Banks That Won't Close Your Account. Tools That Earn Their Keep.

1. Open a dedicated business bank account. Do not mix creator income with personal funds. The IRS notices this, and so does your bank if they audit your account.

2. Get a business email address. A free Gmail works fine, but make it separate from your personal email. [email protected] if you have an LLC.

3. Start a mileage and expense log. A simple spreadsheet is fine. Date, amount, category, purpose. This is your audit trail if the IRS ever asks.

4. Set aside 25-30% of every payment for taxes. Put it in a separate account immediately. Self-employment tax is 15.3% before income tax — most first-year creators get blindsided by their first quarterly bill.

5. Use our tax calculator to estimate your first quarterly payment. The first quarterly deadline is April 15. If you started earning in January, you owe something.

A 1099-NEC reports nonemployee compensation — what platforms paid you during the year. You'll get one from any platform that paid you $600 or more.

The number might show gross, not net. OnlyFans and some other platforms report what they paid you before their cut, after their cut, or some variation. Read the 1099 carefully and match it against your platform earnings statement. If the numbers don't match, the platform earnings statement is the authoritative source for your actual income.

You owe taxes on net income, not gross. Platform fees reduce your taxable income. If OnlyFans takes 20% and your 1099 shows gross, you deduct that 20% as a business expense.

What to do with it: Give it to your tax preparer or enter it in your tax software. Report it even if you don't receive a 1099 — you owe taxes on income regardless of whether a form arrives.

The short version: If you're earning $60,000+ per year from content creation and you have an LLC, an S-Corp election might save you $5,000-10,000 or more per year in self-employment tax.

How it works: As a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on your entire net income. With an S-Corp election, you pay yourself a "reasonable salary" (say $40,000/year) and take the rest as a distribution. You only pay payroll tax on the salary portion.

The catch: You need to pay yourself a "reasonable salary," which means running payroll (which costs money), filing additional tax forms, and adding some administrative complexity. At lower income levels, the savings don't outweigh the costs.

Rule of thumb: Worth discussing with a CPA at $60K+ annual net income. Below that, the math usually doesn't work.

We can flag this for you automatically in our tax calculator when your income crosses that threshold.

Most ToS agreements are long and designed to not be read. But three sections matter more than the rest:

1. Payment and payout terms. When do you get paid? What are the fee structures? What can cause a payment hold? This section is where platforms hide 30-day payment delays and "reserve" requirements.

2. Content ownership and licensing. What rights does the platform claim to your content? Most platforms claim a broad license to use your content for marketing. Some claim rights to your content even after you delete it. Know what you're agreeing to.

3. Account termination. What can get your account shut down? What happens to your earnings if your account is terminated? Do you have an appeals process? This section protects you from losing months of income without warning.

If a platform's ToS says they can terminate your account "for any reason" without notice, assume they will if a compliance team flags your content.

Bank account closures happen more than they should in this industry. Here's the playbook:

Step 1: Don't panic. You have 30 days after a closure notice to withdraw your funds in most states. The bank cannot keep your money permanently for an account closure.

Step 2: Get it in writing. Request a written explanation for the closure. Some banks won't give a reason, but having documentation matters if you escalate.

Step 3: Have a backup account ready. This is why we recommend setting up Mercury, Relay, or Novo before you need them — not after. If your Chase account gets closed on a Friday, you don't want to be scrambling for payment routing info while platform payouts are pending.

Step 4: File a complaint. Your state's banking regulator and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) both accept complaints about account closures. This doesn't always get your account back, but it creates a paper trail and sometimes prompts a review.

Step 5: Open a better account. Use the resources tab above. Banks with established track records of serving content creators are worth the switch.

You can form a Wyoming LLC even if you don't live in the US. Wyoming has no residency requirement. This is one reason many international creators use Wyoming LLCs — it creates a US business entity that can receive payments from US platforms and open US business bank accounts.

Tax implications: A Wyoming LLC owned by a non-US person is treated differently by the IRS than one owned by a US citizen. You may be subject to US withholding taxes on US-source income. This is a complex area where a CPA familiar with international taxation is essential.

Banking: Mercury and Wise are the most accessible options for international LLC owners. You can apply for Mercury remotely. Wise is excellent for currency conversion when moving money back to your home country.

The 30% withholding question: Platforms are required to withhold 30% of payments to non-US persons unless a tax treaty applies. A properly structured LLC with a W-8BEN-E form can reduce or eliminate this withholding depending on your country. Talk to a CPA before assuming you're exempt.