Commission Protection for Meta & Google Ads Consultants: How to Lock In Your Rights in the Services Agreement
Published: July 14, 2025 • Document Generators, Free Templates, Online Sales
Independent performance marketers are uniquely vulnerable to not getting paid what they earned.
You scale a funnel, improve ROAS, clean up tracking, architect the whole strategy – and the minute things finally start working, the client changes the password, moves the ad account, or brings in a cheaper agency. If your commission rights are not nailed down in the services agreement, there is usually nothing to “enforce” except angry emails.
Platforms, pixels, and ad logs are built to optimize campaigns, not to protect your commissions. The only real protection is a written agreement that anticipates how clients behave when money is on the line.
This guide walks through how to structure a digital advertising services agreement so that it:
- Clearly defines when commissions are owed
- Gives you the data and access you need to prove performance
- Protects you when the relationship ends or the client tries to circumvent you
Contents
ToggleThe Real-World Risks to Commission-Based Ad Consultants
If you work on performance or revenue share, the legal risks cluster around a few recurring patterns. Access risk Clients can:- Remove your access to ad accounts, CRMs, or payment processors
- Move spend into a “new” account to argue that “your” campaigns are no longer running
- Switch ad accounts or pixels to hide true numbers
- Six- or twelve-month payment plans
- Recurring subscriptions
- Deferred or “trial” billings
- Client terminates you right before a launch or heavy scale phase, then
- Re-uses the exact funnel, campaigns, and strategy you created, sometimes under a different business or agency
Designing a Commission Structure that Can Actually Be Enforced
A commission clause is not just “you get X% of sales.” It has to define what counts as a “sale,” how it is measured, when it is measured, and what data will be used. Define Commissionable Revenue You want a clear definition, for example:- Which products are covered (course A, program B, upsell C, subscription tiers)
- Whether “gross” means before or after refunds, discounts, and chargebacks
- How merchant fees and taxes are handled
- Paid media campaigns on specified platforms (Meta, Google, YouTube, etc.)
- Email campaigns, remarketing flows, and upsell sequences that you design or optimize
- Funnel strategy and landing page recommendations that the client implements
- Recognize that attribution is probabilistic
- Define rules for overlapping traffic sources (for example, if the first touch and primary scaling channel is your paid traffic, a sale is Commissionable even if the final click comes from email)
Protecting Commissions During the Engagement
Once the structure is defined, you need operational protections that work month-to-month. Data access and transparency The agreement should grant you contractual rights to:- Read-only access to ad accounts, events managers, pixels, CRMs, and payment processors relevant to Commissionable Revenue
- Export performance reports and retain copies for your records
- Receive regular reports from the client if they control the data (for example, inside their merchant account)
- Maintain records of sales and campaigns for a defined period
- Not intentionally tamper with or delete data that affects your commissions
- Notify you of any material changes to tracking, domains, or offer structure
- A clear calculation formula (for example, X% of Commissionable Revenue in the prior calendar month)
- A specific payment timeline (for example, within 15 or 30 days after the end of each month)
- A mechanism for currency conversion if the client sells in multiple currencies
- Tie commission payment to when the client actually receives each installment, or
- Negotiate an upfront “assumed” commission based on expected collections with a true-up later
- The right to suspend services if invoices are overdue beyond an agreed grace period
- Late charges or interest on unpaid amounts
- A requirement that all undisputed amounts be paid, even if the client disputes a portion of the commissions
When the Logs Don’t Show Your Work: Making Strategy Commissionable
Many of the most valuable tasks in performance marketing do not show up as “edits” in Ads Manager logs: deep account audits, creative testing frameworks, funnel restructuring, offer optimization, CRO recommendations. Your agreement should explicitly recognize:- Strategy, analysis, and written recommendations as part of the Services
- That the client’s implementation of those recommendations is Commissionable activity, even if the edits are made by their in-house team
- Making strategy deliverables explicit: reports, Loom reviews, SOPs, testing plans, and creative briefs that the client acknowledges by email or within a project management tool
- Providing that once the client adopts a recommended structure or campaign architecture, any resulting sales are presumed Commissionable unless they can show otherwise
- Give you a written explanation with data if they dispute a particular commission
- Do so within a short window; otherwise the commission is deemed accepted
Commission Protection on Termination and Post-Termination
Most of the real damage to consultants happens at or after termination. Post-termination “tail” A commission “tail” is a period after the agreement ends during which you still earn commissions on:- Sales to customers acquired during the engagement
- Sales generated through funnels, campaigns, or assets you set up or optimized
- The sales cycle of the product (for example, courses with six-month plans merit a longer tail than one-off low-ticket products)
- How heavily the client will rely on assets you created
- Limited reporting access post-termination, such as monthly revenue reports for Commissionable products
- The right to have an independent accountant or auditor review relevant records if there is a dispute beyond a certain threshold
- Moving campaigns into a new account, entity, or brand solely to avoid paying commissions on the same funnel or customer base
- Replacing you with another consultant while still running the same structure you built, without honoring the tail
- All undisputed fees and commissions earned through the termination date are paid
- Any projected commissions that are easily determinable (for example, for active payment plans) are accounted for via escrow, reserve, or clearly defined reporting
Choosing Governing Law and Forum for Remote Consultants
Many digital consultants live in one state, serve clients in another, and travel or live abroad. The governing law and dispute-resolution clauses are not mere boilerplate. When choosing the state law to govern your agreement, look for:- A mature, predictable body of commercial contract law
- Courts or arbitration forums experienced in business disputes
- A legal culture that respects freedom of contract in B2B agreements
- Delaware, because of its deep commercial case law and business-friendly environment
- New York, because of its sophisticated commercial courts and well-developed contract jurisprudence
- The consultant’s home state, if it has a reasonable commercial environment and there is a practical benefit to litigating close to home (for example, Texas for a consultant based in Texas)
- Arbitration administered by a national provider, with hearings allowed by video conference
- Express consent by both parties to appear remotely where permitted by the tribunal
- Requirements that key evidence (reports, exports, logs) be preserved and produced in electronic form
Limitation of Liability and Indemnity: Don’t Own the Client’s Creatives
If your client provides the offer, product, and copy, you should not be absorbing legal risk for their decisions. A well-drafted agreement will typically:- Cap your total liability at a defined amount, such as fees paid over a recent period
- Exclude indirect or consequential damages, such as lost profits or goodwill, except in very narrow categories
- Allocate responsibility for claims arising from content, product quality, and policy violations to the party who controls those elements
- Client indemnity for claims arising from their products, services, representations, privacy practices, and content
- Consultant indemnity for a narrow list of things within your control, such as your own IP infringement or certain data security failures
Term, Termination, and Transition
The “Term and Termination” section is the skeleton that everything else hangs on. Key elements include:- An initial term and renewal mechanics (for example, month-to-month after an initial commitment)
- Termination for convenience with a defined notice period, so the client cannot pull the plug overnight without consequences
- Termination for cause with a reasonable cure period, allowing each party to fix serious issues before the relationship ends
- What happens to commissions on campaigns or sales in progress
- How the post-termination tail is applied
- What cooperation you are obligated to provide and what conditions (especially payment) must be met first
Portfolio Rights, Confidentiality, and Case Studies
Most high-performing consultants rely on their past wins to secure future work. Your agreement should:- Grant you the right to reference the engagement in your portfolio, at least in anonymized or generalized form
- Allow you to use aggregate or anonymized performance metrics (for example, “scaled ROAS from X to Y in niche Z”) without revealing trade secrets
- Allow mutually agreed case studies, with a clear process for client review and approval
- Keeping non-public business information confidential
- Respecting the client’s internal documentation as proprietary unless otherwise agreed
Bringing It All Together: What a Consultant-Friendly Agreement Looks Like
Putting the pieces together, a strong digital advertising services agreement for commission-based consultants usually includes:- A clear description of the services, including strategy, analysis, and implementation
- Detailed commission and fee mechanics, covering definitions, timing, and data sources
- Robust data access, reporting, and cooperation duties
- Payment terms with defined timelines, suspension rights, and late-payment consequences
- A thoughtfully drafted term, termination, and post-termination tail
- Clear IP, portfolio, and confidentiality terms
- Balanced but protective limitation-of-liability and indemnity clauses
- A sensible governing law, venue, and remote-friendly dispute-resolution framework
FAQ: Common Questions from Commission-Based Ad Consultants
Can I still earn commissions if the client re-launches the same funnel with a different agency later? Yes, if your agreement includes a post-termination tail and non-circumvention language that ties commissions to the funnel, campaigns, or customers you helped create, not just to your name on the account. The key is to define Commissionable Revenue and the tail period so they apply beyond the life of the contract, as long as the client continues to exploit the assets you built. What if the client moves the ad account or payment processor to a new entity to avoid paying my commissions? This is exactly what non-circumvention and “successor” clauses address. Your contract can provide that commissions are still owed if the same or substantially similar campaigns, funnels, or products are run through a different account, entity, or brand, and that the obligations bind successors and affiliates who take over the business. How do commission clauses work if I am paid through another agency or white-label arrangement instead of directly by the end client? In white-label setups, your counterparty might be an agency that resells your services. Your commission clause should be framed around what that agency receives from the end client and must pass through to you. You may not get full transparency into the end client’s numbers, so audit or reporting rights need to be drafted with the intermediary in mind, and you may want minimum fees or retainers to reduce dependency on perfect pass-through reporting. Are verbal rev-share or “handshake” agreements enforceable, or do commissions always need to be in writing? In many jurisdictions, verbal agreements can be enforceable, but they are hard to prove and narrow in what can realistically be recovered. For anything involving ongoing commissions, complex attribution, or payment plans, operating without a written agreement is essentially a bet that the relationship will never sour. Put the terms in writing and ensure both parties sign or clearly assent electronically. How do I handle commission disputes when the client claims all the sales would have happened anyway? The best time to handle this is at drafting, not during the dispute. You can include rebuttable presumptions and specific metrics that, if met, give rise to a presumption that incremental results are Commissionable. You can also require the client to raise any disputes with reasons and data within a short timeframe; otherwise, your invoice is deemed accepted. What is a reasonable commission tail period for high-ticket online courses versus low-ticket e-commerce? For high-ticket courses and coaching programs with longer decision cycles and payment plans, it is common to see commission tails in the six- to eighteen-month range, depending on how durable your funnel and strategy are. For low-ticket e-commerce, shorter tails may be more realistic, or you might focus more on upfront fees and less on long-term rev-share. The right answer is highly context-specific but should correspond to how long your work continues to generate value after you are gone. Can I audit my client’s revenue to verify commissions? If so, how do I draft that? Yes. Many consultant agreements include a limited audit right that allows you or an independent accountant to review the client’s relevant books and records once per year, or more often if there is a serious dispute. The clause should define scope, confidentiality protections, how far back you can look, and who pays for the audit depending on how accurate or inaccurate the reported numbers turn out to be. How should I structure commissions if the client uses multiple traffic sources, email, and affiliates? Your agreement should acknowledge that sales can come from mixed sources and define clear allocation rules. You might, for example, agree that any sale attributed primarily to campaigns you manage is Commissionable, even if email or affiliate touches occurred, or that certain offers or product lines are Commissionable regardless of channel while others are not. The worst outcome is leaving it to “we’ll figure it out later.” Do I need a separate agreement for each funnel or just one master services agreement with statements of work? Most mature setups use a master services agreement that contains the legal boilerplate and core commission mechanics, plus separate statements of work for specific funnels, products, or campaigns. That way, the legal structure stays consistent, while you can quickly add or modify projects in shorter SOWs without renegotiating the entire agreement each time. What if my client is based outside the United States? Should I still use U.S. governing law? In many cross-border arrangements, using a well-known U.S. jurisdiction for governing law and dispute resolution can be preferable to leaving everything to foreign law. That said, enforceability, tax, and regulatory considerations can get complex quickly in cross-border work. It is often better to start from a U.S.-law baseline agreement and then adjust based on the specific client’s jurisdiction, risk level, and deal size.Free Template: Digital Advertising Services Agreement (Commission-Focused)
The following template is a starting point for independent Meta and Google ads consultants who work on performance or commission-based structures. It assumes a U.S.-law baseline and is drafted to be consultant-favorable but commercially reasonable. You should customize:- Product names and offers
- Commission percentages and tail periods
- Governing law and dispute-resolution provisions
DIGITAL ADVERTISING SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Digital Advertising Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into as of [Effective Date] (the “Effective Date”) by and between: [Consultant Name], an independent contractor with a principal place of business at [Consultant Address] (“Consultant”), and [Client Name], a [jurisdiction and entity type] with a principal place of business at [Client Address] (“Client”). Consultant and Client are sometimes referred to individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”Section 1 – Engagement and Services
Client engages Consultant to provide digital advertising, media buying, performance optimization, and related strategic consulting services in connection with Client’s products and services as described in one or more statements of work executed by the Parties (each, an “SOW”). Consultant shall perform the services described in the applicable SOW (the “Services”), which may include, without limitation:- Account and funnel audits, strategy development, and performance analysis
- Campaign planning, setup, optimization, and management on agreed platforms
- Creative and copy recommendations and testing frameworks
- Reporting, performance reviews, and strategic recommendations
Section 2 – Commissionable Revenue and Fees
The Parties agree that Consultant will be compensated as follows, in addition to any fixed or hourly fees specified in an SOW. “Commissionable Products” means the products, services, programs, or offers identified in the applicable SOW as eligible for commissions. “Commissionable Revenue” means the gross amounts actually received by Client from the sale of Commissionable Products to end customers during the Term and any applicable Tail Period, less only:- documented refunds and chargebacks
- sales taxes actually collected and remitted to taxing authorities
Section 3 – Attribution and Covered Activities
Commissionable Revenue includes revenue generated through:- digital advertising campaigns on the platforms identified in the applicable SOW that are planned, managed, or materially optimized by Consultant,
- funnels, landing pages, audience structures, creative frameworks, testing plans, or other strategic structures designed or materially restructured by Consultant and implemented by Client or its other vendors, and
- any follow-on or upsell sales reasonably attributable to the foregoing, as specified in the SOW.
Section 4 – Reporting, Data Access, and Audit Rights
Client shall provide Consultant with timely access to all advertising accounts, analytics, tracking tools, and payment systems reasonably necessary for Consultant to perform the Services and verify Commissionable Revenue, including read-only access where appropriate. Client shall:- maintain accurate books and records relating to Commissionable Revenue for at least [three] years after the conclusion of the applicable Tail Period;
- provide Consultant with periodic written reports of Commissionable Revenue and Commission calculations at the frequency specified in the applicable SOW (for example, monthly); and
- not intentionally delete, manipulate, or conceal data in a manner that materially interferes with Consultant’s ability to verify Commissionable Revenue.
Section 5 – Invoicing and Payment
Unless otherwise stated in an SOW, Consultant shall invoice Client for Commissions on a [monthly] basis, based on Commissionable Revenue received by Client during the preceding calendar month. Client shall pay all undisputed amounts within [15] days after the date of Consultant’s invoice, by bank transfer, ACH, or another mutually agreed payment method. Any undisputed amount not paid when due shall accrue interest at the rate of [1.5%] per month, or the maximum rate permitted by law, whichever is lower. If Client disputes any portion of an invoice, Client shall notify Consultant in writing within [10] days of receipt, stating the specific grounds for dispute and providing supporting data. Client shall timely pay all undisputed portions of the invoice. Failure to dispute in writing within the [10]-day period constitutes acceptance of the invoice. Consultant may suspend performance of the Services, upon notice, if any undisputed invoice remains unpaid more than [15] days after its due date, until all undisputed amounts are paid.Section 6 – Term, Termination, and Tail Period
This Agreement commences on the Effective Date and remains in effect until terminated as provided here, or until all SOWs have expired or been terminated, whichever is later. Either Party may terminate this Agreement or any SOW for convenience upon [30] days’ prior written notice to the other Party, unless the applicable SOW specifies a different notice period. Either Party may terminate this Agreement or any SOW for material breach by the other Party that remains uncured [15] days after written notice describing the breach. Upon termination of this Agreement or any SOW for any reason, Consultant shall be entitled to:- all Commissions accrued but unpaid as of the effective date of termination; and
- continued Commissions during a post-termination tail period of [X] months (the “Tail Period”) on Commissionable Revenue from Commissionable Products sold during the Tail Period to:
- customers acquired during the Term, and
- customers acquired during the Tail Period through continued use of funnels, campaigns, or other assets primarily designed or materially restructured by Consultant during the Term.
Section 7 – Non-Circumvention
Client shall not intentionally restructure, transfer, or re-label campaigns, funnels, or accounts for the primary purpose of avoiding the payment of Commissions otherwise due under this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, if Client or any of its affiliates:- transfers Commissionable Products or funnels to a new account or entity, or
- engages a new agency or consultant to manage campaigns that are substantially based on structures, funnels, or strategies developed by Consultant,
Section 8 – Intellectual Property and Portfolio Rights
As between the Parties, Client owns all right, title, and interest in and to its pre-existing content, trademarks, products, and customer data. Consultant retains ownership of any pre-existing tools, frameworks, and methodologies used in providing the Services, including generic audience structures, testing methodologies, and reporting formats, but grants Client a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use such items solely in connection with Client’s own business. Consultant may identify Client as a client in Consultant’s marketing materials and may use anonymized or aggregated performance data in case studies, provided that no Client Confidential Information is disclosed and no public use of Client’s name or logo is made without Client’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.Section 9 – Confidentiality and Data Protection
Each Party may have access to the other Party’s non-public business information, trade secrets, and customer data (“Confidential Information”). Each Party agrees to use the other Party’s Confidential Information only for purposes of performing its obligations under this Agreement and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure using at least reasonable care. Confidential Information does not include information that is publicly available without breach, already known to the receiving Party without restriction, rightfully received from a third party, or independently developed without use of the disclosing Party’s Confidential Information. Each Party shall comply with applicable data protection and privacy laws in connection with the performance of this Agreement.Section 10 – Limitation of Liability; Indemnification
To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither Party shall be liable to the other for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits or revenue, arising out of or relating to this Agreement, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. Except for payment obligations and breaches of confidentiality, each Party’s aggregate liability arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall not exceed the total fees (including Commissions) paid or payable by Client to Consultant under the Agreement during the [six] months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Client shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Consultant and its owners, officers, and agents from and against any third-party claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to:- Client’s products, services, and business practices, including any alleged false advertising or regulatory non-compliance;
- Client’s content, creatives, and copy; and
- Client’s violation of applicable laws or platform policies.
- Consultant’s infringement of third-party intellectual property rights in materials provided by Consultant and used by Client as authorized under this Agreement; or
- Consultant’s gross negligence or willful misconduct in performing the Services.