# Payment Requests
Once affiliates accrue commissions, their earnings can be queued for payout through a payment request. Each request is presented to managers with the necessary details to process it, including the affiliate, the payout amount, the selected payment method, and the current status (e.g., Pending, Paid, Denied).
Tracknow provides several options for how payout requests are handled:
1. **Affiliate-initiated:** Affiliates can submit payout requests manually once they have enough eligible commissions.
2. **Automatic Generation:** Tracknow can automatically generate payout requests on a set schedule (weekly or monthly) for affiliates with available commissions.
3. **Manager-initiated:** Managers can create payout requests manually on behalf of affiliates.
***
### General
* A payment request can only be submitted for conversions with an **Approved** status.
The system automatically calculates the payment request amount based on the total affiliate commissions earned from the selected approved conversions.
* Each payment request is directly linked to the relevant conversions, and those conversions can be viewed within the payment request details.
* Once a payment request is submitted, the status of the related conversions changes from **Approved** to **Processing**. While in the **Processing** status, these conversions are locked and cannot be edited or modified until the payment request is either approved or denied.
* If the payment request is approved, the related conversions are automatically updated to **Paid** status. Paid conversions are considered finalized and can no longer be edited or changed.
***
### Affiliate-Initiated Payout Requests
Navigate to **Settings** → **Affiliate Settings** → **Payment Settings** → Select **By Affiliate Request** → **Save**
Once manual payouts are enabled, a **Request Payout** button will appear in the affiliate portal under the **Available for Payout** widget, allowing affiliates to submit a payout request:
***
### Automatically Generated Payout Requests
Navigate to **Settings** → **Affiliate Settings** → **Payment Settings** → Select **Automatically** → Choose the relevant time period → **Save**
Once automatic payouts are enabled, a request payout will be created for affiliates that have available commissions every cycle according to the time period selected.
***
### Manager-Initiated Payout Requests
Navigate to **Settings** → **Affiliate Settings** → **Payment Settings** → Select **By Affiliate Request** → Toggle on **Remove Affiliate Withdrawal Request** → **Save**
Selecting **By Affiliate Request** ensures that Tracknow does not generate payout requests automatically. Enabling **Remove Affiliate Withdrawal Request** prevents affiliates from creating payout requests themselves.
A manager can create a payout request for affiliates in several ways:
#### From the Affiliate Management Screen
Navigate to **Affiliates** → **Management** → Click on the **affiliate name** to open his manage page → Click the three-dot icon and select **Create Payment**
#### From the Balance Report Screen
Navigate to **Affiliates** → **Balance Report** → **Create Payment** next to the relevant affiliate
***
### Importing Payout Requests From a CSV File
Navigate to **Affiliates** → **Payouts** → **Import**
***
### Where Admins Approve or Deny Payout Requests
Navigate to **Affiliates** → **Payouts** → **Edit Statuses** button > Select the relevant payout request and change their status
When a payout request is approved, the affiliate’s available commissions are updated accordingly: the approved amount is removed from their available balance and moved to **Total Paid**.
***
### Where Affiliates See Their Payout Requests
On the affiliate portal → **Payments**
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