How do I get paid from CD Baby?

CD Baby will pay out your accrued earnings once we receive the revenue generated by your releases from our partners. Follow these steps to set up and receive your payouts from CD Baby.

To receive payouts from CD Baby, you need to complete four things: submit your tax information, set a Pay Point, choose a payout method, and keep your account details up to date. Payouts are processed weekly and sent automatically when your account meets the required conditions.

Step 1: Enter your tax information

Before CD Baby can issue any payout, your tax information must be complete. Log in to your account and go to Payment & Tax Info to fill this in.

If you have not entered a tax ID, or if the tax ID on file is invalid, CD Baby is required to withhold at the default rate: 24% for US persons and 30% for non-US persons. This withheld amount will appear on your year-end tax forms.

Step 2: Set your Pay Point

Your Pay Point is the minimum account balance required to trigger a payout from CD Baby. Once your balance reaches this threshold, a payout is generated automatically.

To set your Pay Point, log in and go to Payment & Tax Info, then click the Pay Point tab and choose your desired amount.

After fees and any tax withholding are deducted, your balance must still exceed both your Pay Point and the minimum threshold for your chosen payout method. Those minimums are:

CD Baby recommends the following minimum Pay Points for bank transfers to avoid processing issues:

Step 3: Choose your payout method

Your payout method is how CD Baby sends your money. To set or update your method, log in and go to Payment & Tax Info.

Available payout methods are:

• Bank Transfer (checking accounts only) — includes Direct Deposit, ACH, IACH, EFT, EUR SEPA, and Wire Transfer
• PayPal
• Payoneer — select "Bank Transfer" and enter the routing and account number provided by Payoneer

Processing fees are deducted from your balance before your payout is sent:

For banks outside the US, funds are converted from USD to local currency. The deposited amount may vary from week to week due to exchange rate fluctuations. Your local bank may also charge a separate fee to receive the transfer.

Step 4: Make changes before the weekly deadline

If you need to update your Pay Point or payout method, changes must be saved by Saturday at 11:59 PM Pacific Time to take effect in that week's payout cycle. Changes made after this deadline will apply to the following week.

Step 5: Receive your payout

If your account balance meets or exceeds your Pay Point — and your tax information and payout method are valid — a payout is generated at the beginning of each week. CD Baby will send you a confirmation email when a payout has been initiated.

Estimated delivery times after the confirmation email is sent:

Once the confirmation email is sent, the payout has already been initiated and cannot be stopped or changed.

What if I didn't receive my payout? 

If a payout was sent but not received, the next steps depend on your payout method.

Bank Transfer and Payoneer: If the bank account CD Baby sent your payout to is now closed, the funds will be returned to CD Baby and added back to your account balance for the next payout cycle. If the account holder name on your payout profile does not match the name on your bank account, the payout will not be issued until this is corrected.

All other methods: CD Baby must wait 30 days from the original send date before a payout can be re-issued. After confirming your payout details are correct, contact CD Baby support after that 30-day period to request a re-issue.

For full details on returned payouts and associated fees, see: What Happens If My Payout Is Returned?