OFM revenue splits: how the money is divided
By the OFM.Market team · Published · 3 min read
Short answer
OnlyFans keeps 20% of what a creator earns, and the agency's share comes out of what is left or out of the gross, depending on the contract. In practice the agency usually keeps the larger share, commonly 50% to 70%, which leaves the creator 30% to 50%, with lower agency rates for chat-only services. What matters most is the base the percentage is calculated on, what it covers, and whether the creator ends up with more than they would earn alone.
Three layers
Three parties take a share of every dollar a fan spends: the platform, the agency and the creator. OnlyFans' standard cut is 20%, taken before the creator or the agency sees anything. Check the platform's current terms, because fees and payout rules change. The agency's share and the creator's share are then set by the management agreement.
Gross or net: the base matters
A percentage means little until you know what it is a percentage of. Take a creator who earns $10,000 in a month before the platform fee. OnlyFans keeps $2,000, which leaves $8,000.
| Agency share | Calculated on | Agency gets | Creator keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | Gross ($10,000) | $5,000 | $3,000 |
| 50% | Net ($8,000) | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| 60% | Net ($8,000) | $4,800 | $3,200 |
The same 50% costs the creator $1,000 more when it is taken on the gross. An agreement should say which base applies.
Common structures
- Percentage of earnings (revenue share): the most common structure. The agency usually keeps the larger share, commonly 50% to 70%, and the creator 30% to 50%, though real figures depend on the services, the content volume and the creator's track record.
- Tiered by service: chat-only arrangements are quoted lower for the agency, around 20% to 30% in one guide, with higher shares when the agency also handles traffic and content strategy.
- Retainer plus commission: a fixed monthly fee plus a smaller percentage, sometimes only on earnings above a threshold.
- Progressive commission: a percentage that changes in steps as revenue passes agreed levels. Which way it moves is a matter for negotiation, so write each step into the contract.
- Salary: the creator is paid a fixed amount per period and the agency runs the account. What is OFM explains how this differs from a revenue share.
Does it pay off for the creator?
The test is simple. After the agency's share, the creator has to take home at least what they earned alone. If the share is S and it is taken on net revenue, the agency has to grow the account by a factor of 1 divided by (1 minus S). At a 50% share that is 1 ÷ 0.5, exactly 2 times. At 60% it is 2.5 times.
A creator who nets $8,000 alone therefore needs the agency to bring the account to $16,000 net at a 50% share just to keep the same $8,000.
This is also why a bigger percentage is not automatically a worse deal. If an agency taking 60% triples that $8,000 to $24,000, the creator keeps $9,600. If an agency taking 30% only lifts it by 10%, the creator keeps $6,160, less than they earned alone.
The agency's side
The headline split is not what the agency keeps. Chatters, traffic spend, software and taxes all come out of it. Here is a hypothetical month for an agency whose creators earned $30,000 between them. The cost lines are illustrations, not benchmarks.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Creator revenue before platform fee | $30,000 |
| OnlyFans fee (20%) | -$6,000 |
| Net revenue | $24,000 |
| Agency share (50% of net) | $12,000 |
| Chatter pay (10% of net) | -$2,400 |
| Traffic spend | -$1,800 |
| Software and tools | -$400 |
| Left before tax and owner pay | $7,400 |
One agency guide claims agencies keep only 15% to 30% of gross once costs are paid. It gives no source, but it shows how much smaller the final margin is than the headline split. In the example above, $7,400 on $30,000 of gross is about 25%.
What to put in writing
- The percentage, and the base it is taken on (gross or net)
- What the percentage covers, and what is billed separately, such as ad spend or production
- Payout dates, and how reports are shared
- How the split changes, if it does
- What happens to the split when the contract ends
The contract checklist covers the rest of the agreement.