--- title: "Funding the Payout Balance: Spark! docs | Chargezen" description: "Spark! pays creators from a balance you fund ahead of time. Record deposits, create payouts and mark them paid, with every dollar on one ledger." url: "https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/brand-guides/funding-payouts" lang: "en" updated: "2026-10-19" --- Canonical URL: https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/brand-guides/funding-payouts # Funding the Payout Balance Spark! pays creators from a balance you fund ahead of time. Record deposits, create payouts and mark them paid, with every dollar on one ledger. Last updated: 2026-10-19 Spark! keeps a payout balance for your program: money you've set aside for creators. You add to it with deposits, and every payout you mark paid draws it down. Finance always knows what's been funded, what's been paid and what's still owed, and a payout can't go out for more than you've set aside. ## The Finance page Go to **Spark! > Partners > Finance**. Four cards sit at the top: * **Balance:** what's available to pay creators now. * **Total deposited:** everything you've added. * **Paid payouts:** everything you've paid out. * **Pending commissions:** commission creators have earned that isn't in a payout yet, net of refund clawbacks. Fund at least this much to stay ahead. Below them is your deposit history, which you can search and filter by status. ## Record a deposit 1 #### Click Make deposit On the Finance page, click **Make deposit** to open **Record deposit**. 2 #### Enter the details Enter the **Amount**, the **Deposit date** (the date the funds were received; it can't be in the future) and a **Note**, such as "bank transfer received." The note is required, so your ledger always says where the money came from. 3 #### Save The deposit is added to your balance right away and appears in the history. If you click save twice, it's recorded once. ## Pay a creator 1 #### Open the creator Go to **Spark! > Partners** and open the creator. The **Payouts** section lists their open payouts. 2 #### Create payout Click **Create payout**. Spark! gathers all their unpaid commission, subtracts any open refund clawbacks, and creates one pending payout. If there's nothing to pay, you'll see "There are no unpaid commissions available for a new payout." 3 #### Send the money Pay the creator with the method they chose. You can see their payout methods on their partner page. 4 #### Mark as paid Select the payout (or several) and click **Mark as paid**. Fill in the **Payout method**, **Payout destination**, **Payout date**, **Transaction ID** and optional **Notes**. The total comes off your balance, and the creator sees the payment, with your transaction ID as the reference, in their portal. “The affiliate balance is too low” If the payouts you selected add up to more than your balance, Spark! stops and shows how much is available and how much you need. This is on purpose: a payout is never recorded against money you haven't set aside. Record a deposit for the difference, then mark the payouts paid again. ## Payout schedule and minimum Under **Spark! > Partners > Settings > Payouts**, choose your **Payout schedule** (weekly, every two weeks, monthly or quarterly) and a **Minimum payout amount**. They tell creators when to expect money and how much they need to earn first. You create and mark payouts yourself, so set a calendar reminder that matches your schedule. ## FAQ ### Why does Spark! use a pre-funded balance? So finance can see what's set aside and what's owed at any moment, and so a payout can't be recorded for money the program doesn't have. ### Does Spark! take a cut of payouts? No. Spark! is $199 a month or $1,990 a year, with no fee on creator sales or payouts. ### Can an AI assistant read my balance? Yes, read-only. See [Spark! MCP tools](https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/brand-guides/mcp-tools). ## Next Steps [ ### Refunds and Clawbacks How refunds lower what you owe Learn more ](https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/brand-guides/refunds-and-clawbacks)[ ### Spark! Payouts Flat fees, per-post rates and commissions Learn more ](https://chargezen.com/spark/payouts) ### Related Articles [ #### Refunds and Clawbacks How refunds change what you owe ](https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/brand-guides/refunds-and-clawbacks)[ #### Getting Paid The creator side of a payout ](https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/creators/getting-paid)[ #### Payout Methods Where creators want their money ](https://chargezen.com/docs/spark/creators/payout-methods) Was this page helpful? Need more help? [Contact support](https://chargezen.com/docs/checkoutos/troubleshooting/support)