> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dub.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Retainer-style custom rewards

> Learn how to pay partners a fixed amount on a recurring schedule, independent of program performance.

> [!TIP]
>
> This feature is only available on [Advanced plans and
> above](https://dub.co/pricing).

With Dub's custom rewards, you can pay partners a **fixed amount on a regular cadence** – daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly – regardless of how many clicks, leads, or sales they generate.

This is ideal for **retainer-style agreements**, where you've negotiated a set fee with a partner in exchange for ongoing promotion, content, or sponsorship placements.

## How custom rewards work

Unlike [click, lead, and sale rewards](/help/article/partner-rewards), custom rewards aren't triggered by a partner's conversion events. Instead, Dub automatically creates a commission for every eligible partner in the group each time the reward's schedule comes due.

For example, if you set up a custom reward of **\$1,500 monthly, starting October 1st**, every approved partner in that group will receive a \$1,500 commission on October 1st, November 1st, December 1st, and so on.

These commissions flow through the same [payout process](/help/article/partner-payouts) as any other reward, so partners get paid via their regular payouts.

## Creating a custom reward

In your [group rewards](https://app.dub.co/program/groups/default/rewards) tab, you'll see the **Custom reward** type. Click **Create** to set up a custom reward for that group.

![Custom reward in the group rewards view](https://mintcdn.com/dub/7hNzkR1pD_sFzyxN/images/dub-partners/rewards-retainer.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=7hNzkR1pD_sFzyxN\&q=85\&s=62c47fe7b04d0fb3d35f847b38118929)

The reward builder lets you configure the [amount](#amount), [cadence](#cadence), [start date](#start-date), and [duration](#duration). See [limitations](#limitations) for options that don't apply to custom rewards.

![Custom reward builder](https://mintcdn.com/dub/7hNzkR1pD_sFzyxN/images/dub-partners/reward-create-retainer.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=7hNzkR1pD_sFzyxN\&q=85\&s=6e35822d97d552a139823c96b9745be0)

### Amount

Custom rewards are always a **flat amount** in USD. Percentage-based amounts aren't supported, since there's no sale value to calculate a percentage from.

### Cadence

Choose how often the reward is paid out:

| Cadence | Description |
| - | - |
| **Daily** | Every day |
| **Weekly** | Every 7 days |
| **Biweekly** | Every 14 days |
| **Monthly** | Once a month |
| **Quarterly** | Every 3 months |
| **Yearly** | Once a year |

### Start date

The start date is the first day the reward will be paid, and it sets the schedule for all future payments. For example, a monthly reward starting on **October 15th** will pay on the 15th of every month.

The start date must be today or a date in the future – it can't be set in the past.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Dates are evaluated in **UTC**. If the start date falls on a day that doesn't
> exist in a shorter month (e.g. the 31st), the reward is paid on the last day
> of that month instead.

### Duration

You can pay the reward **indefinitely**, or for a set number of months:

| Duration | Description |
| - | - |
| **Indefinitely** | The reward is paid every period until you remove it |
| **3 months** | The reward is paid for 3 months |
| **6 months** | The reward is paid for 6 months |
| **1 year** | The reward is paid for 12 months |
| **2 years** | The reward is paid for 24 months |
| **Custom** | Any number of months, from 1 month and up |

When a duration is set, the clock starts from each partner's **first custom commission**, so partners who join the group later still receive the full duration.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Custom rewards can't be configured as a one-time payment. To pay a partner a
> single, one-off amount, [create a manual
> commission](/help/article/partner-commissions#creating-manual-commissions)
> instead.

## Limitations

Because custom rewards aren't tied to a conversion event, a few options available on other reward types don't apply:

* **No reward modifiers** – you can't add conditions based on customer or sale attributes.
* **No spend limits** – the reward is a fixed amount per period, so there's nothing to cap.
* **One custom reward per group** – each partner group can have a single custom reward, alongside its click, lead, sale, and [partner referral](/help/article/partner-referrals) rewards.

## Viewing custom commissions

Custom commissions appear in your [commissions](/help/article/partner-commissions) view alongside your other commissions, with the type **Custom commission**. Each commission's description shows the amount, cadence, and period it covers, e.g. `$500 monthly · Oct 2026`.

Like any other commission, custom commissions can be [edited or clawed back](/help/article/partner-commissions#editing-commissions) if needed.

## Partner view

Partners will see the custom reward in the **Rewards** section of their program overview page, described as "\$1,500 monthly for 12 months" (or "\$1,500 monthly" if the reward runs indefinitely).

![Custom reward in the partner view](https://mintcdn.com/dub/IHuZ4ShP_AEfhsIB/images/dub-partners/partner-overview-retainer.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=IHuZ4ShP_AEfhsIB\&q=85\&s=b0641a726397c124d869c4fff86be824)

You can also add a [custom reward description](/help/article/partner-rewards#custom-reward-descriptions) to explain the terms of the retainer to your partners.


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