Getting Paid by SoundCloud for Artists
How much do I get paid if I monetize and distribute through SoundCloud for Artists?
How and when do I get paid on SoundCloud for Artists?
What do I need to do to get paid?
Why didn’t I receive a payment?
What is withholding tax / why am I being taxed?
How much do I get paid if I monetize and distribute through SoundCloud for Artists?
As of November 2025, we updated our monetization and distribution royalty share rate from 80% to 100%. You receive 100% of any earnings, whether from activity on SoundCloud or on other platforms.
Full transparency: Our payout processor now applies a small processing fee to each payout, as low as $0.50 USD. There are no hidden fees or surprise deductions. You’ll see your estimated payout fee when adding or editing your payout method.
How and when do I get paid on SoundCloud for Artists?
You will receive your payouts via the payout method you’ve added in SoundCloud for Artists. Your balance is updated at the end of each month, and payments are auto-deposited once your earnings meet or exceed $25 USD. Payments are two months delayed because it takes music platforms 30-45 days to pay us, and it takes time for us to process those royalties.
Our payout processor applies a small fee to each payout, as low as $0.50 USD. There are no hidden fees or surprise deductions. You’ll see your estimated payout fee when adding or editing your payout method. You can reference a list of estimated fees here.
What do I need to do to get paid?
Before you can get paid, visit the Monetization tab within your SoundCloud for Artists dashboard to complete the following three tasks:
- Complete your Payout & Tax Information
- Sign our Terms of Use for SoundCloud for Artists
- Enable Two Factor Authentication*
How to Complete your Payout & Tax Information:
- Go to the Earnings section of your SoundCloud for Artists account
- Click the Payouts option
- Click +Add Payout Method and select Bank Transfer or PayPal
- Enter your information as an individual, or as a business if you file taxes that way
- Select your payout method
- Once you’ve entered your payout method details, click to Submit a Tax Form
- Enter all required information and proceed through the prompts to complete your tax form
- Choose whether you’d like to receive your end-of-year tax form via E-Delivery or Postal Mail
- You can return to this at any time if you need to edit your tax form or update your payout method.
*At this time, most artists won’t need a 2FA app to distribute, monetize, or receive payouts (instead using a one-time email code). However, a small holdout group will still be required to use 2FA for the time being.
Why didn’t I receive a payment?
The most common reason you didn’t receive your payment is that you haven’t completed your payout details or tax information on your SoundCloud account. If both of those are complete and your monthly earnings exceed $25, reach out to our team. We’ll be happy to look into why your payment hasn’t been sent yet.
Previously, all artists were required to enable 2FA to receive payouts; we will not be requiring this for most users going forward. However, a small holdout group will still be required to use 2FA for the time being. With that said, we still recommend all users keep 2FA enabled to keep their accounts secure.
What is Split Pay?
Split Pay is a tool that allows you to easily list collaborators on your tracks to give a percentage of the earnings. You enter the splits, and we take care of the rest.
Splits can be added during the distribution process before the release is approved, or after approval in the Split Pay tab!
You can now add collaborators you’d like to split earnings with by entering their SoundCloud profile URL or profile permalink. This ensures that the relevant royalties will be funneled to the right place and that your collaborators won’t end up with multiple SC4A accounts to manage.
What is withholding tax / why am I being taxed?
We implemented a tax withholding to stay compliant with earnings regulations set here in the US. The money we send to clients is recognized by the US government as income; therefore, a certain amount must be withheld so we may pay them for the amounts sent abroad. Here is the official resource. We recommend consulting a tax professional for any additional advice.