This article applies to creators based in Australia who have not yet provided a valid ABN or a signed statement explaining why one isn't required. If you already have a valid ABN on file, no action is needed and nothing changes for you. If you're based outside Australia, this does not apply to you.
Why this applies
Australian tax law requires us to either withhold tax from your payments or hold a signed statement from you explaining why an ABN isn't required in your case. This isn't optional on our part; it's a rule we're required to follow. We've aimed to make resolving it as quick and straightforward as possible.
What you'll see
The next time you submit to a campaign, publish, or accept a licence request, you'll be asked to choose one of the following options.
Have an ABN? Add it, and nothing will be withheld.
Don't need one? For example, if this is more of a side hustle or hobby than a registered business, you can sign a short statement instead. Nothing will be withheld in this case either.
Not ready to decide? You can skip this step for now. In this case, 47% will be withheld from your payments until you choose option 1 or 2.
If you'd prefer to handle this in advance, you can complete any of the above at any time in Payment Setup on your profile, so it doesn't come up mid-submission.
What withholding means for your payments
If you skip the choice above, here's what to expect.
The 47% is withheld from your gross payment, before any other fees are applied.
For example, on a $1,000 payment, $470 would be withheld first, leaving $530. If you also take an early payout (10% fee), you'd receive $477.
When your status "locks in" depends on the type of work; it's usually around the time you publish, accept a licence, or your submission is approved.
Rescheduling can change your withholding
If you switch a payout to an early one, we recalculate your withholding based on your ABN status at the time of the reschedule, not when the payout was originally scheduled. This means:
If you've added an ABN or signed a statement since a payment was withheld, rescheduling will remove that withholding.
If you accepted withholding after a payout was already scheduled, rescheduling will apply it.
A few important details
Withholding applies to every payment, including small ones. We're unable to determine in advance whether your total earnings for the year will cross the relevant threshold, so this approach is applied consistently.
If you change your home country away from Australia and then back again, you'll need to complete this process again.
Once you've entered an ABN or signed a statement, we treat this as settled on our end. If your details or circumstances change later, it's your responsibility to update them in Payment Setup; we won't prompt you again.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our support team.