What Is the Difference Between Pay, Carry, and Discard Negative Earnings?

by Zack Cilia

Last updated: 23-Jul-2026

This setting determines how negative commission is handled for a single customer group within a pay period.
Negative Earnings Options

Same as Deal (Default)
Negative commissions are handled according to the default setting defined in the assigned plan template.
This is the system default option.
Pay

• Negative commission is paid to the affiliate.
• The negative amount is added to the affiliate’s wallet balance
• It can offset positive earnings from other plans or customer groups
• It effectively crystallises the loss within the pay period

Carry

• Negative commission is not paid, but is also not removed.
• The negative balance is carried forward within the same customer group
• It remains active for future pay periods
• It only affects performance within that specific group

Discard

• Negative commission is removed and not recorded further.
• The loss is ignored for that pay period
• It does not carry forward
• It does not affect other groups or future periods

Key Difference: Pay vs Carry
Although both options preserve negative earnings in some form, they behave differently:
Pay: The loss is realised immediately and affects the affiliate’s overall earnings across all groups.
Carry: The loss is deferred and remains isolated within the specific customer group.

Examples
Example: Pay
An affiliate earns:
-$50 from a revenue share plan
+$20 from a CPA plan
Result:
Net earnings = -$30
Affiliate is not paid
The -$30 impacts the overall affiliate balance

Example: Carry
An affiliate earns:
-$50 from a revenue share plan
+$20 from a CPA plan
Result:
The -$50 is carried forward in the revenue share group only
The affiliate is paid $20 from the CPA plan

Example: Discard
An affiliate earns:
-$50 from a revenue share plan
+$20 from a CPA plan
Result:
The -$50 is discarded and the affiliate is paid $20 from the CPA plan

When negative earnings are discarded:

• Negative balances are ignored for the pay period
• Reporting may differ between back office and front end due to how totals are displayed
• In some cases, running totals may appear as zero in the back office on the days where the values drop below zero