Snowpay is a fast, seamless way to pay your affiliates and partners directly through the platform. This guide walks you through everything you need to get set up and start making payouts.
Click Get Started in the Payout Methods>Snowpay tab of your dashboard.
You'll need to provide your company details directly in the platform when you click Get Started. Please have the following information ready:
Registered Business Name
Brand Name
Email (company contact email)
Phone (company contact number)
Tax ID / VAT Number
Address — Country, State/Province, City, and Zip/Postal Code
Once you've filled in your details, the Gigapay team will review and approve your Snowpay registration. Approval typically takes 1-3 business days, and you'll be notified once your account is active. During the approval process, you'll also be asked to sign a digital contract for Snowpay, so make sure to complete it as soon as you receive it.
Tip: Make sure all details match your official business registration documents to avoid any delays in approval.
Once your Snowpay account is approved and connected, you'll be prompted to complete the setup by clicking Continue Setup in the Payout Methods>Snowpay tab in the platform.
At this stage, you'll choose your preferred payment method:
Option 1 — Prefunded Payments (Recommended)
With Prefunded Payments, you maintain a balance of funds in your Snowpay account.
Your affiliates are automatically paid from your balance whenever you click Pay All.
Best for brands that want a hands-off, automated payout experience.
Requires you to top up your Snowpay balance periodically.
How to load your balance
Select Prefunded during the setup flow.
Go to the Payout Methods > Snowpay tab and click Add funds.
Enter the amount you want to add, then click Create Invoice.
The invoice appears on that same page, marked Unpaid. Download it and pay it. Every payment detail you need is on the invoice itself.
Once the invoice is paid, the funds show up as your Snowpay balance. Allow 1-3 business days for this.
With a balance in place, process bulk payouts from your Payouts tab. They're sent straight from that balance.
Creating an invoice doesn't load any funds on its own. Your balance only updates once you've downloaded that invoice and paid it.
Option 2 — On-the-Go Payments (Not Recommended)
With On-the-Go Payments, you do not maintain any standing balance in Snowpay.
Each time you pay out to your affiliates, a new invoice is created for each affiliate, and you manually approve and pay it.
Best for brands that prefer full control and visibility over each individual payout.
No pre-funding required.
Payment Method Comparison:
Feature | Prefunded (Recommended) | On-the-Go (Not Recommended) |
Maintain a balance | Yes | No |
Affiliate payments | Automatic | Manual per invoice |
Ideal for | High-volume, automated payouts | Full control over each payment |
Requires upfront funding | Yes | No |
Paying your Snowpay invoices: Invoices are paid by bank transfer, which is completely fee-free, since Gigapay maintains a US bank account for this purpose. Credit card payments are not available at this time.
Paying out the affiliates
Step 1- Make sure you have added the required balance to Snowpay. It could take 1-3 business days for the balance to show up after you have paid the invoice to add funds.
Step 2- Go to your Payouts tab and click Pay All. It would show you the list of all affiliates you'll be paying out, along with the amount to be sent. The payout fee will also be clearly mentioned.
Step 3- Click Send Payouts.
Receiving Payouts via Snowpay
When you issue the first payout, affiliates receive an email to set up their account and payment details. After this initial setup, they can claim payouts to their bank account instantly. For all future payouts, affiliates can claim their funds directly via email without re-entering their payment information.
Tax reporting and 1099s
Snowpay is powered by Gigapay, which is based in Sweden. Because Gigapay is a Swedish company, it is not subject to U.S. Form 1099 reporting requirements and does not file 1099 forms. Instead, Gigapay meets equivalent reporting requirements in Sweden, and the relevant information is shared with the IRS through the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) under the applicable international information-exchange agreements.
For you, this means you do not need to prepare, send, or submit 1099 forms to your affiliates for payouts made through Snowpay. Snowpay handles this reporting behind the scenes, which removes much of the manual tax admin you would otherwise manage yourself.
Note: This is general information about how Snowpay handles reporting, not tax advice. For questions about your own tax obligations, please check with a tax professional.