Commission on gross vs net: what the percentage is taken from
Short answer: on OnlyFans, where the platform keeps 20%, 35% of gross takes the same dollars as 43.75% of net, so the same percentage costs more when it is taken from gross (35% is the median published starting rate for managing a whole account). As of October 23, 2026, 15 of the 31 OnlyFans management agencies scored by OF Agency Rankings state whether their commission is taken from gross or net, and 14 of those 15 take it from net earnings. List: agencies that take commission from net earnings, ranked by published terms.
An agency's commission rate is only half of its price. The other half is what the percentage is taken from. Two agencies can both say "40%" and leave you with very different amounts at the end of the month. This guide explains the difference, shows the math, and lists the questions that settle it in one message.
Two numbers, not one
Every month there are two figures on your earnings page that an agency could take its percentage from.
- Gross is what fans spend: subscriptions, messages and pay-per-view, tips and anything else, before the platform takes its fee.
- Net is what is left for you after the platform fee. On OnlyFans the platform fee is 20%, so net is 80% of gross. Other platforms set their own fees, so the gap can be bigger or smaller.
A commission "on gross" is calculated on the first number. A commission "on net" is calculated on the second. The agency's percentage can be identical in both cases and still cost you a different amount, because it is applied to a different base.
A worked example
Say fans spend $10,000 with you in a month. The platform keeps $2,000, and $8,000 lands in your balance. Here is what four common setups leave you with.
| Commission | Agency receives | You keep | Your share of fan spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40% of gross | $4,000 | $4,000 | 40% |
| 40% of net | $3,200 | $4,800 | 48% |
| 50% of gross | $5,000 | $3,000 | 30% |
| 50% of net | $4,000 | $4,000 | 40% |
Look at the first and last rows: 40% of gross costs exactly the same as 50% of net. A lower headline number is not automatically a lower price. With a 20% platform fee, any rate on gross equals 1.25 times that rate on net.
Two short formulas do the comparison for you:
- Commission on gross: you keep gross × (0.80 − rate).
- Commission on net: you keep gross × 0.80 × (1 − rate).
Put both agencies' offers through the matching formula with the same gross figure, and compare what you keep, not the percentages.
Why the gap grows with your earnings
At the same rate, the difference between gross and net equals the rate times the platform fee times what fans spend. At 40%, that is 8% of all fan spending. On $10,000 a month, it is $800 a month, or $9,600 a year. On $30,000 a month, it is $2,400 a month. The base matters most for the creators who earn the most, and it compounds quietly because it shows up in every single statement.
Which income counts
The base is not only "gross or net". It is also "net of what". Contracts and pricing pages describe this in different ways, so check each of these.
Platform income
Subscriptions, renewals, messages and pay-per-view, tips, paid live streams and referral payouts. Most agencies count all of these, but some take a different rate on subscriptions than on messages, or exclude referral income.
Income from other places
Some agreements take commission on income from other subscription platforms, brand deals, social media payouts, merchandise or custom content paid outside the platform. A clause that covers "all revenue from your online presence" can reach much further than the account the agency actually manages. If the agency only works on one platform, ask whether the percentage applies only there.
Refunds and chargebacks
Fans sometimes reverse payments. Ask whether commission is calculated before or after refunds and chargebacks, and whether you get a credit if a payment is reversed after the agency has already invoiced you.
Tax
Commission is normally calculated before any tax you owe. How you record and deduct it is a question for a tax professional where you live, not for the agency.
How to read an agency's rate
Pricing pages use a handful of phrasings. Here is what to check for each.
- "Of your earnings." Earnings can mean gross or net. Ask which.
- "Of revenue" or "of total revenue." Usually gross, but ask whether the platform fee is removed first.
- "A 60/40 split." Ask which side is yours and what is being split: fan spend or your net balance.
- "From 30%" or "up to 50%." Ask which tier applies to you and what moves you between tiers.
- Tiered rates. If the rate changes at an earnings threshold, ask whether the new rate applies to all of your income once you cross it, or only to the part above it. The difference is large at the edges.
Then check the page for anything charged on top of the commission, such as setup fees, monthly retainers, tool fees or ad spend. A rate is only comparable once you know it is the whole price. Our Other charges criterion covers this.
How OF Agency Rankings scores this
We do not decide whether gross or net is better. Both can be fair at the right rate. We score whether the agency writes it down. Under rubric v1.0, the What the percentage is taken from criterion scores:
- 10 points when the site states both the base (gross or net) and the income types the rate applies to;
- 5 points when it states one of the two;
- 0 points when we found neither on the agency's public pages.
The rate itself is scored separately under Price on the page. Each agency's profile shows the exact wording we found, the page it came from and the date we checked.
Questions to send before a call
If a site does not say, you can settle this in a single message before you book anything:
- Is your percentage taken from gross fan spend or from my net balance after the platform fee?
- Which income types does it apply to: subscriptions, messages, tips, referrals, streams, other platforms, anything outside the platform?
- Is the rate the same for every income type and at every earnings level?
- Is commission calculated before or after refunds and chargebacks?
- Is there anything I would pay besides the commission?
Ask for the answer in writing, and check that the contract says the same thing. If the contract and the sales conversation differ, the contract is what you sign.
FAQ
Is commission on net always better for me?
At the same rate, yes: net leaves you more. But a lower rate on gross can cost exactly the same as a higher rate on net, as the table above shows. Compare what you keep, not the headline percentage.
Does the platform fee count as part of the agency's fee?
No. The platform fee goes to the platform whether or not you work with an agency. The question is only whether the agency calculates its share before or after that fee is removed.
Where do I find my own gross and net figures?
Your platform's statements or earnings page usually shows both. Check them before you compare offers, so you can put real numbers into the formulas above.
What if the website and the contract say different things?
The contract governs. Ask the agency to correct one or the other before you sign, and keep a copy of the version you agreed to.