How much of our crowdfunding will we keep?

Take the platform fee, payment fees, the cost of making and shipping rewards and other campaign costs from the money pledged in a rewards or donation campaign, and see what is left.

Last checked: October 21, 2026Worked out in your browser, nothing stored

In rewards crowdfunding, backers pledge money and get a reward, often the product you plan to make. In donation crowdfunding they give and get nothing back. Either way, less reaches you than people pledge. The platform takes its fee and payment processing fees before it pays you, then you pay to make, pack and ship the rewards.

Rewards are sales, so the money pledged for them is income for the business and can carry sales tax, depending on the state. This calculator shows what you keep from the whole campaign, and from an average reward pledge. It does not work out sales tax or income tax.

This page is about rewards and donations. Selling shares or debt to the public online is Regulation Crowdfunding, which has its own rules and costs.

You keep

$13,420

After fees, rewards and costs

Of the money pledged

44.7%

The share you keep

Paid out to you

$27,520

By the platform, after its fees

Fees

$2,480

Platform and payment

Platform fee: $1,500
Payment fees: $980
Making, packing and posting rewards: $12,600
Other campaign costs: $1,500

An average reward pledge

Pledged: $80.00
Platform and payment fees: − $6.60
Making, packing and posting: − $36.00
Left from each reward: $37.40

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Worked example: $30,000 pledged by 400 backers for a new product

A made-up example, not a quote from any platform: a 5% platform fee, payment fees of 3% plus $0.20 a pledge, 350 rewards costing $28 each to make and $8 to pack and ship, $28,000 of the money pledged for rewards, and $1,500 spent on a video and advertising.

Money pledged: $30,000
Platform fee: 5% of that: − $1,500
Payment fees: 3% plus $0.20 on each of 400 pledges: − $980
Paid out by the platform: $27,520
Rewards: 350 at $28 to make and $8 to pack and ship: − $12,600
Other campaign costs: − $1,500
What you keep: $13,420
As a share of the money pledged: 44.7%

On an average reward pledge of $80.00, $6.60 goes in fees and $36.00 makes and ships the reward, leaving $37.40.

Worth knowing

Rewards platforms can take a platform fee of around 5% of the money raised, and payment processing adds around 3% plus a fixed amount on each pledge. Some donation platforms charge no platform fee but take a transaction fee on each donation, such as 2.9% plus $0.30, and ask donors for an optional tip. Check the platform's own terms page.
On an all-or-nothing platform, if you miss your goal you receive nothing. Some platforms then charge no fees at all.
Sales tax is set by each state. Whether you must charge it on a reward can depend on what the reward is and on the state you ship it to, so check with the revenue department of each state you ship to before you set your reward prices.
Money pledged for rewards is income for the business. A platform or its payment processor must send you a Form 1099-K when payments for goods or services go over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions in a year, and it may send one for less. You must report the income either way. Donations where backers get nothing back are not reported on Form 1099-K.
If rewards go out months after the campaign closes, cost them at what making and shipping will cost then, and leave room for replacements and backers overseas.

Routes this works for

Sources

IRS: Understanding your Form 1099-K (payment apps and crowdfunding platforms report payments for goods or services over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions) · checked October 21, 2026
IRS Fact Sheet FS-2022-20: money received through crowdfunding may be taxable (no Form 1099-K where contributors receive nothing back) · checked October 21, 2026
IRS: FAQs on the Form 1099-K threshold under the One Big Beautiful Bill (the threshold reverts to $20,000) · checked October 21, 2026
Indiegogo: Fees (provider's own terms: 5% platform fee, 3% plus $0.20 a payment, no fees if the goal is not reached) · checked October 21, 2026
GoFundMe: Pricing and fees (provider's own terms: no platform fee, a 2.9% plus $0.30 transaction fee, optional contributions) · checked October 21, 2026

Something wrong or out of date?

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