Payouts

ONCE pays your streaming royalties to you automatically. This page explains the full journey: how money earns, what you need to do (and when), and what to expect at each step.

The short version:

1. Your music earns royalties on streaming platforms. Earnings appear on the Payouts page.
2. Once your first earnings are posted, payout setup unlocks. Complete the payout form (tax info and payment method) through Tipalti, our payment partner.
3. Payouts are sent automatically every quarter for balances of $20 or more. There’s no withdraw button and nothing to request — once setup is complete, you just get paid.

You keep 100% of your streaming royalties. ONCE only charges credits for distribution.

Where to Find It

Open the Payouts page from your Releases area, or from My Account → View Payouts. The direct link is beta.once.app/releases/payouts.

Step 1: Earn Royalties

Streaming platforms report earnings to ONCE in periodic statements. When statements arrive, the Payouts page shows:

• Last Statement — your most recent statement total and its date
• Lifetime Revenue — everything your releases have earned through ONCE
• Release earnings — per-release totals, expandable down to individual statements and line items (store, country, track, and amount)

Statements can take time to flow through from stores. It’s normal for a release to be live for a while before its first statement appears — most platforms report on a one-to-three-month delay.

Step 2: Set Up Your Payout Method

Payout setup is handled by Tipalti, a payments platform used by ONCE to securely collect your tax information and pay you.

Setup unlocks automatically once your first earnings are posted. Until then, the Payout Method card shows “Setup unlocks with your first earnings” instead of a setup button. There’s nothing you need to fix, and nothing is wrong. Come back once your music starts earning.

When setup is available:

1. On the Payouts page, click Start Payout Setup.
2. Click Open payout form and the secure Tipalti form opens in a new tab. This works on every device, including phones. (On desktop, you can also fill in the same form embedded right on the page.)
3. Complete your details, tax information, and preferred payment method, then submit the form.
4. Come back to the ONCE tab and click I completed the payout form. If you finished the form earlier, Check status re-checks your setup with Tipalti at any time.

Once your payout method is on file, the card shows Payout method on file. If your bank or tax details change later, email support@once.app and we’ll help you update them.

If you’ve earned royalties but haven’t finished payout setup, ONCE also sends an occasional friendly email reminder (never more than once a month). These count as App Alert emails, so you can turn them off in email preferences.

Setup Status Badges

The Payout Method card shows where you are:

Step 3: Get Paid

Once your status is Ready for payout or Active:

• Payouts run quarterly.
• Your balance must be $20 or more to be included in a payout run. Smaller balances roll over — they’re never lost, they just wait for the next quarter where your total crosses $20.
• Payments are sent through Tipalti to the payment method you chose during setup. Delivery time after sending depends on your payment method and bank.

There is no withdraw or request button. If your setup is complete and your balance is $20+, you’ll be included in the next quarterly run automatically.

Understanding Your Balance Buckets

The Payouts page splits your earnings into three buckets so you always know where each dollar stands:

• Pending payment setup — royalties reported while your payout setup was incomplete. This money is safe; it moves to “Owed now” as soon as your setup is complete.
• Owed now — setup is complete and these royalties are waiting for the next quarterly payout run.
• Sent for payout — already paid and sent to your payment method.

The Payout Timeline

Every statement moves through the same four stages, and the Payouts page shows you exactly where each one is:

1. Earned: your music generated royalties on streaming platforms.
2. Reported: the earnings arrived at ONCE in a statement (shown with the report date).
3. Payable: the statement is approved and eligible for the next quarterly payout.
4. Paid: the money was sent to your payout method (shown with the send date).

A compact How payouts work strip near your balance cards summarizes these stages. Under Release earnings, expand any release and each statement shows its own timeline with the date each stage was reached, so “when do I get paid?” is always answered right on the page.

Payment History

The Payment history section lists every statement that has been sent for payout, with:

• Sent date
• Statement reference
• Release
• Amount

Use it to confirm what’s already been paid. If a payment shows as sent but hasn’t arrived after a reasonable delivery window for your payment method, contact support@once.app with the statement reference.

Release-Level Payout Notices

Some releases show a notice directly on their row:

“This release will not be automatically paid out. Please contact support@once.app to receive your payout for this release.”

If you see this, that release’s earnings require manual handling — email support and we’ll process the payout for you.

Payouts vs. Royalty Splits

These are related but separate:

• Payouts (this page) are how you get paid for your earnings.
• Royalty Splits define how a release’s earnings are shared between collaborators. Each split recipient receives their share through their own payout setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I start payout setup?

Setup unlocks once your first earnings are posted. If the Payout Method card says “Setup unlocks with your first earnings,” your account simply has no reported earnings yet. Check back after your releases start generating statements.

The payout form won’t load on my phone

Use the Open payout form button; it opens Tipalti’s form in a new browser tab, which works on all mobile devices. When you’re done, return to the ONCE tab and tap I completed the payout form.

I completed setup. When do I get paid?

In the next quarterly payout run, as long as your balance is $20 or more. Nothing else is required from you.

My balance is under $20. Is it lost?

No. It rolls over and accumulates. You’ll be paid in the first quarterly run where your balance reaches $20.

I earned money before finishing setup. Where is it?

It’s in the Pending payment setup bucket. Complete your Tipalti setup and it moves to Owed now, ready for the next payout run.

My status says “Action required.” What now?

The Payout Method card shows the specific reason and next action. It usually means Tipalti needs corrected or additional information (for example, tax details). If the reason isn’t clear or you can’t resolve it, email support@once.app.

A payment shows “sent” but I haven’t received it

Delivery time depends on your payment method and bank. If it’s been well beyond the expected window, contact support@once.app with the statement reference from your payment history.