A transaction awaiting validation and an approved commission awaiting payment need different evidence. Before calling either overdue, establish which deadline applies and what starts it.
That distinction changes the request. A validation query asks for a decision about a transaction. A payment query asks what remains before an accepted amount is transferred or reconciled. Start with the programme’s actual terms and its exact status label.
Use the APMA code as a reference for the questions
The Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association’s open letter dated 29 January 2026 describes its advertiser payments code as a voluntary, opt-in UK industry initiative. It does not establish that any particular advertiser follows it.
The January 2026 code recommends public validation windows, 14 days’ written notice before lengthening them, and frequent validation—at least weekly where real-time processing is unavailable. It also recommends specific decline reasons and clear transaction-query procedures, including submission conditions, an escalation contact and reasons for resolution. These are recommended practices, not a universal payment schedule or proof of a platform’s automatic behaviour.
Use those points to identify information worth requesting. For a claim about a specific programme, establish its applicable terms and any confirmed adoption separately. A general endorsement of an initiative is not enough to show which provisions an advertiser has accepted.
Identify the unresolved stage
Use the following as working categories, not presumed platform status names.
Missing or disputed transaction. Establish what record exists and what query route is permitted. Ask which reference, submission condition or supporting item is missing. If a transaction was declined, request the reason tied to that transaction and the relevant condition.
Pending validation. Find the applicable validation window and the event that starts it. Ask what decision remains outstanding and when the programme expects to make it. If no window is established, request one instead of inventing a due date.
Approved but unpaid. Ask which payment condition or processing step remains unresolved. Request the relevant rule and expected next action. Do not treat the validation deadline as the payment deadline.
Marked paid but not reconciled. Ask for the payment reference and the details needed to match it against the receiving account. Preserve the distinction between a dashboard status and evidence that the funds arrived.
These categories help route the question. They do not assert that every programme uses the same sequence or owes payment after the same number of days.
Build one evidence and request worksheet
This is Affrate’s suggested working record, not an APMA form. Complete it for a transaction or a clearly defined group governed by the same terms.
Programme and reference
What to record: Programme, network or direct relationship, permitted transaction reference, amount and currency
Recorded state
What to record: Exact status label, when checked, and whether the amount is pending, disputed or approved
Applicable rule
What to record: Relevant validation or payment provision, its version/date and the event that starts the period; write “not established” where necessary
Timeline and evidence
What to record: Known transaction, qualification, query, approval and payment dates; supporting terms and prior replies
Requested resolution
What to record: Missing decision or payment detail, responsible contact, requested response date and any separately confirmed next date
Keep transactions governed by different provisions in separate groups. Otherwise, a reply about one batch can appear to resolve another that has a different starting event or condition.
Use the programme’s authorised query channel and include the information needed to identify the case. More attachments do not compensate for an unclear question. Point to the provision you believe applies and leave room for the recipient to correct it.
Ask for the missing decision
Adapt this request to the worksheet. The placeholders are for the publisher to complete; they are not evidence about a real transaction.
Please review [transaction reference] in [programme]. The recorded status is [exact status] as of [date], for [amount and currency].
The terms I have identify [relevant provision], with the period starting on [event/date]. Please confirm whether that is the applicable rule.
What decision or payment step remains outstanding? Please identify any missing information, the contact responsible and the next expected action date.
If these terms or the starting event are incorrect, please provide the applicable provision. I would appreciate a response by [requested date].
If the relevant rule is unknown, replace the second paragraph with a request for it. A date you request for a reply is not a contractual deadline or an agreed payment date.
Close the query with evidence
When a reply arrives, record what it actually resolves: a missing document, a validation decision, a planned payment run or a confirmed transfer. Keep an estimated action date labelled as an estimate until the next evidence changes its status.
If the reply does not address the disputed provision, return to that precise gap through the programme’s escalation route. A shorter follow-up identifying the unanswered question is easier to assess than repeating the entire complaint.
For the separate accounting question, Affrate’s affiliate ROI guide explains why tracked commission, approved amounts and cash received need distinct treatment. An open query should not disappear merely because a dashboard number looks more favourable.
The code supplies a useful reference for discussing payment practice. The conclusion about an individual case still depends on its terms, timeline and evidence. A well-formed query makes those conditions explicit and identifies the next decision needed.
Sources
Sources checked: 6 November 2026.
