# How to disclose affiliate codes and commissions

Canonical: https://usecode.sh/guides/disclose-affiliate-codes
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13

If you earn anything from a code, money, free product, or credit, US rules require disclosing that connection clearly and conspicuously in each piece of content that promotes it. The FTC has addressed codes directly: a personalized discount code by itself probably signals a relationship but not that you get paid, so the code is not the disclosure. This page summarizes US rules and is general information, not legal advice.

## What triggers the duty

The Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255, revised 2023) require disclosure whenever a material connection exists that the audience would not expect: monetary payment, free or discounted products, or even the possibility of being paid. Commission on a code redemption is squarely inside that. So is a credit-paid referral code; the classification does not change the duty, as noted in [affiliate code vs referral code](/guides/affiliate-code-vs-referral-code).

## What counts as clear and conspicuous

- The 2023 definition: difficult to miss and easily understandable, and on social media, unavoidable.
- Same medium as the claim: say it in the video if you said the endorsement in the video, and show it on screen too when the claim is visual.
- Placement matters: FTC staff guidance flags disclosures as likely missed when they sit only on a profile page, at the end of posts, or behind a More tap. Each endorsing post carries its own disclosure; a bio-page disclosure supports but does not replace them.
- Adequate wording: "ad", "advertisement", "sponsored", #ad, #sponsored, or the FTC's suggested "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post", adapted to codes: "I earn a commission when you use my code." Inadequate: #sp, #spon, #collab, a bare "thanks", "affiliate link" alone, or the code itself.

## The code-specific answer most guides skip

The FTC's own FAQ takes the question head-on: a clearly personalized code like "iammike20%" probably conveys a relationship, but whether it conveys a financial one is less clear, and if a significant minority of the audience would not understand you get paid, a clearer disclosure is needed, with the FTC recommending erring on the side of disclosure. Practical translation: keep saying the code, and pair it with the paid-partnership sentence.

## Stakes and jurisdictions

- The FTC has warned influencers directly (November 2023 letters over inadequately disclosed paid posts) and its penalty-offense notices contemplate civil penalties per violation in the tens of thousands of dollars.
- Outside the US, rules differ: the UK's ASA has ruled that including a discount code is, by itself, insufficient to identify an ad. If your audience is international, meet the strictest standard you face.
- This guide is general information about published rules, not legal advice; for a specific campaign, a lawyer beats a blog, including this one.

## Related guides

- [Affiliate code vs referral code: which one did the brand hand you?](https://usecode.sh/guides/affiliate-code-vs-referral-code)
  Cash commission on sales to anyone, or account credit for referring friends: how to classify the code a brand gave you and what it means for payment.
- [How influencer promo codes actually work](https://usecode.sh/guides/how-influencer-promo-codes-work)
  Who creates the code, how the discount and the commission are configured, how attribution happens, and where the creator fits in the chain.
- [How creators make money from discount codes](https://usecode.sh/guides/make-money-from-discount-codes)
  The four ways a discount code turns into creator income: commissionable codes, code-plus-link deals, flat-fee campaigns, and codes as proof for the next deal.
- [How to share promo codes on Instagram](https://usecode.sh/guides/share-promo-codes-on-instagram)
  Instagram captions are not clickable and bios cap at 150 characters, so codes need a system: where codes actually work on Instagram and how to keep them all findable.
- [Creator promo-code tracker template](https://usecode.sh/templates/promo-code-tracker)
  A free CSV deal sheet for creators running multiple codes: terms, rates, expiries, deliverables, and payment status, importable to Sheets or Excel.

## Sources

- [16 CFR Part 255, Endorsement Guides (eCFR, current text)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-255) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ (personalized discount codes, affiliate wording)](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [FTC staff guidance: Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [FTC press release: warning letters to influencers, Nov 2023](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/11/ftc-warns-two-trade-associations-dozen-influencers-about-social-media-posts-promoting-consumption) (verified 2026-08-13)
- [ASA: recognising ads on social media (UK, code-alone insufficient)](https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/recognising-ads-social-media.html) (verified 2026-08-13)