A working OnlyFans tip menu offers a few fully described options you can deliver on schedule — nothing open-ended — and the 20% fee applies to every menu amount. Label voluntary support as support and purchases as purchases, because a tip that silently becomes a promise is where disputes start. Review capacity weekly: a menu can quietly create more obligations than any other pricing on the page.
Does OnlyFans take a cut of tips?
Yes — the same 20% taken from every fan payment, and tips are fan payments.
The terms define a Fan Payment as any payment related to a Creator Interaction and state that "Our Fee is calculated as 20% of the total Fan Payment" (OnlyFans Terms of Use). Menu prices are therefore gross numbers: an entry shown at $20 delivers $16. Build the menu on what the entries net, not on what they display.
| Entry shown | Fee (20%) | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | $1 | $4 |
| $20 | $4 | $16 |
| $100 | $20 | $80 |
How do you separate a gift from an order?
By labeling: a voluntary tip buys nothing, and a priced entry buys exactly what the entry says.
In an illustrative menu, "support the next studio setup" does not imply the supporter owns the resulting photographs or can direct the shoot. The distinction sounds fussy until the first dispute, when it is the whole conversation. If an entry is simply support, label it that way; if it purchases an item, describe the item, its timing, and any approval needed.
- Step 1
Write the entry
The exact wording a fan sees.
- Step 2
State the deliverable
What the payment produces, in one sentence.
- Step 3
State the timing
When it happens, in days or posts.
- Step 4
State the limits
What the entry does not include.
Frequently asked questions
How many items should a tip menu have?
As few as you can deliver on schedule — five or fewer until fulfillment is proven. Every entry you add is a promise to keep, and a short menu that always delivers beats a long one that drifts.
What makes a good tip menu?
A few permitted, fully described options you can deliver on schedule, with voluntary support clearly separated from purchases. Every entry names its deliverable and timing, and nothing on the list is open-ended.
Do you have to do what a tip asks for?
Only what a menu entry actually promises. A voluntary tip buys nothing specific, and no tip amount overrides your boundaries or the platform's rules — if a request is outside the menu, it goes through the quote process or is declined.
How much should tip menu items cost?
Work from hours: fulfillment minutes plus inbox handling, priced so the amount after the 20% fee pays your target rate. A $20 item delivers $16, so an entry that takes half an hour is earning $32 per hour before other costs.
Do tips count as income?
They are creator earnings, and for US creators that means self-employment income. The IRS filing trigger is $400 of net earnings from self-employment in a year, so records start with the first tip, not the first threshold crossed.
Can a tip menu cause problems?
Only when entries promise what boundaries or platform rules forbid, or what you cannot deliver on time. Both fail the same way — disputes and refunds, with your earnings portion deductible on successful chargebacks per the terms.
Build your next step
Continue with a related guide
Sources and further reading
- OnlyFans Terms of Service— Check the current creator terms and account interface before changing prices or relying on a fee. Linked as the authoritative reference; this guide does not establish current feature limits.
- IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center— Current US federal starting point; a qualified professional must assess your circumstances.
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