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

# Moving to the new referral program

> The referral program is now self-serve. What changed, why the new terms pay more, and how to move an older affiliate arrangement across.

The referral program is **self-serve**. You create your own code on [gains.trade/referrals](https://gains.trade/referrals), share the link it gives you, and rewards settle daily in USDC. There is no application, no approval, and no gas to pay.

If you earned through one of the older affiliate arrangements, that arrangement no longer attributes new traders. Everything from here is attributed and paid through the self-serve program, so moving across is how you keep earning — on better terms than the program it replaces.

<Info>
  Unclaimed GNS from the previous referral program can still be claimed on [gains.trade/referrals](https://gains.trade/referrals) until **17 October 2026 (UTC)**. If your wallet holds a pending balance, a claim panel appears at the top of the page. After that date it can no longer be claimed there.
</Info>

## What changed

|               | Previous program               | Self-serve program                                   |
| ------------- | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Joining       | Approved case by case          | Create your own code, in one signature               |
| Levels        | One                            | Two: L1 and L2                                       |
| Standard rate | A flat allocation              | 10% of net fees at L1, plus 5% of what remains at L2 |
| Reward asset  | GNS                            | USDC                                                 |
| Settlement    | Claimed from the old dashboard | Accrues per trade, settles daily                     |
| Attribution   | Tied to the old links          | Set at the referee's first trade, then lifetime      |

## Why move

* **Two levels instead of one.** You earn 10% of the net fees your referees generate, and 5% of what remains on the traders they in turn bring in. Rewards follow trading activity, not the number of wallets you signed up.
* **Paid in USDC, every day.** Rewards accrue per trade and settle daily, so what you earn no longer depends on the GNS price on the day you claim.
* **Your code, right away.** Registering a code and binding a referee are EIP-712 signatures, not transactions: nothing to approve, no gas. Only claiming your rewards is a transaction.
* **Attribution is lifetime.** A referee is bound to you at their first trade and stays bound; you keep earning for as long as they keep trading.

## How to move across

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your code">
    Open [gains.trade/referrals](https://gains.trade/referrals), connect the wallet you want paid, and register a code under **Referral link**. Codes are lowercase letters, digits and underscores, up to 31 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Share the new link">
    Your link is `gains.trade/referrals?ref=yourcode`. Replace the old affiliate link everywhere you publish it — the old links no longer attach a referrer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Claim what the old program still owes you">
    If you have unclaimed GNS from the previous program, claim it from the panel at the top of the same page before **17 October 2026 (UTC)**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask for a higher rate if you have an audience">
    See [Higher rates for communities](#higher-rates-for-communities) below.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What does not carry over

Attribution is set at a wallet's **first trade** and is permanent. A wallet that has already traded cannot bind itself to a code afterwards, so the traders you introduced under the old program do not move across on their own.

If you have an established book, message us before you rebuild it by hand — those are looked at case by case.

## Higher rates for communities

The standard 10% / 5% schedule is a floor, not a ceiling. Raised rates exist for KOLs, communities, partners, market makers and institutions, and are applied to your wallet directly — your dashboard then quotes your own rate rather than the standard one.

Message [@gainshelpbot](https://t.me/gainshelpbot) on Telegram with your wallet address, your referral code, and where your audience is. We will come back to you with terms.

## Following your earnings

The dashboard on [gains.trade/referrals](https://gains.trade/referrals) shows your rate, your L1 and L2 referrals, the volume they have traded, and what you have earned.

Two figures are worth telling apart:

* **Total unclaimed** is everything earned and not yet paid out to you.
* **Ready to claim** is the part carried by a settlement batch that has been published on-chain. Only that part can be claimed right now; the rest follows in a later batch.

Claiming is the one step that needs a transaction. The page will ask you to switch network if your wallet is on the wrong one.