Home · HighLevel · Updated 13 November 2026 (GMT)

Sell a one-time course with affiliates in HighLevel (12 Nov 2026 update)

On 12 November 2026 HighLevel shipped two changes to Affiliate Manager, the tool for running your own affiliate or referral programme inside HighLevel. They matter if you sell a one-time course, workshop or setup package on your own website through Stripe, and want partners or past students to refer buyers for a commission.

Everything below comes from HighLevel’s changelog (12 Nov 2026 entries) and its help articles on one-time and recurring products in External Website campaigns and affiliate payouts, checked 13 November 2026 (GMT). These are not changes to HighLevel’s own affiliate programme or how HighLevel pays its affiliates.

Change 1: one-time products in External Website campaigns

An External Website campaign tracks affiliate sales on a site you run outside HighLevel. Until now, one-time products in these campaigns always used the campaign’s default commission. Now:

• One-time and recurring products both show up. When you click Add Product, the list shows one-time and recurring products from your connected Stripe account.
• Each one-time product can have its own rate. For example, a different rate for a course and for a setup package.
• Commission is recorded without an invoice. HighLevel says commission is calculated on one-time Stripe payments even when Stripe creates no invoice or subscription, and a payment is never counted twice.

HighLevel says External Website campaigns now handle products the same way Funnels and Websites already do.

How to set it up

1. Check the prerequisites in HighLevel’s help article: Stripe connected to your sub-account, the products already created in that Stripe account, and the Affiliate Manager tracking script installed on your website.
2. Go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Campaign. Create a campaign, or open one, with External Website as the source.
3. In the products step, click Add Product and select the one-time and/or recurring products to include.
4. Under Set Commission → Advanced Commission Settings, use Customise Commission Per Product to set a rate for each product. Products without their own rate use the default.
5. Assign affiliates, then save or publish the campaign.

Sources: HighLevel changelog, 12 Nov 2026 · Using one-time and recurring products in External Website campaigns.

Limits to know

• Stripe only. External Website campaigns track Stripe products only. A product must exist in your connected Stripe account to appear in the list. You create and edit products in Stripe, not in Affiliate Manager.
• No backfill. One-time sales made before the release are not credited. HighLevel’s help article says you can add a manual sale for an affiliate if needed.
• Recurring campaigns are unchanged. Existing recurring product campaigns work exactly as before.
• Refunds are not reversed for you. HighLevel’s payouts article says the system does not automatically track refunds for one-time products or subscriptions. It suggests a payout term (NET-7 to NET-90) that fits your refund window.

Change 2: affiliate consent, tax form and payout setup

The second update adds one compliance flow for each affiliate. Before they get paid, they accept your commission terms, submit the tax form you require and add a payout method, all in one place.

• Consent form. Upload your commission terms as a PDF (max 5 MB). Affiliates must accept them before they become payout eligible.
• Compliance column. A new Compliance column in the Affiliates list and the Payouts table shows who is Pending. Each affiliate’s profile lists what is missing, such as the W9/W8 form or payment method.
• One setting for every campaign. It is configured once and applies to every campaign.

How to turn it on

1. Go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Settings → Affiliate Portal Settings.
2. Turn on the options you need: Ask Affiliates to upload W9/W8 Form, Require Affiliates to set up a payout method, Configure Payout methods and Consent form.
3. If you turn on the consent form, upload your commission terms PDF.
4. Click Save.
5. Before you approve or pay a payout, check the Compliance column in Affiliates or Payouts, or open the affiliate’s profile.

Two catches from HighLevel’s notes: payouts are not blocked automatically in this release, so the check is yours to do; and the flow is available only in the new Client Portal interface.

Source: HighLevel changelog, 12 Nov 2026.

UK caveat: W9 and W8 are US forms

W9 and W8 are US tax forms. HighLevel’s update names only W9/W8 and does not mention any UK form. If you and your affiliates are in the UK, think about whether that option makes sense for your programme, and get your own advice on tax and record-keeping for commission you pay. You can still use the consent form and payout method steps.

Before you launch: a checklist for course creators

• Your course or setup package exists as a product in the Stripe account connected to HighLevel.
• The Affiliate Manager tracking script is on your sales site.
• You have decided a rate for each product, and set 0% on anything that should not earn commission (HighLevel’s help article gives this as the way to exclude a product).
• Your commission terms are written down as a PDF. Have them checked if you are unsure; this page is not legal advice.
• Your payout term covers your refund window, because refunds are not reversed automatically.
• You check the Compliance column by hand before every payout.
• Your account uses the new Client Portal, if you want the consent and payout flow.
• Your welcome and receipt emails reach the inbox. See the deliverability checklist.

Is this a reason to choose HighLevel?

Only if you also want what else HighLevel does: CRM, funnels, email and SMS follow-up and booking. If you sell one course and nothing else, a dedicated course platform is usually simpler; compare HighLevel vs Thinkific and Kajabi vs Thinkific. Prices are on our HighLevel pricing page. For the course side of the setup, see how to set up a course in HighLevel.

FAQ

Can HighLevel affiliates now earn commission on a one-time course?

Yes, in External Website campaigns. HighLevel’s 12 Nov 2026 changelog says these campaigns now support one-time Stripe products alongside recurring ones, so affiliates can earn on courses, setup packages and other one-time offers sold on your own website.

Can each one-time product have its own commission rate?

Yes. Under Set Commission, Advanced Commission Settings, use Customise Commission Per Product. Before this update, one-time products always followed the campaign’s default commission.

Will sales made before the update be credited to affiliates?

No. HighLevel says one-time sales made before the release are not backfilled. Its help article says you can add a manual sale for an affiliate if needed.

Does HighLevel stop payouts to affiliates who have not finished the compliance steps?

Not yet. HighLevel says payouts are not blocked automatically in this release. You check the Compliance column and decide whether to pay.

Do the W9 and W8 forms apply to UK affiliates?

W9 and W8 are US tax forms. HighLevel’s update names only W9/W8 and does not mention UK forms. If you and your affiliates are in the UK, decide whether to switch that option on and take your own tax advice.

Related: HighLevel review · HighLevel course setup guide · HighLevel pricing · HighLevel vs Thinkific · Kajabi vs Thinkific · Skool vs Circle vs HighLevel · UK cost worksheet.