Patreon subscription billing charges each new member on the day they join and then monthly on that same date, and every creator still on a legacy model, meaning per-creation or first-of-the-month billing, has to move to it by 1 November 2026. Patreon's switching FAQ puts the practical cut-off at 11:59 pm Pacific time on 31 October. Pages that have not switched by then are moved automatically, and their billing stays paused until the creator logs in and either accepts Patreon's recommended multiplier or sets new prices.
Checked on 1 October 2026 against Patreon's help centre: the Subscription Billing FAQ, the switching FAQ, the per-creation and first-of-the-month guides and the iOS guide. This is a time-sensitive page: the dates below are the ones Patreon showed that day, and some of its own articles disagree with each other. Re-read the linked articles before you act, and see the section near the end on what to re-check once the deadline passes.
The dates Patreon has published
The headline deadline is consistent everywhere. The dates for asking Patreon for one-to-one help are not, so the table lists each one with the page that states it.
| Date | What Patreon says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 31 October 2026, 11:59 pm PT | Last moment to complete the switch yourself | Switching FAQ |
| 1 November 2026 | Legacy billing ends; remaining pages are switched automatically with billing paused | Subscription Billing FAQ |
| Before 15 October 2026 | Per-creation creators who want one-to-one help must contact Support from their settings | Banner on each billing article |
| Before 1 October 2026 | Closing section of the per-creation guide asks for help requests by this date | Per-creation guide |
| 30 September 2026 | Given as the last date for one-to-one guidance | Switching FAQ body and the first-of-the-month guide |
Read together, the 15 October banner looks like the newest wording, because it sits at the top of every billing article while older body text still carries the September dates. Do not plan around whichever date suits you. If you are on per-creation billing and have not yet asked for help, send the request now and keep the confirmation email.
Converted from Patreon's stated cut-off, 11:59 pm PT on 31 October is 6:59 am UTC on 1 November, 5:59 pm the same day in Melbourne on daylight time, and 6:59 am in London. Give yourself a margin of days, not hours.
Check which billing model you are on
According to the switching FAQ, your model is shown in Settings, under Billing and payouts, in the Billing schedule section. If the text there says members are charged on the day they join and then monthly on that date, you are already on subscription billing and nothing below applies. Anything else means you have work to do this month.
| Current model | How it bills today | What the switch changes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly, charge upfront | New members pay at sign-up, then everyone on the 1st | New members renew on their own join date; existing members stay on the 1st |
| Monthly, no charge upfront | Nothing at sign-up, then everyone on the 1st | New members pay at sign-up and renew on that date; existing members stay on the 1st |
| Per creation | A pending bill for each paid post, up to the member's monthly limit | Existing members move to a fixed monthly price on the 1st; new members pay at sign-up |
That summary follows the comparison table in Patreon's Subscription Billing FAQ. Your payout schedule does not change under any of the models: funds can be withdrawn once they settle, with an automatic payout option on the 5th. The full payout picture is in our guide to how Patreon pays creators. One warning from the same FAQ: the move is permanent, and you cannot go back to your previous model afterwards.
Why the switch stopped being optional
The switching FAQ says Apple has reinstated a requirement first introduced in 2024: subscription billing is the only model it supports for in-app purchases on iOS. Patreon adds that if creators keep using unsupported models, or disable transactions in the iOS app, the whole Patreon app is at risk of removal from the App Store. That is why a page with no iOS members still has to move.
Moving does not force every fan into Apple's checkout. The iOS in-app purchases guide says fans in the United States can still choose Patreon's mobile web checkout, which Apple's fee does not touch, while purchases made inside the iOS app elsewhere go through Apple. By default Patreon raises prices shown in the iOS app to offset that fee; you can choose to keep prices identical and absorb it instead, from Billing and payouts. The fee figures and how they combine with Patreon's own charges are covered in our breakdown of Patreon fees for creators.
Migration checklist
The two legacy paths work differently. First-of-the-month creators switch themselves in a few clicks. Per-creation creators go through Patreon's Product Support team, because their tiers need new monthly prices first.
If you bill on the 1st of the month
- Confirm your model under Billing schedule and screenshot it for your records.
- Download a CSV of your active members from Relationship Manager so you hold a pre-switch snapshot of tiers and join dates.
- Decide how you will deliver dated benefits once new members renew on scattered dates (see the delivery section below).
- Choose your iOS price setting in Billing and payouts: raise in-app prices, the default, or keep prices identical everywhere.
- Click Get started under Billing schedule and follow the steps; the first-of-the-month guide labels the same control Switch to subscription billing now, followed by Save. Read each screen; there is no undo.
- Patreon says nothing changes for your existing members, so no notice is required, but rewrite any page copy that tells fans everyone is charged on the 1st.
- Switch on the Next Charge Date column in Relationship Manager so benefit eligibility is visible per member.
- Finish well before 11:59 pm PT on 31 October.
If you bill per creation
- Today, open Billing and payouts, click Get started in the Billing schedule section and send the request. Patreon's guide lists two requirements: your page is live and your account is in good standing.
- Count your paid posts for each of the last three months and complete the worksheet below, so you go into the conversation with your own numbers.
- When Product Support emails you, agree a whole-number multiplier and a migration date. Existing members move to monthly billing on the 1st of the month after that date.
- Post a notice to all paid members as early as you can. Patreon asks for at least a month before that 1st. If the calendar no longer allows a full month, tell members anyway and ask Support how your page will be handled.
- Check members who set a monthly maximum. Patreon says it will keep honouring those caps after the switch.
- Hold off repricing straight after migration. The per-creation guide warns that repricing removes members' monthly limits unless you turn on the option to apply the new price to new members only.
- Look for Patreon's confirmation email and for your tier descriptions to change from per creation to per month.
Per-creation to monthly price worksheet
Patreon converts each per-creation price into a monthly price with a multiplier, and its two main articles describe that multiplier differently. The per-creation migration guide says it is the highest number of paid posts you published in any of the last three months. The switching FAQ, updated more recently, says it is the average over those three months, with a month without paid posts counted as zero. For a creator with uneven months those methods give different answers, so work out both and treat the figure Support proposes for your page as the one that counts. Both articles agree you may pick any whole number up to the suggested figure.
| Line | What to enter | How to work it out |
|---|---|---|
| A | Per-creation price for this tier | From the tier editor |
| B, C, D | Paid posts in each of the last three months | Count only posts published with Charge for this post ticked |
| E | Highest of B, C and D | The method in the per-creation guide |
| F | Average of B, C and D | The method in the switching FAQ, zero months included |
| G | Multiplier Patreon suggests | From Support or the automatic migration screen; this governs |
| H | Multiplier you accept | Any whole number from one up to G |
| I | New monthly tier price | A multiplied by H |
| J | Charge for a capped existing member | The member's post cap multiplied by A, if that is lower than I |
| K | Value check | Would a new visitor see I as fair for what the tier delivers each month? |
Patreon's own worked example in the per-creation guide uses a multiplier of 3: a $1 per-creation tier becomes $3 a month, $5 becomes $15 and $10 becomes $30, and a $5 member who capped their bill at two posts pays $10 a month. Line K matters because the multiplier only mirrors your past posting rhythm. If you posted heavily during a launch month, a lower whole number may describe the tier better, and you can adjust prices later. If the new prices make you rethink what each tier offers, our Patreon tier ideas worksheet helps you rebuild the ladder, and the Patreon income worksheet shows what the new prices mean after fees.
Member notice template
Patreon recommends publishing the notice as a post for all paid members so everyone with an active membership sees it. Patreon also supplies its own wording in the per-creation guide. The version below is shorter and puts the member's questions first. Replace everything in square brackets.
Title: How your membership is billed from [date]
Patreon is moving every page to monthly subscription billing, so from [date] you will pay one set monthly amount instead of a charge for each paid post. You keep your current tier and the same benefits.
- New monthly prices: [tier name and price, one line per tier].
- If you set a monthly maximum, Patreon will keep honouring it while you use the same payment method, so you will not be charged more than that cap.
- Current members are billed on the 1st of each month. Anyone who joins after the change is billed on their join date and monthly after that.
- You can change tier or adjust your membership from your Memberships page at any time before [date].
I am making this change because Patreon requires it, and a steady monthly price also lets me plan [benefit you want to add or keep]. Questions are welcome in the comments.
First-of-the-month creators do not need to message existing members, because their billing does not change. Update your About text and tier descriptions instead, along the lines of: you are charged when you join and then monthly on that date, and your next charge date is shown at checkout and in your Memberships tab. For general habits around announcing billing changes without losing goodwill, our subscription price change checklist transfers well, even though it was written for another platform.
Benefit delivery once renewals spread out
The operational change most creators underestimate is the calendar. Under subscription billing, each new member renews on their own date, and the Subscription Billing FAQ notes that renewals run on UTC, while Relationship Manager shows dates in your local time zone, which can sit up to a day either side. A rule like “paid by the 1st gets this month's bundle” stops working.
- Deliver to everyone who is active at the moment you process benefits, which suits digital rewards.
- Or deliver at the start of each month to everyone with a successful payment during the previous month, which suits physical items and fixed production schedules.
- Use the Last Charge Date filter with the Status, Join date and Tier filters to build each delivery list, and keep the CSV as a record.
- Write your chosen rule into tier descriptions so new members know when to expect each benefit.
The FAQ also says Patreon is working on lists of members who paid within a custom date range, which would help creators who start fulfilment on a fixed day such as the 8th. Until that ships, the previous-month rule is the simplest to explain.
If Patreon switches you automatically
Missing the deadline does not close your page, but it does stop your income. Patreon says it will migrate remaining pages using a recommended multiplier and pause billing until the creator logs in to consent to that multiplier or update prices. Members are not charged while billing is paused, so the longer you leave it, the longer you go without pay.
- Log in, open Billing and payouts and read exactly what Patreon proposes for each tier.
- Run the worksheet above against the proposed figures before you consent.
- Consent or set your own prices, then confirm the Billing schedule text has changed.
- Post the member notice straight away, adjusted to say the change has already happened.
- Watch your next payout cycle closely and raise a support request if charges do not resume.
What to re-check after 1 November 2026
This page was written a month before the deadline. Once it passes, check these points rather than assuming the guidance above still holds:
- Whether Patreon has edited the deadline banner, extended any date or removed the legacy-billing articles.
- Your own Billing schedule text, and whether billing on your page is paused.
- Tier descriptions, the prices actually charged and members with monthly maximums in your first post-switch CSV.
- Your iOS price setting and how much revenue arrives through in-app purchases, shown in earnings insights.
- Whether the custom date-range member lists or the annual-only memberships Patreon says it is building have arrived.
- Your first payout after the switch, compared with the previous month.
Limits of this guide
This checklist reflects Patreon's help centre as it read on 1 October 2026, including several dates that contradict one another. Patreon's Product Support team and the screens in your own account decide what happens to your page, and they can differ from any public article, ours included. The worksheet estimates prices from your posting history; it cannot predict how members will respond, and it does not cover fees, taxes or currency conversion.
If your page earns a meaningful share of your income, keep copies of every email and settings screen from the migration, and talk to an accountant about how a change in billing timing affects your records.