Affiliate disclosure requirements in 2026 — what the FTC actually requires
The 2024 FTC update changed affiliate disclosure rules. Here's what's required, what's optional, and the exact disclosure wording that works.
The US FTC updated 16 CFR Part 255 — the Endorsement Guides — in 2024, and the rules now apply to every affiliate link on every page. If you've been winging disclosure with a vague "this site uses affiliate links" footer, you're probably non-compliant. This post is the working affiliate's compliance checklist for 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. If your business is large enough that compliance gets expensive when you get it wrong, talk to a lawyer.
What the FTC requires
The core rule: material connections must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously, before or alongside the recommendation.
Three components:
- Material connection — you get paid if the visitor buys via your link. That's a material connection.
- Clearly — plain language a reasonable visitor understands. "Sponsored by", "I earn from qualifying purchases", "Affiliate link" all qualify. "Powered by", "In partnership with", "Hosted by" do not.
- Conspicuously — visible without scrolling, not hidden behind a "more info" link, not in light grey on light grey, not buried below the recommendation.
The 2024 update tightened the conspicuously bar. Disclosures must be:
- Before or at the recommendation — not at the bottom of the page
- In the same format as the surrounding content (text disclosure for text reviews, audio disclosure in podcasts, visible on-screen text in videos)
- In each instance — one disclosure at the top of a 5,000-word post is not enough; if you have a comparison table mid-article, that table needs its own near-by disclosure
- Specific — "this site uses affiliate links" is weak. "I earn a commission if you buy through these links" is strong.
Amazon-specific disclosure language
Amazon Associates requires the exact phrase:
"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
This must appear on every page that contains Amazon affiliate links. Not just once on your About page — every page.
Most affiliate tools (Lasso, AAWP, Velantio) automatically include a small "Powered by [tool name]" footer below the table. That's not a disclosure. You still need the Amazon Associates statement somewhere visible on the same page.
A disclosure pattern that works
Here's what we recommend for an affiliate comparison post:
Above the article body, in normal text size:
Heads up — this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Just above the comparison table:
The products below are affiliate links. Prices are pulled live from Amazon and may have changed.
In the footer:
This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
That covers:
- General disclosure at the top (the conspicuous rule)
- Table-specific reminder right where the affiliate links are (the "each instance" rule)
- Amazon's required language plus the long-form ASOLLC statement (Amazon's TOS)
What does not count
- A disclosure on your About page only
- A disclosure in your privacy policy only
- "Sponsored content" tag on the post that visitors might not see
- Hashtags like #ad in the middle of social posts (must be at the start)
- Disclosures under "show more" or behind an info icon
- Disclosures in 8pt grey-on-grey text
Special cases
Video reviews: Disclosure must appear as on-screen text and be spoken. "If you like this video and want to support the channel, the products are linked below — they're affiliate links, I earn a small commission" works.
Live streams: Spoken disclosure at the start of any product mention, plus on-screen graphics.
Social media: Each post must disclose. #ad and #sponsored work if they're early in the post (not buried in 30 hashtags at the bottom). Some platforms have built-in disclosure toggles (Instagram's "Paid partnership", YouTube's "Includes paid promotion") — use them in addition to text.
Comparison tables in newsletters: The disclosure rule applies to email too. Put it above the table or at the start of the email.
Free product reviews: If a brand sent you the product for free, that's a material connection separate from an affiliate link. Both must be disclosed: "I received this product for free. The links below are affiliate links."
Penalties
The FTC's primary lever is Notice of Penalty Offenses. Letters go out warning the recipient of potential civil penalties (up to ~$53,000 per violation as of late 2025). Most letters target larger creators and brands. Small affiliate sites rarely get individual enforcement actions — but Amazon will close your Associates account fast if they audit you and find missing disclosures, which is the bigger practical risk for most affiliates.
How affiliate tools fit in
Tools like Velantio, Lasso, AAWP, and Affiliatable handle:
- The Amazon partner-tag injection (so clicks are properly attributed)
- The link rel attributes (
sponsoredis the correct one in 2026) - A "Powered by" footer on the table (which is not a disclosure)
What they don't handle:
- The page-level affiliate disclosure
- The Amazon Associates required-language statement
- Newsletter and social disclosures
That's on you, and it's not something to skip.
A practical template
Drop this in your WordPress theme footer or your blog's site-wide template once and forget it:
<aside class="affiliate-disclosure">
<p>
<strong>Affiliate disclosure:</strong> This site participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site are affiliate links — if you click and buy,
I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
</p>
</aside>Then add the table-specific disclosure (one line) right above each comparison table:
<p><em>The products below are affiliate links. Prices update daily.</em></p>That covers both the site-wide and post-specific requirements.
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Compliance isn't optional or vibes-based. The FTC enforces, Amazon audits, and the cost of getting kicked out of Associates is way higher than the cost of a couple of disclosure sentences.
If you need a quick affiliate-table tool that handles the partner-tag plumbing while you focus on content, Velantio's free plan gets you going in five minutes.