Reminder: All creators must be on subscription billing by November 1

Apple’s requirement that all creators use subscription billing takes effect November 1, 2026. Here’s what creators using first-of-the-month or per-creation billing need to do now, and what to expect if you don’t switch before November 1st.

Note: This update is only for creators still using our legacy billing models: first-of-the-month or per-creation billing. If you’re already using subscription billing, the information below does not apply to you. If you launched your creator page on, or after, September 27, 2022 you are on subscription billing. You can confirm your billing model at the top of your billing and payout settings under the heading "Billing schedule".

Earlier this year, we shared that Apple had reimposed its subscription billing mandate, requiring all creators on Patreon to use subscription billing by November 1, 2026 to keep the Patreon iOS app available to creators and fans in the App Store.

Since then, we’ve been in touch over email reminding those still on these legacy billing models how to switch to subscription billing and relevant deadlines. Now that we’re one month away from the deadline, we’re sharing a broader reminder with key dates and details on what you need to know if you are on a legacy billing model.

What all creators using legacy billing need to know

• You need to switch to subscription billing by November 1, 2026. If you don’t switch on your preferred schedule before then, we’ll automatically switch your account to subscription billing in November.

• Your existing members will keep their current billing date. Members who are billed on the first of the month will continue to be billed on the first unless they edit their membership in a way that changes their billing date, such as if they cancel and re-join the same tier after their original subscription has ended, or if they upgrade from a monthly membership to an annual membership. After you switch, only new members will be charged when they join and monthly on that same date.

• Your payout options won’t change. You can continue to manually withdraw available funds or use auto-payout on the fifth of the month.

• U.S. fans on iOS can still choose web checkout. That option avoids Apple’s fee on in-app purchases on new memberships made through the iOS app and remains available after you move to subscription billing.

• You can choose how the Apple fee impacts your business. You can either increase your tier prices in the Patreon iOS app only to cover the Apple fee or you can keep your tier prices the same across all platforms and cover the Apple fee on memberships purchased in the iOS app yourself. Learn more about your options to control how Apple's fee is applied here in Patreon's Help Center.

The steps you need to take—and what happens if you don’t act—depend on whether you use first-of-the-month or per-creation billing.

If you use per-creation billing

Creators switching from per-creation to subscription billing cannot complete the switch on their own and need to work with Support in order to switch ahead of the deadline. If you are a creator on per-creation billing and want to switch ahead of the November 1 deadline, you must reach out to Patreon's Support team by October 15. You can request help from Patreon Support’s team directly from your billing and payout settings. This gives our team time to review your tier prices, discuss any custom pricing needs, and schedule your switch with you.

Our team will help you:

• Review recommended monthly prices for your tiers

• Discuss custom pricing needs

• Schedule the transition on a timeline that minimizes disruption

What happens if you don’t begin the process by October 15

If you don’t reach out to Patreon's Support team by October 15, your account will be automatically switched to subscription billing in November. When that happens:

• Your monthly billing will be paused and your billing settings will be automatically updated to subscription billing. You'll need to review your updated tier prices to resume billing for membership.

• Your per-creation tier prices will be converted into new monthly prices using a custom multiplier based on your recent paid-post activity. This multiplier is unique for each creator and has been emailed to the email address associated with your Patreon account. Please reach out to Patreon's Support immediately if you cannot find this email or want to adjust the number that was included in your email.

• You’ll need to review your updated tier prices before resuming billing. After the switch to subscription billing, you’ll also be able to adjust your membership tier prices.

• Existing members’ monthly pledge limits will still be honored. If a member’s existing limit is lower than a new monthly tier price, they’ll only be billed up to that pre-existing limit as long as they do not edit their membership or change their tier, and, as long as you do not increase the price of their tier through the tier repricing tool. That means if you wish to change your tier prices in the future, you should opt to update the new tier pricing only for new memberships, and not for existing memberships. Learn more about tier repricing in our Help Center.

Since we announced Apple reimposing this requirement in January of this year, this is the final reminder on Patreon for Creators to reach out to Patreon’s Support team to avoid any disruption to your earnings. We strongly recommend starting this switch now so you have more control over your timing and pricing, and have the ability to for our team to help you avoid a pause in earnings.

If you use first-of-the-month billing

You can switch directly from your billing and payout settings. We recommend switching before November 1st so you can choose the timing that works best for your business.

If you don’t switch before the deadline, we’ll automatically move your account to subscription billing in November. Your existing members will continue to be billed on the first of the month as long as they do not edit their membership in a way that changes their billing date, such as if they cancel and re-join, or if they upgrade from a monthly membership to an annual membership. New members who join after the transition will be charged when they sign up and monthly on that same date.

If you deliver benefits on a set schedule, you can continue doing so. Many creators use one of these approaches:

• Batch delivery: Deliver benefits on a regular cadence, such as weekly or twice a month.

• End-of-month delivery: Pull a list of everyone who paid that month and deliver benefits at the end of the month.

Once you switch to subscription billing, you’ll have access to the Benefit Eligibility Status tool. We’re improving the Benefit Eligibility Status tool so you can look back across additional months of payment data. This will make it easier to identify which members are owed benefits when you deliver them every two months, or on another less-frequent cadence.

Step-by-step resources

• How to move from first-of-the-month to subscription billing

• How to move from per-creation to subscription billing

• iOS in-app purchases and switching to subscription billing FAQ

• Benefit Eligibility Status tool overview

We’re here to help

We know that changing how you bill members can affect pricing, benefit delivery, and the way you run your business. Our goal is to make the transition as clear and manageable as possible while protecting your ability to reach fans in the Patreon iOS app.

If you use first-of-the-month billing, switch from your billing and payout settings before November 1st.

If you use per-creation billing, contact Support by October 15 so there’s time to review your setup and complete your transition before the deadline.