Records to keep for each Starlink referral (with a copyable log)

For each Starlink referral, keep a short record of who asked for your link and how, the date Starlink emailed you about the order, status changes, the reward type when it paid out, the date and amount, where it landed (invoice credit or bank deposit), any bank fees, and any information request from SpaceX with your reply. The terms require consent records for five years, and SpaceX can ask questions with a 24-hour deadline, so a one-line log per referral is worth the minute it takes. Leave out your friend’s personal details.

Below: why the terms make records your job, the fields with reasons, a log you can copy, how long to keep it, and what never to write down.

Why records are your job

Three clauses in the Referral Program Terms (republished Oct 3, 2026) put record-keeping on the referrer.

Consent. The sharing rules ban unsolicited contact and require you to keep proof that people asked:

“The Referrer is solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining a record of consent before sending any commercial electronic message or otherwise contacting prospective Referred Subscribers. Such records must be maintained for five years from each contact and submitted to SpaceX upon request.”

Information requests. You must answer any SpaceX information request within 24 hours (or the deadline it gives). Missing that is grounds for termination. A record you can find in a minute is the difference between a quick reply and a scramble.

Revocation. A reward can be limited, delayed or revoked, even after it's issued, for fraud, abuse or a terms violation. No time limit is stated. If a reward is questioned months later, your log shows where the referral came from.

Then there’s tax. Rewards come with no tax included or withheld, and the referrer alone decides whether tax is owed and files anything required. You can’t decide whether anything is owed, or check a form if one arrives, without knowing what you received and when.

The fields, and why each one

1. Date they asked, and how. “Mar 3, text from Dana: can you send your link?” This is your consent record. The thread itself is the proof; your log just points to it.
2. The “someone ordered” email date. The help center says you get an email when someone orders through your link. It ties the order to your link without you needing any of their details.
3. Activation date, if they mention it. Rewards are issued rewards are issued as soon as 60 days after the friend activates. Without this date you can’t tell whether a referral is late. Don’t ask for account details; a casual “set it up yet?” is plenty.
4. Status changes. Pending, matured, issued, or cancelled, with dates, as your Referrals page shows them. Starlink says you can track referrals and rewards under Referrals on the web or in the Starlink app.
5. Reward type at payout. The reward type selected when a reward pays out is the one used. If you switched between credit and cash, note when.
6. Date, amount and where it landed. For credit, the invoice and line; for cash, the deposit date. Record the figure your account shows: the exact reward amount is the one shown in your Starlink account. Starlink’s US example is $100.
7. Bank fees on cash. Any fee your bank charges to receive the payment is yours to pay.
8. Re-issues. Cash that bounces because of wrong details or bank problems can be re-issued as credit instead. If cash bounced and came back as credit, note both.
9. SpaceX requests. Date received, what was asked, date you replied.

A log you can copy

Paste this into a spreadsheet, a notes app, or a text file. One line per referral.

asked_on,asked_by,how_asked,proof_location,order_email_on,activated_on,status,status_on,reward_type,issued_on,amount,landed_as,bank_fee,request_on,replied_on,notes
2026-03-03,Dana (first name),text,"Messages thread 'Dana'",2026-03-05,2026-03-12,matured,2026-05-12,credit,2026-05-14,100,"invoice 2026-06 credit line",,,,
2026-04-10,A.K.,in person then email,"Email 'your link' 2026-04-10",2026-04-11,,cancelled,2026-05-20,,,,,,,,"friend returned kit"

The two rows are examples of the format, not real referrals. Column notes:

• asked_by: first name or initials only.
• proof_location: where the request lives (the text thread, the email). That’s what you’d hand over.
• landed_as: “invoice credit” plus the invoice month, or “bank deposit”.
• amount: what your account shows. Don’t assume; the terms say the account figure is the reward.

Once a month, take a screenshot of your Referrals page and save it with the date in the filename. If the page changes or a referral disappears, you’ll have a dated picture of what it showed.

How long to keep it

Two sources set the floor:

• Starlink’s terms: consent records for five years from each contact.
• The IRS: its “How long should I keep records?” page says to keep records for 3 years as the general rule; 6 years if you don’t report income you should have and it’s more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return; and indefinitely if you don’t file a return.

Our suggestion: keep everything about a referral for at least five years from the first contact, and longer if your tax situation calls for it. Storage is cheap; reconstructing a record isn’t possible.

What never to write down

The terms are explicit: don't collect a prospect's personal data; share only the link and send them to starlink.com. And the next rule: don't reuse personal information collected for another purpose unless privacy law allows it. So your log should hold the fact of consent and your own reward data, and nothing about your friend beyond a first name:

• No home or service address.
• No Starlink account number, order number or email address of theirs.
• No payment or bank details of theirs.
• No screenshots of their account.

If a friend sends you a screenshot of their order “for your records”, thank them and delete it. You don’t need it; Starlink’s email to you is the link between their order and your referral.

Credit and cash leave different trails

Credit appears only as a line on your Starlink invoice. Cash appears as a bank deposit, possibly under a payer name you don’t recognize, since the terms don't name the payment processorunverified. That’s why “landed_as” is in the log. If you take both at different times, note each one; credit vs cash for tax explains why the distinction may matter, and what isn’t known about it.

A ten-minute monthly routine

Records only help if they’re current. Once a month, on a date you’ll remember (your Starlink billing date works well):

1. Open Referrals in the app or at starlink.com/account/referrals. Note any new orders, status changes or issued rewards in your log. Save a dated screenshot.
2. Open your latest invoice under Billing. If a referral credit appears, add the invoice month and amount to the matching row.
3. Check your bank if you take cash. Match any deposit to a matured referral; note any fee.
4. Search your email for anything from SpaceX or the payment processor. Log requests and the date you replied.
5. Check your reward type. If you meant to be on cash, make sure it’s still selected and the processor shows complete; see credit or cash and why every reward can become credit.
6. Look for anything overdue. A referral more than about 60 days past activation with nothing issued is worth the checks in stuck pending.

If you only refer one or two people a year, this takes two minutes. If you refer more, it’s the habit that keeps the rest of this page true. The glossary defines the tax terms you’ll see here.

At year-end

1. Total the rewards that landed in the calendar year, separately for credit and cash.
2. Check bank deposits against your log; note any fees.
3. If a form arrives, compare it with your log. Whether one will is not stated: whether SpaceX or its payment processor issues a Form 1099 for referral cashunverified. For reference, the IRS 1099-MISC threshold for prizes, awards and other income paid in 2026 is $2,000.
4. Take your total to whoever does your taxes. The taxes page has the cited basics; this isn’t tax advice.

Common mistakes

1. Relying on the dashboard alone. Starlink doesn’t publish how long it shows history.
2. Deleting text threads. They’re your consent proof for five years.
3. Recording too much about friends. The terms say not to collect it.
4. Forgetting credit. It’s easy to miss on an invoice and its tax treatment isn’t stated.
5. Not noting SpaceX requests. Proof you answered on time matters.

What we don’t know

As of our Oct 5, 2026 check, Starlink doesn’t publish a yearly referral statement, how long the Referrals page keeps history, the payment processor’s name, or whether a 1099 is issued. Your own log fills those gaps.

What to do next

• Not sure what counts as consent? See what counts as consent.
• A reward overdue? Your log makes stuck pending: what to check quick.
• Tax questions? Start with the taxes page, then a tax professional. The owner’s guide covers the rest of the program.