You can earn from Discord, but only within narrow limits. Discord pays creators through Server Subscriptions, which are monthly paid tiers that unlock channels and roles, and through Server Shop products sold once. Its Creator Revenue FAQ says both are available only to owners who can give Stripe US banking and identification details, and that Server Subscriptions will not be offered outside the United States. Discord's Monetization Policy also rules out monetising sexually explicit content, whether it is hosted on Discord or linked from another service.
This guide covers Discord's own money tools and the rules around them. Building and moderating a free community is a separate job, covered in our Discord community guide, and paid roles synced from Patreon are covered in how to set up Discord for Patreon members.
Eligibility checklist: your account, your server and your country
Discord lists its requirements in three places that mostly agree. Work down this table before you build anything, because a single miss blocks the Start Earning button.
| Requirement | What Discord says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Only the server owner can enable monetisation, although admins can later edit tiers and products | Server Shop article |
| Age | The owner must be 18 or older | Monetization Policy |
| Account standing | No active rule breaches, no safety violation in the past 30 days, no fraud flags and nothing owed to Discord | Monetization Policy |
| Verification and security | A verified email and two-factor authentication, which cannot be removed while tiers are published; the FAQ also asks for a verified phone number | Policy; FAQ |
| Country and payout details | Based in the United States, with a US bank account and US identification for Stripe; the payout guide asks for a tax ID, banking details and a website or social profile | Server Shop article; payout guide |
| Payment processor rules | Nothing on Stripe's prohibited and restricted businesses list | Stripe list |
| Server set-up | Community enabled, multi-factor authentication required for moderation actions, and the server not primarily built around NSFW content | Server Shop article |
| Membership and ownership | Most members and activity must not be bots or inactive accounts, and no ownership transfer, purchase or sale in the past 30 days without Discord's approval | Monetization Policy |
The country rule is the one most guides skip. If you live in Australia, the UK or anywhere else outside the US, the FAQ's answer is that Server Subscriptions will not come to you. Borrowing someone else's US bank or identity details to get past Stripe would misrepresent who is being paid, so skip to the alternatives section instead.
What you can and cannot put behind a paid tier
The Monetization Policy, effective from May 2024, applies to Server Subscriptions, Server Shop and app subscriptions alike, and it lists content you may not monetise rather than content you may. The table maps the clauses most relevant to creators onto real offers. Anything not caught by a clause still has to meet the Terms of Service, the Community Guidelines and the policy's demand for honest descriptions.
| Paid offer | Status under the policy | Clause that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Behind-the-scenes posts, tutorials, early access to non-explicit work, live Q&A sessions | Can be monetised, provided descriptions are honest | Not covered by any prohibited category |
| Nudity, explicit sexual material or content made for arousal in a premium channel | Prohibited from monetisation | Clause 3, sexually explicit content |
| A tier whose perk is links to explicit material hosted on another site | Prohibited even though nothing explicit is on Discord | Clause 3 covers content linked from other services |
| A tier that mainly exists to advertise your subscription page or another business | Prohibited as a primary purpose | Clause 10, marketing or promoting third-party businesses or services |
| Paid one-to-one attention framed as dating or companionship | Prohibited from monetisation | Clause 4, online dating |
| Clips, music or art owned by someone else, sold without written permission | Prohibited from monetisation | Clause 1, other rights holders' intellectual property |
| A subscription whose stated purpose is raising money for a charity | Prohibited from monetisation | Clause 7, charitable endeavours |
| Artistic, educational or newsworthy non-sexual nudity | Possible only as an exception, at Discord's sole discretion | The exception wording inside clause 3 |
| Tier names, emoji or perks built on crude jokes or obscene symbols | Prohibited from monetisation | Clause 18, profanity or vulgarity |
Stripe's prohibited and restricted businesses list, which the Server Shop article also applies, separately excludes adult content and services. For creators whose main business is adult subscriptions, the takeaway is plain: Discord can host a free, rules-compliant community, but its paid tools are not a place to sell or point to adult material.
How Server Subscriptions and Server Shop work
Once monetisation is on, the Server Shop article says you can create between one and three paid tiers, make either some channels or the whole server exclusive, and add up to 25 premium emoji for subscribers. Under the same article, free trials are switched on tier by tier, last one week by default or one day if you choose, and can be capped, after which trial members are charged unless they cancel.
Server Products are one-time purchases, still in beta and limited to selected servers. The Server Shop article describes Downloadables, digital files in a short list of formats with a cap of 10 files and 500MB per product, and Premium Roles, which sell one-off access such as a ticket to a Stage event. Physical goods are not supported, and Discord says it is unable to refund Server Products, so write descriptions buyers cannot misread.
A few operating details matter day to day. Admins can edit tiers, but only the owner sees payout details. A member who leaves or is removed has their subscription cancelled at the next renewal. Premium channels cannot be hidden from non-subscribers, only ordered lower in the list. And switching subscriptions off requires no active subscribers, no remaining tiers and no pending payout.
Fees, payouts and refunds
| Item | What Discord says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue split | A 90/10 split: you receive 90% and Discord keeps 10%, before other fees reduce the final amount | Creator Revenue FAQ |
| Other deductions | Payment processing fees, transaction fees such as currency conversion, and a platform fee, plus refunds and chargebacks | Monetization Terms |
| Subscriptions bought on iPhone | Apple takes an additional 30%, so iOS buyers see a higher price; Android has no in-app purchase | Server Shop article |
| Payout thresholds | At least $100 earned for the first payout, then at least $25 for each later one, reviewed at the end of each month | Monetization Terms |
| Payout timing | The FAQ says payouts are processed monthly on or before the 15th; the terms allow up to 45 days after the month ends | FAQ; terms |
| Refunds and disputes | Discord's refund policy applies; you must give buyers a way to reach you, and Discord may refund on your behalf if you do not deliver as described | Monetization Terms |
The terms also say Discord or its payout provider may collect tax information and report it where the law requires, and that reporting and paying tax on your earnings is your job. The FAQ adds that a Stripe dashboard only shows money actually paid out, so check earnings in the Server Subscriptions payments tab instead.
Tier planner
Discord's December 2022 launch post gave a price range of $2.99 to $199.99; check the range your settings show today before you set prices. Fill in the planner below with your own prices, and do not publish a tier until every cell in the last column passes.
| Tier | Monthly price you set | Perks members get | Channels and roles it unlocks | Policy check before publishing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry tier for supporters | Enter your lowest price | Supporter role colour, premium emoji, a monthly behind-the-scenes post | One members-only chat channel | No explicit or linked adult material; description matches what members receive |
| Middle tier for regulars | Enter your middle price | Early access to non-explicit posts, a monthly voice Q&A, polls on upcoming work | An early-access channel and a Stage channel for the Q&A | The perk is your own work, not a promotion for another business |
| Top tier for your closest fans | Enter your highest price | Small-group feedback sessions, credit in your projects, first pick of limited digital downloads | A small private channel and a feedback role | Nothing that reads as dating or companionship, and no third-party content without permission |
| Free trial setting | Pick a trial length from the options in that tier's settings | The same perks as the tier being trialled | Identical to the paid tier | Trial promotions comply with advertising law, as the Server Shop article reminds owners |
If you are outside the US or sell adult content
If either applies to you, Discord's native tools are not the right route for earning. Three realistic options remain.
- Take payment elsewhere and grant Discord roles automatically, as Patreon's integration does; our Patreon and Discord setup guide covers the role mapping, and Patreon's adult content rules still apply to whatever you sell.
- Use a platform with native payments that operates where you live; our guide to Telegram channel monetisation covers paid posts and Star subscriptions, with their own content rules.
- Keep Discord as a free community that follows the Community Guidelines and send people to your paid page through your other profiles, as set out in the Discord community guide.
The policy that limits monetised content still shapes a free server. If your server is primarily built around NSFW content, the Server Shop article says it cannot be monetised at all, so separate any future paid plans from an adult-oriented community from the start.
Limitations of this guide
Discord's pages were checked on 1 October 2026 and do not all match. The policy and the Server Shop article ask for a verified email, while the FAQ also asks for a verified phone; payout timing is worded differently in the FAQ and the terms; and Server Products are a beta open only to selected servers. Where the pages differ, meet the stricter requirement and follow what your server settings show.
Discord also says it decides eligibility at its discretion and may change who can use these features, so meeting every listed requirement does not mean you will be approved. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; US creators should ask a tax professional how Discord income fits their return. For a wider view of community and subscription options, see our guide to Bluesky for OnlyFans creators.