Affiliate Programme Terms & Conditions

1. Binding Agreement & Digital Signature

When you submit your affiliate application through the TaxEase UK website, you are required to type your full legal name in the designated "Digital Signature" field and tick the declaration checkbox. This action constitutes a legally binding electronic signature under the law of England and Wales, including section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016.

TaxEase UK records and stores the following data at the moment of signature: (a) your full name as typed, (b) your email address, (c) the date and time (UTC) of submission, (d) your IP address, (e) your browser user-agent string, and (f) the version number of these Terms accepted.

At the same moment, TaxEase UK produces a PDF copy of the signed agreement, containing these Terms in full together with the details listed above. The PDF states the exact date and time of signature. It is sent to your email address, and a copy is retained by TaxEase UK with your account record. A cryptographic fingerprint (SHA-256) of the PDF is stored with your record, so that either party can show that the copy has not been altered since the moment of signature.

This record and the signed PDF together constitute conclusive evidence that you read and accepted these Terms, in the version stated.

You may not claim at any future point that you were unaware of, or did not agree to, these Terms. Your signature record and the signed PDF are retained for a minimum of 7 years.

2. Eligibility

The TaxEase UK Affiliate Programme is open to individuals aged 18 or over and to registered businesses. By applying, you confirm that:

• You are legally authorised to enter into binding contracts in your country of residence.
• You will comply with all applicable laws regarding advertising, data protection (UK GDPR), and consumer protection.
• You will not use paid search ads (Google Ads, Bing Ads) targeting the keyword "TaxEase UK" or any variation thereof without prior written consent.
• You have disclosed your affiliate relationship to your audience where required by law (UK CAP Code, ASA guidelines, FTC rules if applicable).

3. Commission Structure, Level 1

You earn a commission of 10% of the net purchase amount for each completed sale made through your unique referral link or code. This applies to all TaxEase UK products, including individual licences (Premium, MTD) and B2B accountant subscriptions (Essential, Senior, Enterprise).

• Individual licences (Premium, MTD): you also earn 10% of each annual renewal paid by a customer you referred, for as long as that customer keeps renewing and your affiliate account remains active.
• Commissions are only earned on completed purchases that have not been reversed.
• B2B subscriptions: If a customer you referred purchases a B2B accountant subscription, you earn 10% on each recurring monthly payment for the duration of the subscription.
• Accountant priority rule: If a customer you referred already has an active accountant referral code associated with their account, your commission will not be awarded for that transaction. This will be shown in your dashboard as "Client with accountant". This rule prevents double commission on the same sale.
• TaxEase UK does not offer refunds (see section 20 of our Terms of Service). Before paying, customers are asked to consent to immediate access and to acknowledge that, once access begins, they lose the 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. If a payment is nevertheless reversed, for example because the customer's bank or card issuer upholds a chargeback, the commission for that payment is cancelled.
• Every cancelled commission is shown in your dashboard, with the date, product and amount of the purchase concerned, and you are notified of it by email, so that you can always see why your balance has changed.
• Self-referrals (purchasing through your own link) are strictly prohibited and will result in account suspension and forfeiture of all pending commissions.
• TaxEase UK reserves the right to adjust the commission rate with 14 days' advance email notice.

4. Two-Level Referral System (Level 2)

Level 1 (Direct): You earn 10% on each sale made through your own referral link (as described in Section 3).

Level 2 (Sub-Affiliate): If you recruit another person ("Sub-Affiliate") to join the TaxEase UK Affiliate Programme, and that Sub-Affiliate makes sales through their own link, you earn an additional 3% commission on each of their sales, including renewals, credited to your account as affiliate credits (see Section 5).

• Level 2 commissions are credits only, they are applied against your own licence renewal, not paid as cash (unless otherwise stated in a future programme update).
• The system is limited to two levels. There are no Level 3 or deeper commissions.
• You may recruit Sub-Affiliates by sharing the affiliate programme page at taxeaseuk.com/affiliates. Sub-Affiliates must apply and be approved independently.
• You must disclose any material connection (including financial interest) when recommending the affiliate programme to others, as required by UK ASA guidelines.
• TaxEase UK reserves the right to modify or discontinue the Level 2 system at any time with 14 days' notice.

5. Credit System & Renewal

Level 2 commissions are accumulated as affiliate credits in your dashboard balance. They are applied automatically to your next TaxEase UK Premium or MTD licence renewal, as follows:

• Your available credits are displayed in your dashboard.
• At renewal, your available credits are deducted from the renewal price before payment is taken. For example, if you hold £7.00 in credits, a £39.00 renewal is charged at £32.00.
• If your credits exceed the renewal price, the renewal is covered in full and the remaining credits carry forward to your following renewal.
• Credits have no cash value and cannot be withdrawn, transferred, or exchanged for currency.
• In the event your affiliate account is terminated for cause, any unused credits are forfeited.
• TaxEase UK may, at its sole discretion, allow partial cash redemption of credits in future programme updates.

6. Cookie Tracking & Attribution

Your referral link is tracked via a 90-day cookie and browser storage. If a visitor clicks your referral link and makes a purchase within 90 days, you receive the commission. After 90 days, the tracking expires and no commission is earned. Both methods (cookie and local storage) are used to maximise tracking reliability across different browsers and privacy settings.

In the event of multiple affiliate referrals for the same customer, the last click wins (last-touch attribution). TaxEase UK's tracking system is the sole source of truth for commission attribution. Disputes based on external tracking tools will not be considered.

7. Payment Schedule & Minimum Payout

Commissions accumulate in your dashboard balance. Once your cash balance reaches £20.00, payment is sent automatically every Monday via Stripe to your registered bank account. Balances below £20.00 roll over to the following week(s) until the threshold is met.

If a commission is cancelled after it has already been paid to you (see Section 3), the amount is deducted from your future commissions, and your balance may be negative until it is recovered.

Affiliate credits (Level 2) do not count toward the £20 payout threshold and are applied only at renewal.

8. Permitted Representations

You may accurately describe TaxEase UK as:

• A guided Self Assessment preparation tool available in multiple languages.
• A step-by-step application that helps users organise their UK tax return information.
• A tool priced at £39 per tax year for individual Premium access (at the current advertised price).
• Software that can file a Self Assessment return directly with HMRC on the user’s instruction, or prepare it so that the user files it on gov.uk. Making Tax Digital quarterly updates are pending HMRC production access.

9. Prohibited Conduct & Misrepresentation

The following are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate suspension and forfeiture of all pending commissions:

• Claiming that TaxEase UK files returns automatically or without the user’s review and instruction, or that it sends Making Tax Digital updates before HMRC production access is granted.
• Claiming "guaranteed tax refund", "guaranteed savings", or any specific financial outcome.
• Claiming TaxEase UK is "approved by HMRC" or endorsed by any UK government body.
• Advertising a price different from the current official price on taxeaseuk.com.
• Claiming TaxEase UK eliminates the need for a professional accountant.
• Using spam, unsolicited messages, or automated traffic to generate referrals.
• Creating fake reviews, testimonials, or screenshots of the product.
• Bidding on paid search terms that include "TaxEase UK" without prior written consent.
• Offering cash back, incentives, or rebates to customers as inducement to purchase through your link.

Any misrepresentation that results in a complaint, regulatory action, or reputational damage to TaxEase UK will be treated as a material breach of this agreement, and TaxEase UK may seek damages.

10. Content Pre-Approval

We strongly recommend submitting marketing content (scripts, video descriptions, social posts, emails) for review before publishing. Contact us at hello@taxeaseuk.com. While not mandatory, publishing content that violates these Terms may result in suspension regardless of whether pre-approval was sought.

11. Independent Contractor Status

You are an independent contractor, not an employee, agent, partner, or legal representative of TaxEase UK. You have no authority to make promises, modify terms, enter contracts, or accept liability on behalf of TaxEase UK. All content you create is your sole legal and financial responsibility.

12. No Guarantee of Earnings

TaxEase UK makes no guarantee of earnings. Commission income depends entirely on your own marketing efforts, audience size, and market conditions. Past performance of other affiliates is not indicative of future results. Any earnings examples provided are illustrative only and should not be relied upon as income projections.

13. TaxEase UK Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• TaxEase UK is not liable for any loss of income, loss of data, or indirect/consequential damages arising from your participation in the affiliate programme.
• TaxEase UK is not liable for any technical issues, tracking errors, or payment delays attributable to third-party providers (including Stripe).
• TaxEase UK's total liability to any affiliate for any claim shall not exceed the total commissions paid to that affiliate in the 3 months preceding the claim.
• TaxEase UK is not responsible for any tax liability you incur as a result of affiliate income. You are solely responsible for reporting and paying taxes on commissions earned.

14. Affiliate Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TaxEase UK Ltd, its directors, officers, and employees from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your breach of these Terms; (b) any content you publish promoting TaxEase UK; (c) any misrepresentation made by you to third parties; or (d) your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

15. Termination

TaxEase UK may suspend or terminate your affiliate account at any time, with or without notice, if these Terms are violated. Upon termination:

• Your referral link will be deactivated immediately.
• Commissions for valid, completed sales made before termination, and not reversed, will be paid on the next scheduled payout, provided the minimum £20 threshold is met.
• Commissions from sales made after the termination date are forfeited.
• All accumulated affiliate credits are forfeited upon termination for cause.
• You may voluntarily withdraw from the programme at any time by emailing hello@taxeaseuk.com.

16. Changes to the Programme

TaxEase UK reserves the right to modify commission rates, payout schedules, the Level 2 system, the credit system, or any other programme terms at any time. You will be notified by email at least 14 days before material changes take effect. Continued participation in the programme after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

17. Self Assessment Access for Affiliates

Your affiliate account grants access to the affiliate dashboard only. It does not include access to the Self Assessment tool. To use TaxEase UK for your own tax return, you must purchase a separate individual Premium licence (£39 per tax year). Each licence is tied to one individual's Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and cannot be shared.

18. GDPR & Data Processing

TaxEase UK processes your personal data (name, email, IP address, browser user-agent, digital signature and signed agreement, payment details) in accordance with our Privacy Policy and UK GDPR. By joining the programme, you consent to: (a) receiving programme-related emails; (b) the recording of your digital signature, the acceptance timestamp, your IP address and browser user-agent, and the retention of the signed PDF; (c) the processing of commission payments via Stripe. Your data is not sold to third parties.

19. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed exclusively by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from or related to this agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

20. Brand Assets & TaxEase UK Content

20.1 TaxEase UK grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable licence, for as long as this agreement is in force, to use the following only to promote TaxEase UK together with your affiliate link or code: (a) the logos, banners and images in the affiliate kit in your dashboard; (b) the videos published on the official TaxEase UK YouTube channel and Facebook page, by sharing their link or using the platform's own share or embed function; (c) short quotes from taxeaseuk.com, unchanged and with a link back to the page quoted.

20.2 You must not: (a) download, re-upload or republish our videos on your own channel or account; (b) edit, crop, dub or add your own voice, music or captions to our videos or images; (c) change, recolour or distort the TaxEase UK logo, or place it next to other brands in a way that suggests a partnership or endorsement we have not agreed; (d) use the TaxEase UK name, logo or videos in paid advertising, or bid on "TaxEase" search terms, without our written approval; (e) present yourself as TaxEase UK or as acting on its behalf.

20.3 All rights in the TaxEase UK name, logos, videos and content remain with TAXEASEUK LTD. When this agreement ends, you must stop using them and remove them from your materials within 14 days. Links shared in posts published before that date may remain.

20.4 Any content you create that mentions TaxEase UK remains subject to sections 8, 9 and 10.