> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.introw.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Run a payout cycle > Take approved commission from a new batch all the way to partners marked paid, with statements along the way. A payout cycle is what turns approved commission into money in partners' accounts. This guide runs the whole job: create a batch for a period, watch each partner's payout move through its stages, generate statements, handle the lines that should be declined or held, and mark payouts paid so finance has a clean trail and partners can see they have been settled. Reach for it on every pay run, whether you trigger it manually or it is created on a schedule. ## What you'll achieve A payout batch taken end to end: per-partner payouts built from approved lines, statements produced for partners' records, exceptions declined or postponed, and each payout advanced to **Paid**, so the partner sees their commission as paid in the portal and your finance records reconcile. ## Before you start You need write access to payouts. The commission you want to pay should be reviewed and approved, not postponed or declined. Review lines before you batch them. Your commission billing info should be set so statements are complete. ## Steps ### Phase 1 - Create the payout batch Go to [Payouts](https://app.introw.io/commission?section=payouts). The list groups batches into **All**, **Upcoming**, **Paid**, and **Declined** so you can see what is in flight versus settled. Choose **Create payout** to open the **Create new payout** dialog, then define the run: * **Select period** - the date range the batch covers. Only approved, unassigned commission lines whose date falls in this period are eligible, so set it to the cycle you are paying (for example last month or last quarter). * Partner scope - leave the default **All partners** to include everyone with eligible commission, or apply a **segment** filter to pay a specific group. The table previews each partner and their commission total. * Selection - tick the partners to include; the footer shows how many are selected and the running **Total**. Choose **Create payout** to build the batch. Introw attaches each partner's eligible approved lines into a per-partner payout inside the batch. ### Phase 2 - Move payouts through their stages Open the batch to see each partner's payout and its stage. A payout moves through: **Draft**, **Pending approval**, **Pending Partner Invoice**, **Approved**, **Scheduled**, **Pending payment**, and finally **Paid**. Exceptions show as **Declined**, **Postponed**, **Blocked**, or **Failed**. The stage tells you what each payout is waiting on; you advance it as the real-world steps complete. Produce the documentation partners and finance need. Use **Request partner invoice** on a payout (or in bulk) to generate a commission statement, move the payout to **Pending Partner Invoice**, and email the partner to upload their invoice. You can also produce the statement and **Send to partner** directly, or **Download** and **Regenerate** it from the partner panel. Statements use your commission billing info, so they double as the partner's earnings breakdown. Clean up anything that should not pay in this run. From a partner's payout panel you can **Decline** a line with a reason, **Restore** one declined in error, or **Postpone to next cycle** to hold a valid line back without voiding it (then **Unpostpone** when it is ready). Whole partner payouts can likewise be declined, postponed, and restored. This keeps the batch paying only what should be paid now. ### Phase 3 - Mark payouts paid As you settle each payout, record the supporting detail. Enter the **PO number** where your finance process needs one, and make sure any requested partner invoice has been received and attached. Once a partner has been paid, advance the payout to its final stage with **Mark as paid**. The payout reads **Paid**, and the partner sees it as paid in the portal. If you ever need to reverse a mistake, **Mark as unpaid** returns it for correction. ### Scheduled batches If you set a non-manual **Payout schedule** in settings (every month, every quarter, or every fiscal quarter), Introw creates the payout batches for you on that cadence rather than you starting each one. You still review, document, and mark each payout paid using the same stages above. See [Configure commission and payout settings](/features/commissions/settings/guides/configure-commission-payout-settings) to set the cadence. ## Verify it worked The batch shows its per-partner payouts at **Paid**, the batch moves into the **Paid** tab, and the **Total paid** figure on the commission dashboard reflects the run. Each partner sees their payout marked paid in the portal with a statement available, and your finance records reconcile to the documented amounts and PO numbers. ## Related Collect an invoice before you pay, the invoice-first variant. Approve and clean lines before batching. Set the schedule, minimum, and billing info. Full configuration options.