Civitai’s Guide to Earning with the Creator Program!

Last Updated	Changes
2/13/2025	First Version

Please Note! The Creator Program hasn’t launched yet! If you’re reading this before our expected launch on March 1st at 12 am UTC, feel free to review the details, but be aware that the features described won’t be accessible until launch.

The Creator Program – a History

From the outset, Civitai has been committed to helping creators turn their passion into something more. When we first launched, our goal was to build a platform where creators could earn directly from their contributions, ensuring that the people shaping the Generative AI art space could benefit from their work.

Our first attempt at monetization was through Buzz tips – an early system that allowed users to support creators with our platform currency. This eventually evolved into the first iteration of the Creator Program, a “beta” program where selected creators could get paid for Buzz they had earned. While this model allowed us to reward a small group of creators, it quickly became clear that scaling it up to include more participants wasn’t financially sustainable.

As we continued to refine our business model, introduce paid features, and optimize costs, we explored ways to expand creator earnings without jeopardizing Civitai’s long-term future. Unfortunately, we couldn’t continue the original program at scale without placing the platform at risk.

Rather than abandoning creator compensation, we’ve evolved the program into a more sustainable model – one that ties creator earnings directly to platform growth. This new system allows us to support more creators while ensuring Civitai remains viable for the long run!

How do I Join, and Who’s Eligible to Earn?

There are two requirements which must be met before you’re eligible to participate in the Creator Program;

• Creator Score – Creator Score is a value we calculate based on your participation in the Civitai community, including your activity and how others engage with the content and models you create. You must attain a minimum Creator Score of 40,000 to be eligible for entry.

• Civitai Membership – You must hold a current Civitai Membership; Bronze, Silver, or Gold Tier.

When those requirements are satisfied, you’ll be given the “green light” to join, on the Buzz Dashboard;

The Compensation Pool

The Creator Program Compensation Pool is a shared earnings pool funded by a portion of Civitai’s revenue from the previous month. This means that Civitai directly reinvests in its creators, ensuring that those who contribute valuable content and engagement are rewarded.

• Each month, a portion of Civitai’s revenue is allocated to the Creator Compensation Pool.

• The size of the pool grows based on how much revenue Civitai generated in the previous month.

• The more users spend Buzz and subscribe to the platform, the bigger the next month’s Pool will be.

Estimating Earnings

We display an estimated value of your total Buzz based on the assumption that a portion of all Buzz earned by creators will be Banked.

The total amount you will be able to Bank during any one month depends on your Civitai Membership tier, and the amount you may be able to withdraw depends on the total Buzz Banked by all creators at the end of the month.

This initial estimate is intended to be a guide and may not be representative of the actual worth of your Buzz.

How it Works

The Civitai Creator Program is designed to reward creators for their contributions, but the way earnings are distributed depends on two key phases: the Banking Phase and the Extraction Phase.

These phases determine how Buzz is ultimately converted into earnings.

Banking Phase

Timeframe: Begins at the start of the month and lasts until 3 days before the end of the month (UTC).

During this phase:

• Creators can Bank any Yellow Buzz they’ve earned.

• The more Buzz you Bank, the larger your potential share will be of the Creator Compensation Pool.

• As more creators Bank their Buzz, the value of Banked Buzz gradually decreases because the total amount of Buzz in the Bank is increasing.

• Banking is subject to a cap based on your Civitai Membership Tier.

This phase allows creators to secure a share of the Pool– but its value isn’t finalized until the next phase.

Extraction Phase

Timeframe: Starts 3 days before the end of the month and ends 1 hour before the month ends (UTC).

During this phase:

• Banking Buzz is disabled – you can no longer add new Buzz to the Bank.

• You can review your share of the Compensation Pool and decide whether to:

• Keep your Buzz Banked (to receive a payout), or Extract it to use on Civitai or Bank later.

As more creators extract their Buzz, the value of the remaining Banked Buzz increases – meaning your share could become larger.

Once this phase ends, the final value of Banked Buzz is locked in, and payouts are determined based on the total Buzz remaining in the Bank.

Key Takeaways

• You control your earnings. You decide when to Bank and when to Extract Buzz.

• Payouts fluctuate. The value of Banked Buzz decreases in the Banking Phase (as more Buzz is added to the Bank) but increases in the Extraction Phase (as others Extract their Buzz from the Bank).

• Timing matters. If you miss a phase, you cannot retroactively Bank or Extract Buzz, so stay mindful of deadlines!

Extraction Fees (Preventing Bank Manipulation)

To maintain fairness and prevent large-scale creators from dominating the Buzz Bank, we’ve introduced a bracket-based Extraction Fee system, should you wish to remove Buzz from the Bank during the Extraction Phase.

Fee Structure:

• < 100k Buzz: No Fee
• 100k – 1M Buzz: 5% Fee
• 1M – 5M Buzz: 10% Fee
• 5M+ Buzz: 15% Fee

How It Works:

• The fees apply progressively – meaning you are only charged on the portion of Buzz that falls into each bracket:
  • Your first 100k Buzz is fee-free
  • The next 900k Buzz is charged a 5% fee
  • The next 4M Buzz is charged a 10% fee
  • Any amount above 5M Buzz is charged a 15% fee

Note that Buzz Extraction is all or nothing. You can’t extract just a portion of what you have Banked.

Creator Banking Caps (Membership Tier Limits)

To ensure fair distribution of rewards, each creator has a Banking Cap that limits how much Buzz they can Bank in a given month. This cap is determined by their Membership Tier:

What is the Peak Earning Month?

• Your Peak Earning Month is the month in which you earned the most Buzz in the past 12 months.
• The Peak Earning Month is primarily based on Generator Compensation (earnings from usage of your models), and includes Generation Tips and Early Access earnings, but excludes Buzz earned from Bounties, Contests, Cosmetic Sales, Membership Buzz, Purchased Buzz and Tips sent between accounts.
• Silver and Gold members have Banking Caps based on a percentage of this peak.

Example Cap Calculation
Let’s say a creator is a Silver Member, and their Peak Earning Month was April 2024, with 222k Buzz earned. Their cap would be:

• 125% of 222k Buzz = 278k Buzz

If the same creator upgraded to Gold Membership, their cap would be:

• 150% of 222k Buzz = 333k Buzz, but Gold has no maximum cap.

The Payout Process

Minimum Withdrawal Amount

The minimum withdrawal amount is $50. If your earnings are below this threshold, they will continue to accumulate until you reach the minimum required for withdrawal.

Pending Settlement Period

All earned payouts enter a Pending Settlement status for 15 days. This review period helps ensure accuracy and compliance before funds are made available.

Withdrawal Timing

• Funds become available for withdrawal on the 15th of each month at 12:00 AM UTC.
• Once available, you can initiate a withdrawal at any time, as long as your balance meets the minimum requirement.

Payment Methods & Fees

Withdrawals can be made via various payment methods, and the fees our Payment Partner charges varies based on type of payment, location, and whether any foreign-exchange process is required. All transfers are made in USD.

Creator Program Terms of Service

Before joining the Creator Program, all participants must accept the Creator Program Terms of Service. These terms outline important rules regarding fair participation, payout structures, banking and extraction limits, and prohibited activities.

FAQ

Q: Is this voluntary?
A: Yes! If you’re eligible for the program, but don’t want to participate, nobody’s forcing you! Even if you do join the program, but don’t want to contribute Buzz, that’s fine – there’s no requirement to Bank anything.

Q: Would buying a higher Membership Tier (Silver or Gold) increase my earnings?
A: Not your earnings, as such, but it does increase the maximum you can Bank each month.

Q: Will I get my Banked Buzz back?
A: No, your Banked Buzz will be consumed each month, unless you choose to Extract it during the Extraction Phase!

Q: What types of Buzz can be Banked?
A: Any earned Yellow Buzz can be Banked, up to your cap. This includes Buzz from sources such as Early Access, Tips, and Generator Compensation.

Q: What happens if cancel my Civitai Membership?
A: If you deactivate your Subscription you’ll remain in the Program until the end of the month, allowing you to Bank your Buzz and withdraw through the end of the period.

Q: When, and how, do I sign up with your Payment Partner to withdraw my cash?
A: When you have at least $50 in Ready to Withdraw status, you’ll be invited to set up your account with our Payment Partner, via the email tied to your Civitai account, and a link on the Creator Program interface.

Q: Must I withdraw my “Ready to Withdraw” funds each month?
A: No, funds can accumulate in your account until you’re ready to pay out! There’s no requirement to pay out each month.

Q: Previously, the Creator Program Beta members controlled which Checkpoint models were available for use. What’s changing?
A: We tried Full Checkpoint Coverage, but unfortunately we couldn’t scale sufficiently to support every model. We’re exploring options for the future of Checkpoint Coverage.

Support

If you’re experiencing issues with joining, Banking, Extracting, or any other aspect of the Creator Program, please submit a support ticket at https://civitai.com/support or email us at [email protected]