> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dequan.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How Payouts Work

The Dequan referral system is designed to be transparent at every step — you should always be able to see what you're earning, why, and when it will arrive.

## Which wallet receives payouts

<Note>
  **Referral payouts are sent on-chain to your connected (non-custodial) wallet** — the same wallet you use to sign in to Dequan. They do **not** deposit into your Lightning Wallet (the custodial trading balance).

  We deliberately route earnings to your self-custody wallet so that referral revenue is yours immediately and unconditionally — independent of any trading activity, custodial balance, or session state.
</Note>

If you change which wallet you sign in with, future withdrawals go to the new address. Past payouts stay where they were originally sent — they are not retroactively redirected.

## When you receive payouts

Referral earnings settle on-demand, not on a fixed schedule:

<Steps>
  <Step title="A referee makes a trade" icon="bolt">
    Their trade is executed normally. The platform fee is calculated as usual. A pre-defined slice of that fee is allocated to the referrer (you).
  </Step>

  <Step title="The slice accrues to your referral balance" icon="piggy-bank">
    Your account view shows your current accrued (pending) balance updating in real time as your referees trade.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You request a withdrawal" icon="hand-pointer">
    Once your accrued balance reaches the minimum withdrawal threshold (0.1 SOL), the **Withdraw** button in your referral panel becomes active. You choose when to pull funds — there is no forced settlement timer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Anti-abuse review (automatic, instant)" icon="shield-halved">
    On withdrawal, the system reviews recent activity for the patterns described in [Referral Anti-Abuse](/safety/referral-anti-abuse). Most referrers pass through transparently with zero impact; flagged accounts may have a withdrawal delayed pending review.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Payout is sent on-chain" icon="paper-plane">
    The withdrawal is picked up by the automated processor (which runs every few minutes) and broadcast to Solana. The SOL lands in your connected wallet typically within a few minutes. The transaction signature is recorded in your earnings history.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  **Why on-demand instead of automatic?** Automatic settlement means surprise transactions on your wallet at unpredictable times. On-demand means you batch your earnings on your own schedule — useful for tax accounting, gas-efficient batching, and simply knowing exactly when funds will move.
</Tip>

## What you can see at any time

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Live accrued balance" icon="chart-line-up">
    Updates in near-real-time as your referees trade. You can watch it climb during their active sessions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Per-referee breakdown" icon="users">
    See which referees are generating which earnings. Shows wallet (anonymised), join date, total fees you've earned from them, and recent activity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Withdrawal panel" icon="wallet">
    Your withdrawable balance, the minimum threshold, and the destination wallet (your connected non-custodial address) shown before you confirm.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Historical payouts" icon="receipt">
    Every payout you've ever received, with on-chain transaction signatures you can verify in any explorer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Throttle status" icon="shield-halved">
    Your current throttle tier from the [anti-abuse system](/safety/referral-anti-abuse). Almost everyone is "Normal" — if you're not, the panel explains why at an actionable level.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What can affect a payout

The honest set:

* **Anti-abuse throttle.** If your account is flagged for suspicious patterns, payouts may be delayed (Soft), paused (Heavy), or halted (Freeze). See [Referral Anti-Abuse](/safety/referral-anti-abuse).
* **Referee chargebacks.** If a referee's trade is reversed for any reason (extremely rare), the corresponding referral slice is also reversed before it can be withdrawn.
* **Network conditions.** On-chain payouts pay normal Solana priority fees. During severe congestion the payout transaction might take an extra block to confirm; the amount is unaffected.
* **Connected wallet changes.** Payouts always go to the wallet you are currently signed in with. If you switch wallets, future withdrawals follow the new wallet. Past payouts are not retroactively redirected.

## What can't affect a payout

* **Dequan operational decisions.** We do not adjust referral payout rates retroactively. The rate that applied when a referee traded is the rate they were referred under.
* **Tier changes on either side.** A referrer moving Scout → Sniper does not affect their referees' fee rate. A referee being upgraded to Sniper or Apex does not break the referral relationship.
* **Inactivity.** Pending balances do not expire. Your accrued balance stays available to withdraw whenever you choose.

## The "no surprises" principle

The single most damaging thing a referral program can do is unexpectedly cut payouts that referrers have already earned. Dequan does not do this.

If there are anti-abuse concerns, the throttle status is visible to the affected user with reasoning. If there are policy changes, they apply prospectively, not retroactively. If a referee's account is closed, the relationship ends but already-accrued earnings remain withdrawable.

The referral program is meant to be a quiet, dependable revenue stream for legitimate referrers — not a lottery, not a moving target. We design it that way deliberately.

## Verifying your earnings

Every payout you've received has an on-chain transaction signature. You can:

1. Open the payout history in your account view.
2. Click the signature for any payout.
3. Open the resulting Solana explorer link.
4. Verify that the amount, source, destination, and timestamp all match what Dequan claims.

This is the kind of verification we *want* you to do. Not because we expect mistrust, but because verifiability is the foundation of trust.