on who listens to you. The program pays $39 a month per Pro referral and $3.60 per Hobby referral, and it only pays while the referred group stays active with its first owner. It suits people whose audience wants to run a community: coaches, course creators, and anyone already teaching others how to build one. It suits a general audience less, because most people do not want a paid community tool.
Be open about it when you share your link. We say so on every post here that carries ours.
The commission is Skool's. The trust is yours. Recommend Skool only to people it fits, or the 40% will not last.
If you want the wider picture of earning on Skool, including paid groups and Growth Boost, see how to make money on Skool.
Member affiliates: paying your own members to refer
This is the second program. As an owner, you let your members earn a commission for bringing new members into your group. Skool's member affiliates article says: "This feature is only available on the Pro plan, and not on the Hobby plan."
How to switch it on
- Click your profile picture, then Settings. Click ADMIN for the community you want to set up.
- Click the Affiliates tab in the left menu, and set the commission percentage.
- Your members will then see the option to refer others.
You can also switch on a commission for a single course. Skool says this is "particularly helpful for free groups with paid courses."
The rules for members
From Skool's article for members, How to refer other members to a community and earn affiliate commissions?:
- Owners and admins cannot refer members to their own group.
- Commissions are only for new members. Someone who leaves and rejoins through a link does not count.
- The member doing the referring must have an active membership when the new member joins.
- A refund or dispute can leave the referring member with a negative balance.
- Members must be at least 18 to withdraw their payout.
- The same 14-day cookie and 14-day pending hold apply.
What it costs the owner
The Pro plan, and the commission you set. Skool's analytics article shows it as its own line in your group's cash flow: "Amount of cashflow owed to affiliates that bring paid members to a group". If you change the percentage later, it applies to all current and new affiliates. Skool warns that cutting it "may upset your affiliates and damage your reputation", so pick a rate you can keep.
Already run a Skool group? Keep the members referrals bring
Referrals bring members in. Failed cards and cancellations take them out. Skool retries a failed card itself, marks the member "Declined", and lets you retry the charge by hand. On Pro, you can add a cancellation video members see when they cancel. Backpack adds a personal message on top: Payment Recovery writes to a member when their card fails, and Cancellation Recovery writes to a member who cancels, in your words, from our servers. It is $9 a month for every Skool community you admin, with a 7-day free trial. Backpack is not affiliated with Skool.
The short version
The Skool affiliate program pays 40% of a referred owner's plan, which Skool's help centre puts at $39 a month for Pro and $3.60 for Hobby. Referrals are tracked by a 14-day, last-click cookie, commissions wait 14 days before payout, and they stop if the group is archived or changes owner. Member affiliates are a separate, Pro-only feature for your own group. If you are starting your own community rather than referring others, you can start a Skool community here (affiliate link).
FAQ
How much does the Skool affiliate program pay?
It pays 40% of the referred owner's Skool plan. Skool's help centre gives the amounts as $39 a month for each Pro group and $3.60 a month for each Hobby group. If the owner changes plans, your commission changes with them. Skool's affiliate page says you earn it "for life".
Is the Skool affiliate commission recurring?
Yes, going by Skool's affiliate page, which says "40% of monthly recurring revenue for life". The help article gives the commission per month. It stops if the referred group is archived, which happens after its owner cancels their Skool plan, or if the group moves to a new owner.
How do I get my Skool affiliate link?
Click your profile picture in the top right corner of Skool, then Settings, then the Affiliates tab. Copy the link there and share it. When someone signs up through it, Skool shows who referred them while they create their community.
How long does the Skool affiliate cookie last?
14 days. When someone clicks your link, Skool places a cookie in their browser. If they sign up within 14 days, the referral is yours. Skool uses last-touch attribution, so if they click another affiliate's link after yours, the most recent click gets the credit.
When do Skool affiliates get paid?
Each commission is held as pending for 14 days, so Skool can check the customer does not refund. After that it becomes available, and you send it to your bank with the PAYOUT button. Skool warns that US bank holidays can delay payouts.
Can I use my own Skool affiliate link?
No. Skool's help article says self-referrals are prohibited and will not work, so you cannot earn a commission on your own new group. The same article bans running ads on the Skool keyword. If you want to start your own group, sign up normally and keep your link for other people.
We may earn a commission if you start a Skool community through a link on this page. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not change what we write.