Gross or net? The one contract line worth ten points of commission
"Thirty percent" is not a number until you say thirty percent of what. The same sentence can mean $2,520 or $3,150 out of the same payout, and the gap is bigger than most agencies' entire margin.
Every rate guide in this industry mentions gross versus net in one sentence and moves on. Here is the whole thing, with the arithmetic and the contract wording.
The three bases, and what each one means
A commission percentage is charged against a base. There are only three that matter:
- Fan gross — what subscribers actually paid, before OnlyFans takes its 20%.
- Platform GSV — the same figure after refunds and tax, still before the 20%.
- Net deposit — what actually lands in the creator's bank account.
OnlyFans takes 20% of what fans pay. So on a $10,000 gross month, roughly $8,000 is deposited. And "30%" against those two bases is not close to the same deal:
| Contract says | Agency takes | Creator keeps | Effective, of deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of net depositOf the $8,000 | $2,400.00 | $5,600.00 | 30.0% |
| 30% of fan grossOf the $10,000 | $3,000.00 | $5,000.00 | 37.5% |
| The differenceSame words, same month | $600.00 | −$600.00 | 7.5 points |
Seven and a half points, on identical language. On a creator clearing $10,000 a month that is $7,200 a year, decided by a preposition.
Work it out on your own numbers
| Your deal | Agency | Creator |
|---|---|---|
| What subscribers paid, before the platform's 20% | ||
| The number written in the agreement | ||
| Charged on net depositThe creator's bank statement | $2,400.00 | $5,600.00 |
| Charged on fan grossBefore the platform's cut | $3,000.00 | $5,000.00 |
| The differencePer month | $600.00 | 37.5% effective |
The mistake that costs the most
It is not choosing the wrong base. It is writing the creator's side of the deal and assuming the complement.
"The model keeps 60%" sounds like the agency takes 40%. If the contract is written against gross, it does not. The creator keeps 60% of gross — but they only ever receive 80% of gross, because the platform took 20% first. So 60% of gross is 75% of what they actually receive, and the agency's share is 25% of the deposit, not 40%.
We have seen this resolved the wrong way in a real contract engine: "model keeps 60% of gross" computed as an agency share of 40% of gross, which left the creator with 40% of gross against an agreement promising 60% — a 100% overcharge on the agency's side. The complement must always be taken against what the person actually holds, not against the base the percentage was quoted in.
What to actually write
Do not write a percentage without its base in the same sentence. These are usable:
- Clear, net-based: "Agency's fee is thirty percent (30%) of Net Deposits, where Net Deposits means amounts actually credited to Creator's designated bank account from the Platform in the relevant period."
- Clear, gross-based: "Agency's fee is twenty-five percent (25%) of Gross Earnings, where Gross Earnings means amounts paid by subscribers before deduction of the Platform's fee. The parties acknowledge this is approximately 31.25% of amounts actually received by Creator."
- State one side only, and define the other: if you write the creator's share, say explicitly what the agency's share is as a figure, so nobody has to compute a complement.
More clauses in the same shape — scope, collection, failure and termination — are in the agency payment clause.
The second example carries the effective figure in the contract itself. That sentence costs nothing and removes the argument entirely — and an agency willing to write it is signaling something about how the rest of the relationship will go.
Which base to choose
Net deposit, in almost every case, for a reason that has nothing to do with fairness: it is the only base either party can independently verify. A creator can check a net-deposit figure against their own bank statement. A gross figure requires them to trust a screenshot, and a percentage of a number nobody can check is a dispute waiting for a trigger.
If you want the economics of a gross-based deal, take a higher percentage of net. The money is identical and the argument disappears.
This is not legal advice, and contract language should be reviewed by a lawyer in your state before you use it.