Affiliate Program

Skool has two different affiliate systems. One rewards you for referring new community owners to Skool, while the other lets members refer people to a paid community.

Keep those systems separate when you explain commissions, eligibility, and tracking. Their rules are not interchangeable.

What it is

Skool's platform affiliate program is for referrals that become Skool community owners. As of July 2026, the affiliate earns 40% of the referred customer's monthly Skool subscription fee for life.

The community affiliate feature is for referrals into a paid group. The community owner enables it, eligible members share referral links, and the group's own commission setting determines what those members can earn.

Both Hobby and Pro listed an affiliate program in their feature sets but Skool's help centre states that the member affiliate feature is available on Pro only. Treat the pricing page and the help centre as disagreeing here. That plan listing does not mean the two affiliate systems use the same commission rate or rules.

How the platform program works

You refer someone who starts a Skool group.
The official program described the reward as 40% of recurring Skool subscription revenue for life.
The official page also said groups created by members inside your group are automatically attributed to you.
Skool's referral article publishes the same terms as the member program: a browser cookie, a signup within the next 14 days credited to the referrer, last-touch attribution, and commission held pending for 14 days.
This income is separate from revenue earned by your own paid community.

How community referrals work

Skool uses a 14-day last-touch window. A signup is credited to the last eligible referral link clicked within that period, using a browser cookie, and the commission then remained pending for 14 days while payment completion was confirmed.

The feature applies to members of paid groups where an admin has enabled it.
The referring member must still be an active member when the new person joins.
Group owners and admins cannot refer members into their own group.
A participant must verify their identity and connect an eligible bank account before withdrawing funds.
A participant must be at least 18 years old to withdraw affiliate funds.
Skool has not published a standard commission percentage for community referrals. Each community sets its own.

Best practice

Call the first system the Skool platform affiliate program.
Call the second system your community affiliate program.
Show the commission rate your community has actually configured before members share links.
Explain the attribution window and pending period in simple language.
Tell members that identity and bank verification may be required before withdrawal.
Put the referral rules beside your refund policy so members understand when a commission becomes valid.
Include community commissions as a separate cost in your margin plan.
Walk through the setup screen yourself before you write instructions for members, because the flow can change.

Pitfalls

Do not tell members that every Skool affiliate commission is 40%. That rate belonged to the platform program.
Do not copy the platform program's lifetime rate into your community offer.
Do not invent a default community commission rate.
Do not promise instant withdrawal after a referral joins.
Do not overlook the rule for owners and admins.
Do not assume an inactive former member will still receive credit.
Do not promise a minimum payout threshold unless the current setup shows one.
Do not treat the short pricing-page feature label as a full setup guide.