> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.wandreferrals.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.wandreferrals.com/programs-and-commissions/tiers-and-mlm.md).

# Tiers, auto-tier, and multi-level programs

## What it does

Two distinct features let you reward affiliates beyond a flat rate:

* **Auto-tier** — automatically promotes an affiliate to a different program (a "tier") once they hit a performance threshold.
* **Multi-level marketing (MLM)** — pays an affiliate a share of the sales made by the sub-affiliates they recruited (their downline).

Both are advanced features gated to the **Growth** plan and above.

## Auto-tier

When enabled, Wand Referrals evaluates each affiliate immediately after qualifying events and promotes them between programs when they cross a threshold you define. Rules can be based on total sales revenue, order/referral count, total commission, referred-affiliate count, downline sales revenue, or personal sales revenue. Any metric labeled “sales” is money; counts are always labeled separately.

Configure auto-tier in two places:

* **Settings → Auto tier** — shop-wide tier rules.
* A program's own **Auto-tier** settings (`autoTierEnabled`, rules, and an optional reset period — default `NEVER`), for per-program promotion logic.

New rules default to **Total sales (revenue)**. Merchants with rules created before canonical revenue and count metrics see a compatibility report in **Settings → Auto tier**. Those rules keep their historical behavior until the merchant approves the exact simulation. Approval may promote the affiliates shown by the simulation but never demotes an existing affiliate.

## Multi-level marketing (MLM)

MLM pays "upline" affiliates a commission on their recruits' sales.

### How it works

* An affiliate earns MLM commission only if they have a **parent affiliate** (they were recruited by someone) and the attributed affiliate's program has **MLM enabled**.
* The number of levels paid is set by **MLM levels** (default 2).
* The rate per level comes from the program's MLM commission configuration. If you don't specify per-level rates, the default halves the order's rate at each level.
* MLM commissions are written as separate commission rows (labeled by level, e.g. `MLM_LEVEL_1`), so they're auditable and reversible independently.
* An optional **recruit bonus** can pay a fixed amount when an affiliate recruits a new sub-affiliate.

### Enable MLM

1. Open **Settings → Multi-level marketing** (or the program's MLM settings).
2. Turn on MLM and set the number of levels and the per-level rates.
3. Save. From then on, qualifying orders generate upline MLM commissions automatically.

Affiliates can see and grow their downline from the **Network** page in the affiliate portal — see [The affiliate portal](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/portal/the-affiliate-portal/README.md). That page exposes each level-1 and level-2 recruit's name/email identity, status, joined date, sales, and commission totals to their upline. Enable MLM only when this visibility is covered by your program terms and privacy notice.

## Limits & notes

* MLM and auto-tier are deterministic: level rows are keyed to the source order so a refund reverses the upline commissions in lockstep (see [Refunds, returns & chargebacks](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/reversals/refunds-returns-chargebacks/README.md)).
* Reversals of an MLM chain are idempotent — re-processing the same event won't double-reverse.

## Related

* [Bonuses & milestones](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/programs/bonuses-and-milestones/README.md)
* [Lifetime & subscription commissions](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/programs/lifetime-and-subscription/README.md)
* [The affiliate portal — Network](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/portal/the-affiliate-portal/README.md)
* [Billing plans](https://github.com/wand-referrals-app/wand-referrals/tree/codex/gitbook-docs-foundation/docs/manual/account/billing-plans/README.md)