You've launched, and are receiving patrons. There’s just one question that you’re asking yourself: When will I get paid by my patrons? We’re here to help answer this question!
As a creator, you have a 3 options available to bill your patrons – you can charge your patrons on a monthly basis, or on a per creation basis. Deciding which method works best for you is a big decision, and we want to make sure that you have the details to help you figure out what’s best for your membership business.
Feel free to skip ahead to the billing method that interests you with these links:
Note: We bill your patrons on the 1st of each month at midnight in pacific standard time (PST)– payments process throughout the day on the 1st of each month PST.
Per Creation Billing
As a per creation creator, there are a few important billing details to keep in mind.
Paid posts
The only way that your patrons will be charged on the 1st of the month is if you publish your creations as paid posts. Whether you’re creating, illustrations, videos, or podcast episodes, you must publish your content as a paid post to get paid. Paid posts can be for all patrons, or public – there is currently no way to post content for specific tiers and charge your patrons. You can read more about the different ways to make posts as a per creation creator, here.
Patrons are not charged immediately when you make a paid post
When you make a paid post, a pending bill is placed on your patrons’ accounts. Then on the 1st of the following month, we attempt to charge your patrons for any pending bills.
Patrons can set a monthly maximum
Your patrons are billed their pledge for each paid posts that you make in a given month up to their monthly max. Patrons can set a monthly maximum of posts that they we will be billed for – this ensures that patrons aren’t charged more than they can pay to support you. You can read more about setting a monthly max, here.
What if my patron cancels their membership?
If your patron deletes their pledge before the 1st of the month, we will attempt to charge them for any pending bills as soon as they delete.
Example: Let’s say Patron A pledges to you on March 5th at your $3.00 tier level with a monthly max of 3 creations. Patron A will have access to your back catalog of paid posts, patron only posts, $3.00 tier level, and of course your public posts. They have not yet been billed. If between March 5th (when your patron pledged) and March 31st you make 5 paid posts, Patron A will be charged $9.00 on April 1st. If Patron A deletes their pledge on March 20th, and you’ve made 2 paid posts since they created their pledge, we’ll attempt to charge them $6.00 on March 20th.
Charge up front Monthly Billing
You, as a creator, charge your patrons as soon as they pledge to you. This up front charge grants your patrons access to your back catalog of patron only content (for their tier) as well as all content made in that month. Your patrons are then charged on the 1st of each month thereafter for that month’s access.
What if my patron cancels their membership?
If a patron deletes their pledge any time prior to the 1st of the upcoming month, they will still have access your patron only content (for their tier) for the remainder of the month. This means that they will still be able to view and comment on your posts as well as interact with your community page. Once the new billing cycle begins on the 1st of the following month, they instantly lose access to your patron only content, can no longer view or comment on your patron only posts, and will not be able to engage on your community page.
What if my patron increases their payment amount in the middle of the month?
If a patron of your increases their pledge in the middle of the month, they will immediately be charged the difference between their previous pledge and their new pledge amount. On the 1st of the upcoming month, they are then charged their new pledge amount for that month.
Example: A new patron pledges to your $5.00 tier on March 5th, and they are charged $5.00 as soon as they complete their pledge. They then have access to your content, can view and comment on your posts as well as interact with your community page. Come April 1st, they are charged their total pledge and this gives them access for the entirety of that month.
Important Note: Payments processing on the 1st of the month typically completes within 24-48 hours, you can read more about that process, here.
In short: Patrons who join your page with an annual membership are charged their full year of membership up front.
Are you in our annual membership beta?
If you are currently in our beta and are curious about how payments work for annual memberships, you can learn more in this help guide: Offering Annual Memberships for my patrons (Beta)
In short: Patrons who join your page with an annual membership are charged their full year of membership up front.
Monthly Billing
This is the payment method currently used by the majority of creators on Patreon. With this method, once a patron pledges to you, they instantly get access to your back catalog of content and are charged for the month’s pledge on the 1st of the following month.
Example: A new patron pledges to you on March 5th. Once they complete their pledge they can see your posts for their tier level – they can comment and engage with your community. They are charged on April 1st for their March pledge to you.
What if my patron deletes their pledge?
Your patron will lose access to your patron only content as soon as they delete their pledge. They will not be able to comment on any posts, or interact with your community page.