> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.usetrickle.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.usetrickle.xyz/core-concepts/fees-and-revenue-sharing.md).

# Fees & Revenue Sharing

Trickle charges a protocol fee on the 1% savings amount. A single fee on the savings slice, disclosed upfront, getting cheaper the more volume you generate.

***

**Fee tiers**

Tiers are based on your cumulative lifetime swap volume across all your linked wallets. Once you reach a tier, you stay there permanently. Volume only counts while savings are active.

| Tier    | Cumulative volume | Protocol fee | Effective savings rate |
| ------- | ----------------- | ------------ | ---------------------- |
| Starter | $0 – $5M          | 10 bps       | 90 bps of the 1%       |
| Builder | $5M – $20M        | 8 bps        | 92 bps of the 1%       |
| Pro     | $20M – $50M       | 5 bps        | 95 bps of the 1%       |
| Elite   | $50M and more     | 3 bps        | 97 bps of the 1%       |

At Starter tier, a $200 swap costs $0.20 in protocol fees. At Elite, that same $200 costs $0.03.

Your tier is computed from your own volume plus 50% of the volume generated by your direct referrals. Referring active traders accelerates your tier progression.

***

**Revenue sharing: referrals**

Every Trickle user gets a unique referral code. When someone joins using your code, you earn a share of the protocol fee they generate on every swap they make, permanently, for as long as they use Trickle.

The referral share is funded entirely by the protocol. The referred user's savings rate and fee tier are not affected.

Your share scales with your own tier:

| Your tier | Share of referred user's protocol fee |
| --------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Starter   | 10%                                   |
| Builder   | 20%                                   |
| Pro       | 30%                                   |
| Elite     | 40%                                   |

Referral earnings accumulate on-chain inside `SavingsCollector` under your address. Claim them at any time from the Settings page by calling `claimReferrerRewards()`. No lockup, no minimum, no waiting.

**Referrals also accelerate your tier.** 50% of your referrals' volume counts toward your own tier calculation. Bring in one high-volume trader and you can move up a tier faster than trading alone would allow.

**Example: swap 100 USDC → BONK, Builder tier, Elite referrer**

| Flow           | Amount     |
| -------------- | ---------- |
| DEX receives   | 99.00 USDC |
| Trickle pulls  | 1.00 USDC  |
| → Your savings | 0.90 USDC  |
| → Protocol fee | 0.068 USDC |
| → Referrer     | 0.032 USDC |

The referrer's cut comes out of the protocol fee, not out of your savings. Your savings rate is determined solely by your own tier.


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