Patreon Earnings Calculator
Work out your real Patreon take-home after the platform plan fee, payment processing and per-patron reward costs — monthly and annual net, not just gross pledges.
How it works
Gross = patrons × average pledge · Net = gross × (1 − plan% ÷ 100 − processing% ÷ 100) − patrons × fulfillment cost · Yearly net = net × 12
Your Patreon pledge total is never what reaches your bank. Patreon takes a platform fee based on your plan (the Pro plan is around 8%), payment processors take roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per pledge — which on small $2–5 pledges can effectively exceed 5% — and any physical or digital rewards you promise carry a real per-patron fulfillment cost. This tool subtracts all three from gross pledges to show true monthly and annual take-home. Because processing is charged per transaction, creators with many small patrons keep a noticeably smaller share than the headline percentages suggest.
Worked example
100 patrons pledging $8 each is $800 gross. The 8% plan fee is $64, 3% processing is $24, and $0.50 of rewards per patron is $50 — $138 in total deductions. You keep $662 a month, or about $7,944 a year. Bump processing to 5% for a base of tiny pledges and net drops to $646.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Patreon actually take?
It depends on your plan and your patrons’ pledge sizes. The platform fee is a flat percentage of income (about 8% on the Pro plan), but payment processing is charged per pledge — roughly 2.9% + $0.30 — so a creator with many $3 patrons loses a bigger share to the fixed $0.30 than one with a few $50 patrons. This tool lets you raise the processing percentage to reflect that.
Should I include reward costs?
Yes, if you want a true net. Stickers, prints, postage and even the time-value of digital extras are real costs that scale with your patron count. Entering an average per-patron fulfillment cost prevents the classic mistake of celebrating gross pledges while rewards quietly erase the margin.
Why is my per-patron take-home lower with small pledges?
Because payment processing includes a fixed fee (about $0.30) on every transaction. On a $2 pledge that $0.30 alone is 15%, before the percentage fees. Fewer, larger pledges keep a much higher share than many tiny ones — model it by nudging the processing percentage upward.
Related calculators
Fee rates change and vary by country, plan and category — the defaults are typical current rates and are editable above. Confirm the latest fees with the platform. Educational estimate, not financial advice.