Kickstarter Fees Calculator
Estimate Kickstarter fees and creator payout in USD
Kickstarter fees calculator FAQs
What fees does this Kickstarter calculator include?
This Kickstarter fees calculator combines the Kickstarter 5% platform fee with typical Stripe payment processing fees into a single percentage, plus an optional fixed payout fee in USD. It then estimates total fees and your net payout from the gross funding amount you enter.
How should I set the Kickstarter + payment fee %?
Kickstarter normally charges a 5% platform fee on successfully funded projects, and Stripe collects around 3–5% in card processing fees. Start with 8–10% as a blended rate, then adjust the Kickstarter + payment fee (%) input until the effective fee % in the results matches what you see in your Funding Summary or payout invoices.
What counts as gross Kickstarter funding in this calculator?
Use the total successfully funded pledge amount for your campaign: all collected pledges after your goal is met, not including failed or dropped pledges. You can also model specific scenarios, like “what if we fund at 120%”, as long as the figure reflects the total raised before fees.
Does this include pledge manager, late pledges, and shipping costs?
Not directly. Pledge manager tools, late pledges, and shipping/fulfillment can all add extra fees and costs. You can mimic those by increasing the Kickstarter + payment fee (%) or adding a small amount to Other payout fees (USD), but you should still run a full separate budget for manufacturing and logistics.
Is this an official Kickstarter fee calculator?
No. This is an independent estimation tool to help creators understand the real cost of a campaign. Always rely on your Kickstarter Funding Summary, payout exports, and accountant for final numbers and tax reporting.
How to use this Kickstarter fees calculator
This Kickstarter fees calculator is for campaign creators who want a clear view of how much funding they actually keep after platform and payment fees. Instead of guessing from rule-of-thumb percentages, you can plug in your own funding totals and assumptions to see gross pledges, modeled fees, net payout, and the effective fee percentage in one place.
1. Enter your gross Kickstarter funding in USD
Start by entering your gross funding amount — the total your campaign raises if it successfully funds. You can use your current goal, a stretch scenario (for example 150% funded), or your final funding total once the campaign ends. Keeping everything in USD makes it easier to compare with most fee examples and planning docs.
2. Add a net payout goal to keep rewards realistic
If you know how much you need to cover production, shipping, and a margin, use the “You want to receive after fees” box. The calculator then reverses the math to show the minimum gross funding required so that, after Kickstarter’s platform fee and payment processing, you still hit your desired net payout.
3. Tune the fee % to your campaign’s backer mix
Use the Kickstarter + payment fee (%) input for your combined platform and Stripe costs. Campaigns with lots of small pledges can see higher effective fees due to micro-pledge pricing, while larger individual pledges can pull the average down. Add any recurring extra cost into Other payout fees (USD) to reflect a blended per-pledge impact or banking charges.
4. Read the payout summary to see what you truly keep
After you hit Calculate, the summary highlights one main number: either your net Kickstarter payout on the gross you entered, or the required gross funding needed to reach your target net. A breakdown underneath shows gross funding, modeled Kickstarter + payment fees, and the effective fee percentage so you can quickly judge whether your goals and reward tiers are realistic.
5. Copy the summary to support your budget and team
Use the Copy summary button to paste a clean text breakdown into your budgeting sheet, campaign brief, or fulfillment plan. Run a few what-if scenarios: higher or lower funding totals, different fee assumptions, or more ambitious net goals. You can also compare your Kickstarter take-home against other crowdfunding platforms or a direct pre-order store.
Keep in mind that this tool focuses on platform and transaction fees only. The real cost of a campaign also includes reward production, packaging, freight, VAT/sales tax, and customer support. Use this calculator as a fast way to understand Kickstarter’s slice of your budget and then layer in everything else separately.
How the Kickstarter fee and payout math works
Under the hood, this Kickstarter fees calculator uses a straightforward model: a percentage fee plus an optional fixed payout fee per period. Let G be your gross successfully funded Kickstarter amount in USD, r the combined Kickstarter + payment fee rate as a decimal (for example 0.09 for 9%), and f any fixed payout fee you choose to include.
Total modeled fees are:
Kickstarter + payment fees = G × r + f
Your net payout after these fees is:
Net payout = G − (G × r + f)
When you enter a target net payout, the calculator rearranges the equation to find the gross funding required. If N is the net you want in USD, then:
Required gross funding = (N + f) ÷ (1 − r)
The effective fee percentage shown in the results is:
Effective fee % = modeled fees ÷ gross funding × 100
All outputs are estimates in USD, rounded to two decimal places. Kickstarter’s platform fee, Stripe’s card and micro-pledge pricing, dropped pledges, and currency conversion can shift your real results, so always double-check against your Funding Summary and payout invoices when making final decisions.
References and further reading
- Kickstarter Help: What are the fees? – Official breakdown of the 5% platform fee and typical 3–5% payment processing fees on successful projects.
- Kickstarter Help: If my project is successfully funded, how do I receive my funds? – Details on payout timing, how funds are transferred, and what to expect after your campaign ends.