--- title: "What is the OnlyFans referral program? 5% for 12 months, explained" canonical: https://ofagen.com/en/glossary/referral-program/ language: en updated: 2026-11-08 publisher: Ofagen (https://ofagen.com/) author: Flus (https://ofagen.com/en/author/flus/) published: 2026-11-08 alternate_es: https://ofagen.com/glosario/programa-de-referidos/ --- # What is the OnlyFans referral program? 5% for 12 months, explained > The OnlyFans referral program pays a referrer 5% of the fan payments generated by a creator they refer during that creator's first 12 months, up to $50,000 per referred creator. OnlyFans pays it, not the referred creator, and it is not paid on accounts the referrer owns or operates, or on creators they have a commercial relationship with. ## How the referral program works The OnlyFans referral program rewards people who bring new creators to the platform. The Referral Program Terms, updated in October 2026, set out the key points: - **5% for 12 months:** the referrer earns 5% of the fan payments generated by the referred creator during their first 12 months. - **A cap per creator:** up to $50,000 per referred creator, which is 5% of $1 million in fan payments. - **Paid by OnlyFans:** the referred creator does not lose anything; the cost sits with the platform. - **Monthly payouts:** each month's referral earnings are paid around the first day of the following month, and a payout method must be set up. - **Creators only:** only creators who sign up through the link in the same browser count, not fans, and people in regions under international sanctions cannot take part. ## An example with numbers A hypothetical example: a creator you refer has fans paying $4,000 a month throughout their first year, $48,000 in total. Your referral earnings are 5% of that, $2,400 over the 12 months, paid monthly. The creator still receives their usual 80% of every payment, $3,200 a month in this example, because the referral comes out of OnlyFans' side. The $50,000 cap only comes into play if a referred creator's fans pay $1 million in that first year. ## The rule that matters for agencies The terms do not pay referrals on accounts the referrer owns or operates, or on referred creators with whom the referrer has a commercial relationship. An agency that manages a creator has that relationship, so it cannot also earn the referral on that creator. If an agency asks you to sign up through its referral link while also managing your account, ask how that squares with the terms, and judge its offer on the commission it charges. Our guide to [OnlyFans agency scams](/en/guides/onlyfans-agency-scams/) covers other red flags. The terms also ban promoting a referral link through Google Ads or similar services, posing as OnlyFans and suggesting that a creator will earn a specific amount. Other platforms run their own schemes: Fansly has a referral program with conditions published on its site, and LoyalFans' payouts page lists a 5% lifetime referral. ## Common mistakes - **Expecting money from fans.** Only referred creators count. - **Promising earnings to the creator you refer.** The terms forbid it. - **Promoting the link with paid search ads**, which the terms also ban. - **Sign-ups in a different browser**, which break attribution. - **No payout method set up**, so the earnings cannot be paid. To see how referral income compares with the platform's standard fee, read [OnlyFans fees](/en/guides/onlyfans-fees/); for payout methods and timing, see [how to get paid on OnlyFans](/en/guides/how-to-get-paid-on-onlyfans/). ## Frequently asked questions ### How does the OnlyFans referral program work? You share your referral link, and when a new creator signs up through it in the same browser, you earn 5% of the fan payments that creator generates during their first 12 months, up to $50,000 per creator. OnlyFans covers the cost, not the creator, and pays each month's referral earnings around the first day of the following month. ### Can an agency earn OnlyFans referral money on its creators? Not on the creators it works with. The referral program terms exclude accounts the referrer owns or operates and referred creators with whom the referrer has a commercial relationship. An agency managing a creator has exactly that kind of relationship, so its offer should stand on its own commission, not on referral income. ### Do I get paid for referring fans to OnlyFans? No. Only creators who sign up through your referral link count, not fans who subscribe. The referred creator also has to register in the same browser where they opened your link, you need a payout method set up to receive the money, and people in regions under international sanctions cannot take part. ## Sources - [OnlyFans Referral Program Terms](https://onlyfans.com/referral-program-terms), OnlyFans (November 7, 2026) - [Fansly Terms of Service](https://fansly.com/tos), Fansly (July 21, 2026) - [LoyalFans payouts page](https://www.loyalfans.com/payout), LoyalFans (November 7, 2026) Updated on November 8, 2026. ## Keep reading - [How much does OnlyFans take? OnlyFans fees for creators explained](https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-fees/index.html.md) (HTML: https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-fees/) - [How to get paid on OnlyFans: payout times, methods and fees](https://ofagen.com/en/guides/how-to-get-paid-on-onlyfans/index.html.md) (HTML: https://ofagen.com/en/guides/how-to-get-paid-on-onlyfans/) - [OnlyFans agency scams: red flags and what to do if you have already signed](https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-agency-scams/index.html.md) (HTML: https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-agency-scams/) - [Fansly vs OnlyFans and other sites like OnlyFans compared (2026)](https://ofagen.com/en/guides/subscription-platforms-compared/index.html.md) (HTML: https://ofagen.com/en/guides/subscription-platforms-compared/) - [OnlyFans management contract: clauses to insist on and clauses to refuse](https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-agency-contract/index.html.md) (HTML: https://ofagen.com/en/guides/onlyfans-agency-contract/) --- Markdown version of the page: https://ofagen.com/en/glossary/referral-program/