Automated Partner Invoicing is Affonso's self-billing workflow. When the required information is complete and a payout is created, Affonso generates a PDF invoice in the partner's name using your company details, the partner's saved payout information, and the commissions included in that payout.
The partner does not need to create or upload an invoice. You can review the generated invoice before completing the payout, and the partner can download it after the payout is completed.
Before you enable self-billing
Self-billing is available on the Elite plan for companies based in the European Union or the United States. US self-billing invoices do not include EU VAT calculations.
Before enabling it:
- Ask your accountant or legal adviser whether self-billing is suitable for your company and partners.
- Add any required self-billing wording and acceptance process to your affiliate agreement or program terms.
- Confirm which VAT treatment and records your local rules require.
- Ask partners to complete their payout information before their next payout is created.
EU rules allow a customer to issue an invoice on behalf of a supplier in certain circumstances, but national requirements can still apply. The European Commission's VAT invoicing guidance is a useful starting point. Affonso generates the document and applies the rules described below; it does not provide tax or legal advice.
Enable automated invoices
- Open Program Settings → Payment Terms.
- Find Invoice Requirements and select Configure.
- Choose Self-Billing.
- Enter your legal company name, address, postal code, country, and VAT details where applicable.
- Optionally set an alphanumeric invoice prefix. Affonso uses
INVwhen no prefix is set. - Save the changes.
Self-billing is unavailable while Managed Payouts is enabled because that service handles invoicing separately.
Information partners must provide
Affonso needs the following partner information before it can generate an invoice:
- first and last name,
- street address,
- city,
- country, and
- Latin characters in invoice text fields.
Company name, postal code, state, VAT ID, and tax ID are optional fields, but partners should provide every detail required for a valid invoice in their jurisdiction.
Partners add this information under Settings → Payout Information in their portal. When an EU VAT ID is supplied, Affonso attempts to check it through the EU's VIES service. VIES data comes from national databases and can be temporarily unavailable, so you remain responsible for verifying the information and retaining any evidence your accountant requires.
When an invoice is generated
Affonso attempts to generate and store the self-billing invoice when it creates the payout, after eligible commissions satisfy your hold period, payout threshold, and payout schedule. See How & When Affiliate Payouts Are Generated for those conditions.
The invoice is a snapshot of the data available at that time. It includes:
- a sequential invoice number with your configured prefix,
- the invoice date and payout reference,
- your company as the invoice recipient,
- the partner as the supplier,
- the commissions included in the payout,
- net, VAT, and total amounts where applicable, and
- the relevant self-billing or reverse-charge wording.
Changes to company or partner details affect future invoices, not an already generated PDF.
How Affonso handles VAT
For an EU-based program owner, Affonso selects one of three invoice treatments from the partner's country and saved VAT ID:
| Partner details | Invoice treatment | Payout total |
|---|---|---|
| No EU VAT ID, or partner is outside the EU | No VAT shown | Net commission |
| EU VAT ID and a different EU country from the owner | Reverse charge at 0% | Net commission |
| EU VAT ID and the same EU country as the owner | Domestic VAT at the country's standard rate | Net commission plus VAT |
For a US-based program owner, Affonso does not calculate or display EU VAT.
The VAT result is stored with the payout when it is created. For same-country EU payouts, the VAT amount is added to the partner's net commission, so the amount to pay is the gross total. For cross-border EU payouts, the invoice shows reverse charge and the VAT amount remains zero.
This is Affonso's built-in treatment for partner payouts, not a determination that it is correct for every business, partner type, or transaction. Confirm exceptions, VAT registration requirements, and recoverability with your accountant before paying the invoice.
Preview and download invoices
As the program owner:
- Open Payments.
- Find the payout under Pending or Completed.
- Open its actions menu.
- Select Preview Self-Billing Invoice or Download Invoice.
Partners cannot download the invoice while the payout is pending. Once you mark the payout as completed, they can open it under Payments in their portal and download the PDF.
Troubleshooting
No invoice was generated
Check that:
- Self-Billing is still selected for the program,
- your company name, address, city, postal code, and country are present,
- the partner has completed the required payout information, and
- the partner's invoice fields use Latin characters.
Because the PDF is created as a snapshot with the payout, update missing information before the next payout is generated. Contact Affonso support if an existing payout needs a corrected stored invoice.
The VAT treatment looks wrong
Check the owner and partner country codes and the partner's VAT ID. Confirm the VAT ID through VIES and compare the result with your accountant's instructions before completing the payout.
The partner is being asked to upload an invoice
The program is using Affiliate Uploads, not Self-Billing. These are separate invoice rules. With Affiliate Uploads, the partner creates a PDF and you review it; with Self-Billing, Affonso creates the invoice automatically.
Self-billing and Managed Payouts are different
Automated Partner Invoicing documents payouts that you send to partners. Managed Payouts use a separate flow in which Affonso invoices you and then distributes the partner payments.
