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Patreon earnings calculator
See what your Patreon pays you each month after the platform fee and payment processing, from your members and average pledge.
How much Patreon takes, and what you keep from each pledge
Two kinds of fee come out of a Patreon pledge. The platform fee is a percentage of your income. At the time of writing, Patreon’s standard fee for creators who launched from August 2025 is 10%, while creators who joined earlier may still be on legacy plans at 5% (Founders), 8% (Pro) or 11% (Pro with merch). Payment processing is charged on top. Check Patreon’s current pricing for your account, because both change.
Processing is a percentage plus a fixed amount on each payment, and it varies with the currency and the size of the payment. The calculator defaults to 2.9% plus $0.30 per payment, a common card-processing level. At the time of writing, legacy plans charge 5% + $0.10 on payments of $3 or less, and other currencies and non-US PayPal payments have their own rates (for example 3.4% + €0.35 in euros), so enter your own figures if that applies to you.
With the defaults, 200 paying members at an average of $6 bring $1,200 a month. The 10% platform fee takes $120 and processing takes $94.80 ($34.80 in percentage fees and $60 in fixed fees). You keep $985.20, which is about 82% of gross, $4.93 per member and $11,822 a year at the same pace.
The fixed fee is why small tiers keep less. The table runs one pledge through the defaults: a $3 pledge keeps about 77%, a $25 pledge about 86%. Annual memberships help too, because members pay once a year and the fixed fee is charged once instead of twelve times.
For the average pledge, look at where members actually sit rather than at your tier prices. If most members are on the cheapest tier, the average stays close to it even when higher tiers exist. Raising the entry price, or adding value to the tier just above it, often moves the average more than adding a new expensive tier.
Some costs are outside the calculator: payout fees when you withdraw, currency conversion if you are paid in another currency, failed payments from expired cards, and income tax. Since November 2024, new memberships bought in Patreon’s iOS app carry Apple’s App Store fee of 30% (15% after a year), although US fans can choose web checkout instead; check Patreon’s help pages for the current situation.
| Pledge | Fees | You keep | Share kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3 | $0.69 | $2.31 | 77.1% |
| $5 | $0.95 | $4.06 | 81.1% |
| $10 | $1.59 | $8.41 | 84.1% |
| $25 | $3.53 | $21.48 | 85.9% |
How it works
Gross pledges = paying members × average pledge. The platform fee is a percentage of that, and payment processing takes a percentage plus a fixed fee on each payment.
The fixed fee weighs most on small pledges: $0.30 is 10% of a $3 pledge but 3% of a $10 one. If small payments are charged at a different rate where you are, enter your own figures.
Fees change and depend on your plan, country and currency. The defaults are cautious estimates, so check Patreon’s current pricing and your own statements. Payout fees, currency conversion and income tax are not included.
Questions
What average pledge should I enter?
Your own: divide gross monthly pledges by the number of paying members in your dashboard. If you are planning a launch, use a weighted guess based on your tier prices, leaning towards the cheapest tier.
Are free members counted?
No. Only paying members bring in money. Free members are worth tracking as the audience you can convert to a paid tier later.
How much does Patreon take from creators?
At the time of writing, the standard platform fee for new creators is 10% of income, with older accounts on legacy plans at 5%, 8% or 11%. Payment processing comes on top. Check Patreon’s current pricing page, because fees change.
How much do you make with 100 patrons?
At a $6 average pledge, 100 patrons bring $600 a month. After a 10% platform fee ($60) and processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 per payment ($47.40), you keep about $492.60.
Who pays the payment processing fee on Patreon?
By default it comes out of the creator’s earnings, along with the platform fee. Check your earnings breakdown in the Patreon dashboard to see exactly what was deducted each month.
Is it better to have cheap tiers or fewer expensive ones?
Cheap tiers lose a bigger share to the fixed processing fee: 23% of a $3 pledge goes in fees at the default rates, against 14% of a $25 pledge. A low entry tier can still be worth it if it brings in members who later upgrade.
How do you get paid on Patreon?
Your balance builds up as members are charged, and you withdraw it to a bank account or another supported payout method, manually or automatically. Some methods carry a payout fee, which this calculator does not include.
Do I pay tax on Patreon income?
In most countries, yes: it is usually taxed as self-employment or business income. Keep your Patreon statements and check the rules where you live with an accountant.