What is the OnlyFans referral program? 5% for 12 months, explained

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 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; for payout methods and timing, see how to get paid on OnlyFans.