Partner Program — Terms & Conditions

1. Eligibility

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Valid PAN required before first payout.
• Indian residents only. International affiliates may apply but will be placed on a waitlist — no tracking link issued until INR payout capability is confirmed.
• One affiliate account per person or entity. Businesses may register — GST invoice required for payouts if GST-registered.
• Employees and contractors of RushTax / Ledgr are ineligible.

2. Commission Structure

Commission is earned on paid subscriptions to Ledgr (the ₹699/month + GST plan only), calculated on the ex-GST base. Free plan (₹0) signups do not earn commission.

Commission is recurring — paid every month the referred customer remains on a paid plan. Annual plan commissions are paid as a lump sum (full annual × rate) after a 30-day hold from the payment date.

On plan upgrades, commission recalculates on the new plan amount from the next billing cycle. On plan downgrades, commission recalculates downward from the next cycle. No clawback on commissions already paid at the higher rate.

3. What Does NOT Earn Commission

• Free plan (₹0) signups.
• Refunded charges — clawback applies within 30 days of the payment date.
• Subscriptions cancelled within 7 days of the first payment date (the window begins when the first charge succeeds, not when the account was created).
• Self-referrals (see Section 7).
• Fraudulent or duplicate accounts.
• Trial accounts that never convert to a paid plan.

4. Hold Period & Clawback

All commissions are subject to a 30-day hold from the date of the underlying payment before becoming eligible for payout. Example: a commission earned on June 1st is payable from July 1st onward, then included in the July payout cycle.

Clawback applies when:

• Referred customer requests a refund within 30 days of payment.
• Subscription cancelled within 7 days of first payment date.
• Referral is later determined to be fraudulent — no time limit on fraud-related clawbacks.
• Self-referral detected post-payout — full recovery.

Chargebacks (bank-initiated disputes) always result in commission reversal regardless of timing. The affiliate account is flagged for review upon any chargeback on a referred account.

5. Payout Process

Payouts are processed via UPI (primary) or NEFT/IMPS bank transfer. Payment method must be configured in your dashboard before the payout date.

If a payout fails (invalid UPI ID, bank rejection): we retry once within 48 hours. On second failure, you receive an email notification to update your payout details. Earnings continue to accrue during any payout failure — they are not forfeited.

6. Attribution & Cookies

Attribution uses last-click — the most recent affiliate link clicked within the cookie window gets credit. Standard Partners: 60-day cookie. Creator Partners: 90-day cookie. Cookie overwrites are permitted — a new affiliate click replaces the prior cookie.

Coupon code conversions are tracked independently of cookies — a coupon code hit credits the coupon owner even if no cookie is present.

7. Self-Referral Policy

Affiliates may not refer themselves, immediate family members, or entities they control. Detection methods include: email match, IP/device fingerprint, payment method match. Consequence: immediate account termination and full commission forfeiture. No appeal for confirmed self-referrals.

8. Prohibited Promotion Methods

• Paid search ads bidding on RushTax, Ledgr, or related brand keywords.
• Spam messages (WhatsApp, email, SMS) without recipient consent.
• Misleading claims, fabricated testimonials, or fake screenshots.
• Posting coupon codes on deal or coupon aggregator sites without prior written approval.
• Cookie stuffing or automated click injection.
• Using our trademark, logo, or brand assets outside the approved media kit.
• Defamatory comparisons with competitors.
• Creating fake accounts to inflate commission.

9. India TDS & GST Compliance

RushTax is required by Indian tax law to deduct TDS before processing affiliate payouts:

• Standard Partners (Section 194H — Commission): TDS at 5% when annual earnings exceed ₹15,000.
• Creator Partners (Section 194J — Professional Fees): TDS at 10% when annual earnings exceed ₹30,000.

TDS deducted will appear in your Form 26AS. We issue Form 16A quarterly to all affiliates above the applicable threshold. An annual earnings statement PDF is issued by May 31 of each year to help with ITR filing.

GST: If your annual earnings from affiliate marketing (across all programs) exceed ₹20 lakh, you may be required to register for GST and issue a GST invoice. If GST-registered, you must upload a GST invoice before each payout. We pay 18% GST on top of the commission amount and claim ITC. TDS is deducted on the base commission (not on the GST component).

PAN is required before the first payout. Collect PAN at signup to avoid payout delays. Payouts will not be processed without a verified PAN on file.

10. Content & Disclosure Requirements

All promotional content must comply with ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) guidelines:

• Clearly disclose the affiliate relationship using #ad, #sponsored, or #collab at the beginning of the post or video.
• For YouTube videos: verbal disclosure in the first 30 seconds plus written disclosure in the description.
• For blog posts: disclosure banner at the top of the article, not buried at the bottom.

If showing earnings in content, include the following disclaimer verbatim or in substance:“Results vary. Commission earnings depend on your network size, engagement, and the number of paying referrals you generate. These figures represent a specific experience and are not guaranteed.”

11. Dormancy Policy

Accounts with no clicks for 90+ days are marked dormant. Dormant accounts retain their link and accumulated earnings. We will send a re-engagement email at 60 and 90 days of inactivity. Accounts are never deleted for inactivity alone — you can reactivate by logging in and sharing your link at any time.

Creator Partners with no content activity for 90+ days will receive a re-engagement message. If no response within 14 days, the account may be moved to Standard tier pending reapplication.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account for:

• Violation of any prohibited promotion method.
• Confirmed self-referral.
• Repeated chargebacks on referred accounts.
• Providing false information during Creator application.

On termination: pending commissions within the 30-day hold window are reviewed. Commissions earned on legitimate referrals prior to termination remain payable unless related to the specific violation.

12a. Appeal Process

A terminated affiliate may submit a written appeal to disputes@rushtax.app within 30 days of receiving the termination notice. Appeals are reviewed within 14 business days by a senior team member not involved in the original decision. Possible outcomes: full reinstatement, reinstatement to Standard tier only, or denial with explanation. Accounts terminated for confirmed fraud are not eligible for appeal.

13. Program Modifications

• Commission rate changes: 30 days advance written notice (email to registered address).
• Referred customers: Locked at the commission rate in effect at conversion for 12 months post-change.
• Program termination: 60 days advance notice required.

14. Dispute Resolution

Discrepancies in earnings or payout amounts must be reported within 60 days of the payout date. Submit disputes to disputes@rushtax.appor via the “Raise a Dispute” button in your affiliate dashboard. Resolution within 14 business days. Evidence required: screenshots, conversion timestamps, dashboard exports.

15. Data Retention (DPDP Act 2023)

Active affiliate data is retained for the duration of the relationship plus 7 years (required for TDS/GST compliance). On account closure, PII (name, contact, bank, UPI, PAN) is anonymised within 90 days. Earnings records and TDS deduction data are retained in anonymised form indefinitely for tax compliance and cannot be deleted regardless of request.

For data deletion requests, write to privacy@rushtax.app. Deletion processed within 30 days, subject to any legal hold.

16. Sub-Affiliate Policy

This is a single-tier program. Sub-affiliate (multi-level) structures are not supported. Affiliates recruiting other affiliates receive recognition in our community but no financial commission on sub-affiliate earnings.

17. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of India. Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Questions? Email affiliate@rushtax.app