Which Deriv commission plan is right for you?

Choosing the right commission plan is the single most important financial decision you will make as a Deriv partner. The wrong choice could mean missing out on potential earnings, while the right choice aligns your income with your specific promotional strengths.

As Loren Veloso, Business Development at Deriv, notes: "Don’t let your knowledge go to waste! For years, I’ve seen traders teach friends, families, even entire academies - without knowing they could earn commissions with Deriv. If you’re already sharing your experience, why not grow together and get rewarded? Plus, you get expert support to scale your business as high as you want." 

Quick summary

• To choose your perfect Deriv affiliate commission plan, you must match the plan type to your audience size, region, and engagement style.
• Revenue Share (30-45%): Best for mentors with under 1,000 engaged followers who build long-term trust.
• CPA ($100 per referral): Best for marketers targeting EU clients who excel at quick registrations.
• Turnover Commission: Best for high-volume Intro Brokers (IBs) with 5,000+ active traders.

What are the different Deriv partner commission types?

Before analysing your audience, you need to understand the mechanics of each earning model.

1. Revenue share commission

This is the "long game" model. You earn a percentage of the net revenue generated from your referred clients' trading activity.

• Payment structure: Tiered structure starting at 30% and rising to 45% once your total net revenue exceeds $20,000 per month.
• Income timeline: Slow start, but compounds over 6–12 months as your referrals trade more.
• Ideal for: content creators, social media influencers and digital promoters.

2. CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) commission

This is the "performance marketing" model. You earn a fixed one-time payment when a referred client deposits and meets specific trading criteria.

• Payment structure: A fixed payment of $100 USD per qualified referral.
• Geographic availability: Available exclusively for EU clients (excluding Spain and Portugal).
• Income timeline: Immediate (paid shortly after the referral qualifies).
• Ideal for: Partners who excel at high-volume registration generation.

3. Turnover commission

This is the "volume" model. You earn based on the probability and frequency of trades, regardless of whether the trade wins or loses.

• Payment structure: A calculated commission based on the volume traded. Note: Rates vary significantly by asset class (e.g., Forex vs. Synthetic Indices vs. Commodities).
• Income timeline: Predictable monthly income based on active trading.

Ideal for:

Commission plan comparison chart: revenue share vs. CPA vs. turnover

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How do you match your audience size to the right plan?

Don't guess. Use this decision framework to select your plan.

Phase 1: Audit your audience

Q1: What is your primary audience size?

• Under 1,000 engaged followers → Go to Phase 2.
• 1,000 - 5,000 followers → Go to Phase 3.
• 5,000+ followers → Go to Phase 4.

Phase 2: For a small audience

• Q2: Are you teaching them how to trade manually?
  
  • Yes → Revenue share. Your guidance creates loyal traders who may generate potential long-term earnings.
• Q3: Do you need earnings now to fund your marketing?
  
  • Yes → CPA (If targeting EU). You trade potential long-term gains for earlier payouts.

Phase 3: For a medium audience

• Q4: Is your traffic "cold" (from ads/SEO) or "warm" (from YouTube/Telegram)?
  
  • Cold → CPA. Cold traffic rarely sticks around long enough to potentially make Revenue share worthwhile.
  • Warm → Revenue share. Leverage the trust you have built.

Phase 4: For a large audience

• Q5: Does your audience use automated bots or high-frequency strategies?
  
  • Yes → Turnover commission. High volume (even with low margins) may offer the highest potential earnings.
• Q6: Are you an Intro Broker (IB) with local office support?
  
  • Yes → Turnover commission. Your potential earnings are based on activity, not just net profit.

How to calculate your potential earnings

Scenario A: Revenue Share focus

• 5 quality referrals monthly
• $200 average deposit per referral
• $1,000 monthly trading volume per referral
• Deriv's net revenue: ~$50 per referral monthly
• Potential earnings: $15 per referral × 5 = $75 monthly (at 30% tier)
• Annual potential: Recurring income as long as referred clients remain active

Scenario B: CPA focus

• 5 referrals monthly
• $100 per qualified referral
• Your earnings: 5 clients x $100 = $5000/month.
  
  • Keep in mind: CPA is a one-time payout per qualified referral. To maintain similar potential earnings, you'll need to continue generating new qualified referrals each month.

Scenario C: Turnover focus

• 15 referrals monthly
• $5,000 average monthly turnover per referral
• Assuming 40-59.999% payout probability tier (0.75% commission)
• Potential earnings: $37.50 per referral × 15 = $562.50 monthly
  
  • Note: Actual potential earnings vary based on payout probability of each trade. Higher probability trades earn lower commission rates (down to 0%), while lower probability trades can earn up to 1.5%.

How to optimise your chosen plan

For Revenue Share:

• Focus on quantity referrals
• Develop email sequences nurturing prospects into active traders
• Monitor referral trading activity in your partner dashboard

For CPA:

• Focus on registration completion over trading education
• Create content that highlights benefits
• Develop conversion-optimised landing pages
• Track registration conversion rates to optimise messaging

For Turnover:

• Target audiences are already engaged in active trading
• Host live trading sessions or trading competitions to encourage volume spikes
• Create content focused on trading strategies and market analysis
• Monitor referral trading patterns to replicate successful approaches

Avoid these 3 common selection mistakes

Choosing a plan based on what "sounds best" rather than a realistic assessment of your data is the most common reason new partners fail to maximise their potential earnings.

• Choosing Revenue Share with low-quality referrals who don't trade actively
• Selecting CPA with high-quality referrals (like mentorship students)
• Using Turnover with an insufficient audience size for meaningful volume

Key takeaway: don’t guess, calculate

Your audience size, traffic quality, and promotional strengths determine optimal commission plan choice more than personal preferences. Starting with the wrong plan may cost new partners potential earnings during the crucial first months.

Quick selection guide:

• Conversion skills? Choose Revenue Share.
• EU traffic + SEO skills? Choose CPA.
• Massive volume and audience? Choose Turnover.

For ideas on how to promote your referral links, check out our full course on tools for promotion. 

FAQs

Can I use multiple commission plans at the same time?

Yes. Deriv's unified partner system allows you to earn from different products simultaneously. For example, you can earn Revenue Share from one client's options trading while earning Turnover commission from another client's digital options activity.

Is the CPA plan available worldwide?

No. The CPA plan ($100 per qualified referral) is available exclusively for EU clients, excluding Spain and Portugal.

When do I receive my commission payouts?

Payouts occur monthly, starting from the 15th of every month. You can withdraw via Deriv Fiat Account, Neteller (minimum $10), or Cryptocurrency (minimum $500).

How can I track my commission earnings?

The Deriv partner dashboard provides real-time tracking of impressions, clicks, registrations, and trades, allowing you to monitor your potential earnings and optimise your marketing strategies.