FOR KICKSTARTER CREATORS

More, smaller pledges keep less of the same total raised.

Kickstarter charges a funded project a 5% platform fee on the total pledged, plus payment processing per pledge of 3% + $0.20 for pledges of $10 or more and 5% + $0.05 for pledges under $10; an unfunded project pays nothing. Source: Kickstarter, "Fees: United States" (kickstarter.com/help/fees). As of 2026-10-25.

Kickstarter's 5% platform fee applies to your whole raise, but payment processing (3% + $0.20, or 5% + $0.05 under $10) is charged per pledge -- so the same total split across more backers pays that flat charge more times. See your real net payout, the effective fee rate, and what one reward tier keeps on its own.

How much does Kickstarter actually take?

This calculator vs. the flat "8-10%" rule of thumb

The campaign

Enter the total pledged if the project funds, and the number of backers. This assumes every pledge is near the campaign average -- use the single-pledge lookup below to check one reward tier exactly.

Check one pledge (a reward tier)

See the fee and net contribution for a single pledge amount, exactly rather than as a campaign-wide average.

you keep

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Worked example, not your campaign yet — $10,000 raised across 150 backers.

Fees
Average pledge
Processing tier
Platform fee (5%)
Processing fee (total)
Total fees
Effective rate

    Common questions

    How much does Kickstarter take from a funded project?

    On Kickstarter's published US schedule: a 5% platform fee on the total amount pledged, plus payment processing charged per pledge — 3% of the pledge plus $0.20 for pledges of $10 or more, or 5% plus $0.05 for pledges under $10. Combined, most US campaigns land around 8-10% of the total raise, and fees are charged only if the project is funded.

    Why do two campaigns with the same total raised pay different fees?

    Because the processing fee's $0.20 (or $0.05) component is charged once per pledge, not once per dollar. A campaign that raises $10,000 from 100 backers averaging $100 each pays that flat charge 100 times; the same $10,000 from 1,000 backers averaging $10 each pays it 1,000 times. More, smaller pledges keep a smaller share of an identical total raised — reward-tier pricing changes the fee, not just the marketing.

    What happens if the project does not reach its funding goal?

    Nothing is charged. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing: no pledge is collected and no fee applies unless the funding goal is met by the deadline.

    Is my data uploaded anywhere?

    No. Parsing and arithmetic happen entirely in your browser. The total raised, backer count, and any pledge amount you enter are never uploaded. The optional usage counter records only which features were used and the day, never any of your numbers.