The Patreon Tax Update; the $1/$2 Tier; Informal Crowdcast (Patreon)

Patreon has announced that it will be required to start adding sales tax to most pledges in July. I know what it’s like to not earn very much but also want to support the people doing things you enjoy, and I know this kind of revision to the terms of service can dissuade people from wanting to be patrons.

Creators do get some input in what gets taxed and how, though I’m out of my element in deciding on the taxable value of things like “participating in Crowdcast chats” and “voting on video topics.” Rest assured that I’m following Patreon’s guidelines on how to reduce that sales tax burden. Thankfully, since I’m not a “merch-“heavy creator, I’m not as affected by this as some others are.

However, I do think this is the proper time to phase out the old $1- and $2- “Alu" tiers completely. They had already been closed to new patrons for some time, but with the added burden of sales tax (on top of the income tax at my end), not much of that one or two dollars will reach the person you intend it for. So as of June 1, I will delete the tiers entirely. Patrons currently pledging $1 or $2 can continue to do so, but will be classified as “no reward” patrons (which incidentally, I think, removes the sales tax problem). To have access to Patreon posts, Crowdcasts, and the Old Norse vocabulary videos after that, you’ll have to move into the “Futhark” tier at $5/month.

I appreciate your support very much at whatever level you donate at. I’m astounded to be able to say that most of my bills are paid by the generosity of strangers, and I hope that some of the opportunities this community affords—the chance to talk to great guests in the Crowdcasts especially—have helped show some fraction of that gratitude. 

Also, a lot of new people have joined just recently, and welcome aboard. I alluded to participating in the Crowdcasts as a big benefit this Patreon community includes, and next week I’ll also be holding a Crowdcast with just me on Thursday, at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Mountain time (the Crowdcast registration link above ought to show you the time in your own timezone). This won’t have any cool guests, but it’s been a while since we’ve done one with just me answering your questions (professional or casual). I also have some more excellent (sometimes surprising) guests coming on for Crowdcasts during the rest of the summer.

In general, if you’re new around here (and even if you aren’t), the pinned post is a pretty good quick guide to what’s here and how things work. My assistant Stella makes every effort to answer questions here on Patreon (and ones sent to admin@jacksonwcrawford.com ) but if a question requires my specific attention (this may be true of detailed language questions, for example), it may take longer since I’m online less often.

Thank you for your support, and all the best,

Jackson Crawford