Athlete Referral Program Terms

These terms govern participation in the USN Athlete Referral Program. By accepting a USN referral code, you agree to all terms below. Read them carefully — particularly the sections on the 90-day hold, cancellation policy, and tax obligations.

1. Program Overview

The USN Athlete Referral Program allows verified USN athletes to refer sponsors to the Platform. When a sponsor signs a qualifying annual sponsorship agreement using your referral code and that sponsor remains active for 90 consecutive days, USN pays you 50% of the qualifying net sponsorship amount as a referral payout.

Participation in the Athlete Referral Program requires verified athlete status in good standing. USN reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the program at any time with reasonable notice.

2. How Your Payout is Calculated

All payouts are calculated on net sponsorship amount, not gross. Net amount is the sponsor's payment after deducting Stripe payment processing fees, any refunds, and any chargebacks. USN operates on net revenue because payment processing fees are mandatory, non-negotiable costs of doing business. This approach is disclosed to all athletes at enrollment.

Example: A sponsor pays $1,200. Stripe charges a processing fee of approximately $35.10 (2.9% plus $0.30). Net amount is $1,164.90. Your referral payout is 50% of $1,164.90 which equals $582.45.

If you select an electronic payment method for receiving your payout, additional processing fees will be deducted from your payout amount as described in Section 6. Full fee disclosure is provided before you confirm your payment method selection.

3. The 90-Day Hold Period

All referral payouts are subject to a mandatory 90-day hold period beginning on the date the sponsor payment is received by USN. Your payout will not be issued until the sponsor has maintained an active sponsorship account for 90 consecutive days from that date.

The 90-day hold exists to protect USN from sponsor payment reversals, chargebacks, and early cancellations. It also ensures that referral payouts reflect genuine, sustained sponsor commitments rather than short-term arrangements.

Once the 90-day hold period has cleared without cancellation or chargeback, your payout becomes eligible and will be issued according to your selected payment method within a reasonable processing period.

4. Cancellation Within 90 Days Voids Your Payout

If the sponsor you referred cancels their sponsorship contract within the 90-day satisfaction guarantee window for any reason — including dissatisfaction, budget changes, or any other circumstance — your referral payout is voided entirely.

No partial payout will be issued. No exceptions will be made based on the reason for cancellation. This policy is absolute.

This policy is intentional. It creates a meaningful incentive for athletes to refer sponsors who are genuinely committed to the USN platform and financially capable of sustaining a sponsorship. Athletes who refer sponsors carefully and honestly benefit from a clean, reliable payout system. Athletes who refer uncommitted sponsors risk losing their payout entirely.

5. One Referral Payout Per Sponsor — Permanently

The referral payout applies to the initial sponsor contract only. This rule is permanent and has no exceptions.

If a sponsor you referred renews their contract for an additional year, signs a new contract, upgrades their package, or returns to USN after a lapse, no additional referral payout will be issued to you. Renewals and subsequent contracts are independent business relationships between the sponsor and USN in which the athlete referral program does not apply.

One sponsor. One referral. One payout. That is the complete scope of the program per sponsor relationship.

6. Payout Methods and Fees

During USN's founding phase, paper check is the standard payout method. Paper check carries no processing fee and your full earned payout amount will be issued by check mailed to your address on file. Allow 7 to 10 business days for delivery.

Electronic payment options are available upon request and are subject to the following processing fees which will be deducted from your gross payout amount:

• —Paper Check: No fee. Full payout amount. 7 to 10 business days.
• —PayPal Transfer: 2.9% plus $0.30 deducted from payout. 1 to 3 business days.
• —Stripe Electronic Payment: 2.9% plus $0.30 deducted from payout. 1 to 2 business days.
• —ACH Bank Transfer: No fee. Available in a future release.

You will be shown the exact net amount you will receive after fees before you confirm your payment method selection. Fee disclosure acknowledgment is required before payment is processed.

7. Your Athletic Status Does Not Affect an Earned Payout

Once the 90-day hold period has cleared and your referral payout has become eligible, it will be issued regardless of your current athletic status. Retirement from your sport, career change, inactivity on the Platform, or removal from the Platform does not void an earned payout. USN honors earned referral payouts to all athletes who met the program requirements at the time the sponsor payment was received.

8. Independent Contractor Status

Participating in the USN Athlete Referral Program and receiving referral payouts does not create an employment relationship between you and USN or Deckard Enterprise International. You are an independent contractor. USN is not your employer.

USN does not withhold federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, or Medicare from referral payouts. You are solely responsible for all tax obligations arising from payments received, including self-employment tax where applicable.

9. Tax Obligations and W-9 Requirement

A completed IRS Form W-9 is required before any referral payout will be issued. The W-9 collects your legal name, mailing address, and taxpayer identification number for IRS reporting purposes. Failure to provide a valid W-9 will result in mandatory backup withholding of 24% as required by federal law, which will be deducted from your payout and remitted to the IRS on your behalf.

USN is required by law to report payments of $600 or more in a calendar year to the Internal Revenue Service. If your total referral payments in a calendar year meet or exceed $600, USN will issue you a Form 1099-NEC by January 31st of the following year and will file a corresponding report with the IRS.

You are responsible for reporting all referral income to the appropriate tax authorities regardless of whether the total meets the $600 threshold. USN strongly recommends consulting a qualified tax professional regarding your specific tax obligations.

10. Collegiate Athlete Additional Requirements

If you are a collegiate athlete, the following additional requirements apply to every referral payout you receive:

Before each individual payout is released, USN will send you a summary of the payment including the amount, source, and date, along with a NIL compliance acknowledgment. You must electronically acknowledge your current NIL compliance before the payment will be released. This acknowledgment is required for every payout individually — a prior acknowledgment does not satisfy the requirement for a subsequent payout.

Your acknowledgment must confirm that you have independently verified that accepting the specific payment complies with all applicable NCAA rules, conference regulations, institutional policies, and state NIL laws applicable to you at the time of acknowledgment.

USN does not provide NIL compliance advice. USN makes no representation regarding the eligibility of any athlete's participation. Eligibility determinations are solely your responsibility. By accepting each payment you assume all risk associated with NIL compliance for that payment.

11. International Athletes

At this time, referral payouts are available to US-based athletes only. International athletes may participate in the referral program and refer sponsors using their referral code, but payments will be held pending development of USN's international payment infrastructure. International payment capability is planned for a future release. International athletes will be notified when payments become available and will be required to provide Form W-8BEN before payment is issued.

12. Unclaimed Payouts

If USN is unable to deliver your payout due to inaccurate or missing payment information, the payment will be held for 180 days while USN attempts to contact you. If the payment remains unclaimed after 365 days from the original payment date, USN will handle it in accordance with applicable state unclaimed property laws, which may include remittance to the relevant state authority.

13. Payout Disputes

If you believe a referral payout calculation is incorrect, you must submit a written dispute to support@usn.network with the subject line Payment Dispute within 30 days of the payment date or expected payment date. Include your name, referral code, sponsor name, and a description of the discrepancy. USN will review and respond within 14 business days. USN's determination is final subject to applicable law.

14. Program Integrity

Referral payouts may be withheld or permanently forfeited if USN determines that fraud, misrepresentation, or manipulation of the referral program has occurred. This includes but is not limited to referring fictitious sponsors, self-referral arrangements, and any other conduct designed to circumvent the program's intent. USN reserves the right to audit referral activity and to recover payouts made as a result of fraudulent referrals.

15. Changes to These Terms

USN reserves the right to update these terms with at least 30 days written notice before changes take effect. Updates will not affect referral payouts already in the 90-day hold period at the time the notice is issued. Continued participation in the program after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

16. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Kansas, United States. Any dispute arising from these terms shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Kansas.

17. Contact

For questions about the Athlete Referral Program, contact us at support@usn.network.