The Affiliate Compliance Checklist

A practical, jurisdiction-aware checklist covering disclosure, reviews, link attribution, cookie consent, program terms, and tax — to run before and after you publish.

A practical, jurisdiction-aware checklist you can work through before and after publishing affiliate content. It consolidates the rules covered across this resource into concrete actions. Adapt it to the markets you reach; if you are unsure whether an item applies, treat it as if it does.

Disclosure — every affiliate page or post

• A plain-language disclosure appears before the first affiliate link.
• It is visible without clicking, scrolling past the recommendation, or expanding “more.”
• It uses clear wording (“I earn a commission,” “#ad,” “advertisement”) — not “#sp,” “#aff,” or bare “affiliate.”
• It is delivered in the same manner as the recommendation (spoken for audio/video, on-screen for visual).
• For video: disclosed at the start, in audio and on-screen text — not only at the end or in the description.
• For UK/EU audiences: the explicit word “Ad” or “Advertisement” is used.

Reviews and claims

• Every review reflects genuine experience; no fabricated or AI-invented reviews.
• No compensation or gift is conditioned on a positive review.
• Any insider (employee/owner) review discloses the connection.
• Claims about results are truthful and substantiated; no atypical results implied as typical.
• If you rank or list products, any paid placement affecting the ranking is disclosed (EU requirement).

Search-engine attribution

• Affiliate links carry rel="sponsored" (or nofollow).
• Cloaked/redirected link paths are disallowed in robots.txt.
• Content adds original value beyond merchant copy (no thin affiliation).

Data privacy — EU/UK traffic

• Affiliate and analytics cookies are blocked until consent.
• The consent banner offers equal Accept/Reject, no pre-ticked boxes.
• Consent is logged and can be withdrawn.
• The cookie notice lists affiliate/network cookies; the privacy policy names partners.

Program and legal

• You have read the program terms and follow the disclosure, trademark, and PPC rules.
• No brand bidding or trademark use in ads unless expressly permitted.
• No brand-containing or misspelled domains.
• No cookie stuffing or manipulated tracking.

Business and tax

• Affiliate income is tracked and reported regardless of whether a 1099 arrives.
• Estimated taxes are set aside and paid.
• Records of income, expenses, disclosures, and consent are retained.

For wording you can drop in, see the disclosure templates library. For the errors this checklist prevents, see common mistakes.

Last reviewed July 2026. This page is general educational information, not legal or tax advice.