Estimate what an affiliate programme could earn you
Affiliate income looks simple on the surface: promote something, earn a slice of each sale. In practice the numbers behave differently depending on whether the programme pays once per sale, pays every month for as long as a customer stays, or whether you are buying traffic to send to the offer. This calculator covers all three situations in separate tabs so you can sanity-check a programme before you put time or money into it.
Per-sale commission multiplies the product price by the commission rate and your expected sales, then subtracts any fees or tax you enter. Recurring commission projects earnings from a subscription product, with new customers joining each month and some cancelling. Traffic and EPC turns clicks and a conversion rate into expected sales, earnings per click and, if you pay for traffic, profit and break-even cost per click.
All figures are estimates built from the numbers you supply. Real conversion rates, refunds and cookie windows vary by programme, so use the results to compare options, not as a promise.
How to use the Affiliate Commission Calculator
- Choose the tab that matches your programme: per-sale, recurring or traffic-based.
- Select your currency symbol.
- Enter the price, commission rate and volumes asked for on that tab.
- Press Calculate to see earnings, with the supporting numbers listed underneath.
- Change one input at a time to see how sensitive the result is to conversion, churn or price.
What you get
- Three calculators in one: per-sale, recurring with churn, and traffic with EPC.
- Monthly, yearly and daily earnings, plus the number of sales needed to hit a target.
- Customer lifetime and lifetime commission for subscription programmes.
- EPC, profit and break-even cost per click when you pay for traffic.
- Optional fee and tax deduction so figures reflect what you actually keep.
When it comes in handy
- Comparing two affiliate programmes before choosing one to promote.
- Forecasting income from a review site or newsletter.
- Deciding how much you can pay per click for ads that send traffic to an offer.
- Showing a partner or client realistic earnings from a campaign.
- Understanding why recurring commissions can outgrow a one-off payout over time.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| EPC | Earnings per click: total commission divided by the clicks that produced it. |
| Conversion rate | The share of clicks that end in a sale. |
| Churn | The share of subscribers who cancel in a given month. |
| Cookie window | How long after a click a sale still counts for you. It is set by the programme. |
| Recurring commission | A commission paid on every renewal, not only the first payment. |
Tips for better results
- Use conservative conversion rates. A 1 to 3 percent rate is a common planning assumption for cold traffic, but check your own data.
- Read the programme terms for refund periods, minimum payouts and whether commissions are on the pre-tax price.
- For recurring programmes, small differences in churn change lifetime earnings a lot, so test a few values.
- Disclose your affiliate relationships clearly. Many countries and platforms require it.
- Track your own clicks and sales with tagged links, for example with our UTM Link Builder.
If you build affiliate sites, the keyword match type tool and other free utilities on UseTools.in can help with campaign planning.
Frequently asked questions
How is affiliate commission calculated?
Multiply the sale price by the commission rate. A 30 percent commission on a 99 product pays 29.70 per sale, before any fees or taxes.
What is EPC in affiliate marketing?
EPC means earnings per click. Divide your total commission by the number of clicks you sent. It lets you compare offers and work out how much you can pay for traffic.
How does recurring commission work?
You earn a percentage every time a referred customer renews their subscription. Because customers leave over time, the calculator applies a monthly churn rate to project realistic totals.
What conversion rate should I assume?
It varies widely by niche, traffic source and offer. Start low and replace the estimate with your real numbers after a few weeks of data.
Does the calculator include taxes?
Only if you enter a fee or tax percentage. Tax rules differ by country, so check with a qualified adviser for your situation.
What is break-even cost per click?
It is your EPC. If you pay more than that per click, the traffic loses money on average.
Are my numbers stored?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser.