When does Steam pay developers? The monthly payment schedule

Definitions

• Sales month: the calendar month in which the sales were made. Each sales month is paid once.
• Payment date: the day Valve pays out a sales month, by the 30th of the next month. When the money shows up in the account depends on the receiving bank.
• Monthly sales report: the Steamworks report that deducts refunds, chargebacks and taxes from gross and shows the amount to be paid. It is published by the time the payment arrives.
• Payment minimum: the amount below which Valve holds a payment and adds it to a later month.
• Confirmed and expected: a payout already in a published monthly report is confirmed; a month still running, or not yet reported, can only be estimated.

What Steamworks says

• Valve describes payment as made about 30 days after the sales, usually at the end of the month: sales made in February are paid at the end of March.
• Valve may hold a payment until at least $100.00 is earned, and a partner can also choose a minimum amount under which payments are held.
• Payments go by ACH to banks in the United States and by USD SWIFT wire to banks elsewhere.
• The Sales & Activations portal shows revenue before refunds, chargebacks and taxes; the monthly sales report includes those deductions and reflects the amount actually paid.
• The Steam Direct fee of $100.00 comes back in the payment after the product reaches $1,000.00 of adjusted gross revenue.
• For US tax, studios that filed a W-8 form receive a 1042-S, and studios that filed a W-9 receive a 1099.

Worked example: Pebblewick's first six payouts

Illustrative inputs for Pebblewick, the fictional demo game by Hollow Fern Games, launched on 15 September 2026. The amounts are what each month leaves after refunds, taxes, Valve's share and US withholding; the dates follow Valve's rule.

January's sales are paid in February, which has no 30th, so the end of February is the latest date. The calendar also sets the cash gap: a sale on 1 September 2026 is paid 59 days later, on 30 October 2026, while a sale on 30 September 2026 waits only 30 days. Revenue from the launch week, 15 to 21 September, is paid 39 to 45 days after it was earned.

The rule also means the launch date moves the first payment by a month. A launch on 28 September 2026 is paid by 30 October 2026, 32 days later; a launch on 1 October 2026 waits until 30 November 2026, 60 days. For a studio that plans its runway around the first payment, the last days of a month are the earlier choice.

Small months are held. If a later month nets $64.20, below the $100.00 minimum, Valve holds it; when the next month adds $71.50, the combined $135.70 is paid with that month's payment.

Reading the monthly report

• It starts from gross revenue, subtracts the applicable adjustments, refunds, chargebacks and taxes, to reach net revenue, and multiplies net revenue by the revenue share to give the amount paid.
• A US revenue share column shows the part of the payment earned on sales in the United States. US withholding is worked out from that column and the studio's treaty rate.
• The Steam Direct fee recoupment, $100.00 once the product passes $1,000.00 of adjusted gross revenue, appears as its own line.
• Valve sends no separate notice: by the time the payment is received, the monthly reports are published and can be viewed in Steamworks.

The net revenue guide linked below works through each of these lines with an example month.

Why payout figures differ from what the sales portal shows

• Gross and paid. The portal's daily revenue is gross. The payment is net revenue times the revenue share, minus any withholding, so it is always smaller than the portal's month total.
• Expected and confirmed. Until the monthly report is out, a month's payout can only be estimated from daily sales; the report then fixes the number.
• Sales month and payment month. A tool that groups money by the month it arrives shows October's payment under October, while Steamworks reports it as September's sales.
• Bank timing. Valve's date is when it pays out; the day funds appear depends on the receiving bank.

Where to see this in your own data

The Money view shows the next payout marked Confirmed or Expected, a payout calendar with each month's payout, every past and coming payout with its date and amount, and what is due in the next 60 days. The Calendar view puts Valve payouts on the same timeline as sales and festivals. Sales data behind the estimates refreshes every 4 h on Indie and every 60 min on Studio and Publisher and is part of Indie, Studio, and Publisher.

The Money & payouts and Calendar feature pages linked below show both views with the demo game.

Sources

• Steamworks: Payments and sales reporting FAQ · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Payments and sales reporting · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Tax FAQ · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Steam Direct app fee · checked November 1, 2026