YouTube keeps 30% of every donation sent through its own fan-funding tools (Super Chats, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and Channel Memberships) and pays the creator the remaining 70% of net revenue.1YouTube Help. YouTube Partner Earnings Overview – Section: Revenue Share Rates When viewers donate through outside services like PayPal or Streamlabs, YouTube takes nothing, though the payment processor still charges its own fee. And when a creator runs a verified charity fundraiser through YouTube Giving, the platform waives its cut entirely. How much actually lands in the creator’s account depends on which tool the viewer used, what device they bought it on, and whether the creator has filed their tax paperwork.
The 30% Cut on Super Chats and Memberships
All of YouTube’s built-in fan-funding features follow the same split: creators get 70% of net revenue, YouTube keeps 30%.1YouTube Help. YouTube Partner Earnings Overview – Section: Revenue Share Rates This covers Super Chats (highlighted messages during live streams), Super Stickers (animated graphics in live chat), Super Thanks (a clapping animation on regular videos), and monthly Channel Memberships. “Net” is the operative word. YouTube first subtracts any applicable sales taxes and app store fees from the gross payment, then calculates the 70/30 split on what remains.
In plain dollars: a $50 Super Chat sent from a desktop browser with no sales tax leaves YouTube with $15 and the creator with $35. Viewers can spend up to $500 per day or $2,000 per week across Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks combined, and anything under $5 won’t show up in the live chat ticker.2YouTube Help. Buy a Super Chat or Super Sticker
Why iPhone Donations Pay Creators Half
If a viewer buys a Super Chat or Channel Membership through the YouTube app on an iPhone or iPad, Apple takes its own commission first. Apple’s standard App Store commission is 30%.3Apple Developer. App Store Small Business Program YouTube treats that as a cost deducted from gross revenue, then pays the creator 70% of whatever is left.
The math stings. On a $50 Super Chat bought through iOS, Apple takes roughly $15 off the top. YouTube calculates 70% of the remaining $35, giving the creator about $24.50. That’s 49% of what the viewer paid. YouTube’s own channel membership page confirms that creators keep 70% of revenue “after taxes and fees, including app store service fees.”4YouTube Creators. Succeeding With Channel Memberships Purchases made through a desktop browser or an Android app skip Apple’s commission, so creators who steer their audience toward those platforms keep noticeably more per transaction.
Three ways of sending the same $50:
- Desktop browser: creator receives about $35 (70%).
- Android app: creator receives about $35 (70%).
- iOS app: creator receives about $24.50 (49%).
External Donation Platforms Where YouTube Takes Nothing
Many creators link to third-party donation services in their video descriptions or stream overlays. Because the transaction happens outside YouTube’s ecosystem, the platform collects nothing. The fees come from the payment processor and any intermediary service the creator uses.
Typical costs:
- Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful card charge for standard U.S. transactions.
- PayPal charges 2.89% plus $0.49 per domestic donation received through a PayPal donate button.5PayPal. PayPal Consumer Fees
- Streamlabs takes no platform fee at all. Creators keep 100% minus the standard Stripe processing fee.6Streamlabs. Set Up Donations for Twitch, YouTube, Kick and Beyond
A $50 donation through Streamlabs with Stripe processing leaves the creator with roughly $48.25. Compare that to $35 from a $50 Super Chat on desktop, or $24.50 on iOS. The tradeoff is convenience and risk. Super Chats appear directly in the live stream with built-in visual flair, while external donations require the creator to set up their own alerts and overlay software. External donations also carry chargeback exposure that YouTube’s native tools largely avoid: Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks are classified as voluntary, non-refundable payments.7YouTube Help. Refunds for Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks When a viewer disputes an external donation, the processor pulls the original amount plus a $15 chargeback fee from the creator’s balance.8Streamlabs. Stripe Tipping FAQs
Charity Fundraisers Through YouTube Giving
Donations collected through a YouTube Giving fundraiser work on a different model entirely. When a creator fundraises for a verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, YouTube waives its 30% share and covers the credit card processing fees itself. Google partners with Network for Good to collect and distribute the money, and 100% of each viewer contribution reaches the nonprofit.9YouTube. YouTube Giving FAQs – Section: How Do Nonprofits Get the Donations
The creator doesn’t touch any of this money. Funds flow directly from the donor to the charity through Network for Good, bypassing the creator’s account. The feature is limited to IRS-recognized nonprofits, so creators can’t use it to collect money for personal causes or unverified organizations.
What’s Left After Taxes
Even after YouTube’s cut and any app store fee, the amount deposited into a bank account can shrink further. YouTube may withhold taxes at the source before paying out, and the rate depends on whether the creator has submitted valid tax documentation and where they live.
- U.S. creators who submit tax info: no automatic withholding. Earnings are paid in full and the creator handles their own tax payments.
- U.S. creators who skip the forms: YouTube withholds 24% of total worldwide earnings as backup withholding.10YouTube Help. U.S. Tax Requirements for YouTube Earnings
- Non-U.S. creators who submit tax info: 0% to 30% withheld on earnings from U.S. viewers only, depending on whether their country has a tax treaty with the United States.10YouTube Help. U.S. Tax Requirements for YouTube Earnings
- Non-U.S. creators who skip the forms: up to 24% of total worldwide earnings for individual accounts, or 30% of U.S. earnings for business accounts outside the U.S.
The deadline to submit tax info through AdSense is December 10th each year. Missing it triggers the backup withholding rate on all earnings, not just U.S.-sourced ones.
Whatever reaches the creator’s account counts as taxable business income. For U.S. creators who aren’t someone else’s employee, that means paying both regular income tax and self-employment tax. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, broken into 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.11Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare Taxes)12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 Code 1401 – Rate of Tax That sits on top of federal and state income tax.
Payment processors and platforms issue Form 1099-K to creators who exceed more than $20,000 in gross payments across more than 200 transactions in a calendar year.13Internal Revenue Service. IRS Issues FAQs on Form 1099-K Threshold Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Some processors may send a 1099-K for smaller amounts. Form or no form, all donation income has to be reported.