CJ Affiliate commission corrections for Shopify
Correct CJ Affiliate commissions for Shopify returns before they lock: the 10th-of-the-month deadline, correction files and reason codes, and the CJ Shopify app.
By The AffCheck team · Updated
Checked 18 Sept 2026 · from CJ Affiliate’s own documentation
CJ doesn’t ask you to “decline” a sale. You send a correction: a full correction for a returned or cancelled order, a partial one for a restatement. The clock is the lock: once a transaction is locked or closed, it can no longer be corrected.
For most programmes that means last month’s transactions need their corrections in by the 10th of this month. Programmes on a custom lifecycle lock a set number of days after the event instead, so two CJ programmes can have two different deadlines.
What CJ Affiliate calls it
| Not paying a commission | Correction (full) or cancellation |
|---|---|
| Paying less (partial refund) | Partial correction or restatement |
| The deadline | Locking (locked / closed status) |
The deadline: locking (locked / closed status)
Corrections for transactions from the prior calendar month go in before the 10th of the month. Custom lifecycles lock a fixed number of days after the event, for example 60. New and accepted transactions can be extended.1
Exporting pending transactions
The Commission Detail report in the CJ Account Manager, or the Commission Detail API.2
Uploading declines
A correction-data import, set up with CJ support and delivered by SFTP, HTTP, email or web upload in the Account Manager. The Tracking API also takes cancellations and restatements.
Format: Delimited file (CSV, tab or pipe) or XML: reason code, transaction ID, order ID and, for partial corrections, the new amount. Reason codes include RETRN (returned) and DUPO (duplicate order).
API access
GraphQL Tracking API (create, restate and cancel orders) and the Commission Detail API.
The CJ Affiliate Shopify app
CJ Network Integration (4.2★ from 11 reviews on 18 Sep 2026). Tracking plus opt-in Automated Order Corrections: cancellations and restatements made in Shopify after you enable it are sent to CJ before the transaction locks. Changes made before enabling it, or outside Shopify, are not covered.3
How AffCheck handles CJ Affiliate
If you run CJ’s own app with Automated Order Corrections switched on, most Shopify cancellations on CJ are handled. AffCheck is then the independent check: it lists CJ transactions still open on refunded orders, for example orders refunded before you enabled the feature or refunds processed outside Shopify.
Where AffCheck adds most on CJ is across networks. A shopper who clicks a CJ coupon site and an Awin content site can be claimed on both. CJ de-duplicates within CJ; AffCheck groups the claims by Shopify order so you correct the duplicate with the DUPO-style reason.
Compared with CJ Advertiser Pro, which charges 50% of the commission it recovers, AffCheck is a flat monthly price and you confirm every correction yourself.
Guides for CJ Affiliate
- CJ commission corrections for returns
- Affiliate de-duplication across networks
- Should you pay affiliate commission on returns?
- Validation periods by network
- Awin commission validation for Shopify
- impact.com commission validation for Shopify
Network facts checked on 18 Sept 2026 against each network’s own documentation.
AffCheck is not affiliated with CJ Affiliate. Names are trademarks of their owners.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What reason code should I use for a returned order on CJ?
CJ’s correction file uses RETRN for returned merchandise and DUPO for a duplicate order; others cover invalid cards and orders that couldn’t ship. The codes are case-sensitive.
Can I correct a CJ transaction after it locks?
No. CJ says cancellations can’t be processed for orders already locked or closed, so the correction has to reach CJ first.
Does CJ’s Shopify app correct refunds automatically?
With Automated Order Corrections enabled, it sends Shopify cancellations and restatements made after enablement, before lock. Anything outside that still needs checking.
Related
- CJ commission corrections for returns: a guide How advertisers correct CJ commissions for returned merchandise before the locking date: locking cycles, correction reasons, files and extensions.
- Affiliate de-duplication across networks Why one Shopify order gets claimed by two affiliate networks, what de-duplication does and does not catch, and how to decline the duplicate claim.
- Should you pay affiliate commission on returns? Networks pay commission on refunded orders unless you decline them in time. What is fair, what network terms allow, and how to check last month.
- Affiliate validation periods by network Validation periods, locking dates and auto-approval rules for Awin, CJ, impact.com, Rakuten, Webgains, Partnerize and Tradedoubler, in one dated table.
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