Getting paid on StartPlaying is simple. All payments from players and all payouts to your bank are processed securely through Stripe, one of the most trusted payment gateways online.
Once you have signed up for an account and filled out your profile, you need to set up a Payouts Account.
How Much are Game Masters Paid?
Game Masters set:
Their own rates
Their own schedules
StartPlaying takes a 15% cut from all bookings on the platform. The remaining 85% is your payout.
What Currency Do You Use?
All players are charged in U.S. Dollars (USD).
Stripe sends payouts in the default currency of your home country. If you are outside the United States, Stripe pays you in your local currency.
How Long Do Payouts Take?
The time it takes for a payout to reach your bank depends on your location and payout history:
2–3 business days for most U.S. GMs
7–11 business days for GMs outside the U.S.
5–7 business days for your first-ever payout
📌 Business days do not include weekends or holidays.
What Makes Up My Payouts?
Your payouts come from:
Player card payments, and
Player StartPlaying credit
If your payout includes both credit and card payments, you can only pay out StartPlaying credit equal to 15% of the total card payment amount.
Any extra StartPlaying credit stays on your Payouts page until:
It can be included in a future payout, or
It is manually converted to cash by a member of the StartPlaying team
Example:
You have:
$100 in card payments
$25 in StartPlaying credit
You can pay out:
$100 from card payments
$15 from StartPlaying credit (15% of $100)
The remaining $10 in credit stays on your Payouts page
When Are Players Charged?
Players are automatically charged 1 hour after the session start time.
To make sure your players are charged, you need to set your game from Pending to Active.
Will Players Be Charged If I Cancel a Session?
No. If you cancel a session on StartPlaying, your players will not be charged.
When Do Player Payments Appear in My Payouts Page?
You will see payments appear on your Payouts page shortly after players are charged.
Can I Take Payment via PayPal, Venmo, or Other Apps?
No. You cannot take payment off the website. If a game is listed on StartPlaying, then all payments for that game must be made on StartPlaying.
Taking payment off the website is a violation of the Terms of Service and is grounds for permanent removal from StartPlaying.