# How royalties and payments work

## How royalties are calculated

Each month, we calculate a **payout per unique download** based on:

-   Monthly revenue from Cuttle Pro subscriptions
-   Total number of unique downloads across all Cuttle Pro templates

We make no guarantees on the payout rate, but to give a sense of the range: Jun 2025 the payout was $3.83 per unique download, Dec 2025 the payout was $1.28 per unique download.

During high-traffic months (like the lead-up to Christmas), the per-download rate tends to be lower because there are more total downloads — but your overall payout is often higher due to increased volume.

## What counts as a unique download?

A unique download occurs when a Pro user downloads a specific template in a given month.

-   **Example:** If Cathy downloads "Angel Ornament" multiple times in July, that counts as one unique download for July.
-   **Monthly reset:** If Cathy downloads "Angel Ornament" again in August, that counts as a new unique download for August.

This structure removes outliers (a single user downloading a template hundreds of times) while rewarding repeat usage (users returning month after month).

## Sample royalty report

![](https://cuttle-content.imgix.net/learn/cuttle-creators-royalties/6e39cf30cfc384fc64150f766ac94c1c7df87ebcf5edfcc283b721a48fa3a2e4.png?auto=compress,format&q=60&fit=max&w=720&h=720&dpr=2)

## How royalties are paid out

-   Royalties are paid out monthly using PayPal.
-   We send royalty payments on the 1st of the next month. For example, May downloads are reported via email on June 1st and paid out on July 1st.