specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Patreon
providerId: patreon
created: '2026-05-08'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-08, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-08'
reconciled: true
tags:
- Creator Economy
- Membership
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: FOCUS-aligned FinOps profile for Patreon's revenue-share creator pricing.
notes: >-
  Patreon's billing model is revenue-based — creators pay a 10% platform fee on income
  earned plus payment processing, currency conversion, payout, and applicable tax fees.
  There is no per-call API charge.
sources:
- https://www.patreon.com/pricing
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Patreon
serviceCategory: Creator Economy
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Revenue Share
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Tax
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Patreon Creator Platform
  ServiceCategory: Creator Economy
  ProviderName: Patreon
  PublisherName: Patreon
  InvoiceIssuerName: Patreon
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
meters:
- name: platform_fee
  description: 10% of creator earnings.
  unit: percent_of_earnings
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - campaign
  - currency
- name: payment_processing_fee
  description: Stripe/PayPal-style processing fees on member charges.
  unit: percent_plus_fixed
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - payment_method
  - currency
- name: currency_conversion_fee
  description: Foreign-exchange fee on cross-currency payouts.
  unit: percent
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - source_currency
  - target_currency
- name: payout_fee
  description: Per-payout transfer fee.
  unit: fixed
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - payout_method
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Pull monthly creator earnings and fee statements; correlate with platform fee, processing, FX, and payout meters.
- name: Allocation
  description: Allocate fees to specific campaigns, tiers, and currencies for clear unit economics.
- name: Optimization
  description: Optimize payout cadence and member-side payment methods to minimize processing and FX fees.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign a creator-finance owner to reconcile Patreon statements against ledger revenue.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com