Creator Payout Terms

Last updated: May 31, 2026

1. Overview

These Creator Payout Terms govern how CastPact LLC, an Idaho limited liability company ("CastPact"), processes payments to content creators. By completing onboarding and submitting deliverables on the Platform, you agree to these terms in addition to the Terms of Service, which are incorporated by reference. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms of Service. In the event of a conflict regarding payouts, these Payout Terms control over the Terms of Service on that payout-specific matter; provided, however, that the Terms of Service Section 22 (dispute resolution) controls over all incorporated documents, including these Payout Terms, on any conflict relating to dispute resolution.

2. Independent Contractor; Your Own Taxes

You are an independent business operating on your own account. You are not an employee, agent, partner, or joint venturer of CastPact, and CastPact does not engage you to perform CastPact's own services, set your pay or hours, supervise the manner or means of your work, or hire or fire you. You control your own content, schedule, equipment, and audience. You are solely responsible for your own taxes, withholdings, and expenses, including any self-employment tax. Nothing in these Payout Terms or in your receipt of a tax form determines your employment classification, which is governed by the Terms of Service and applicable law. For the full independent-contractor framing, see the Terms of Service and the Campaign Agreement.

3. Payment Timing

Funds are held in escrow when a publisher funds a campaign. Upon publisher approval of a deliverable, CastPact releases the payment. Funds are typically transferred to your connected Stripe account within 3 business days of deliverable approval. Actual deposit timing may vary based on your bank and Stripe's processing schedule.

If a publisher does not review a submitted deliverable within 14 days, CastPact may auto-release the payment at its discretion.

The escrow and release process above applies to Sponsored Campaigns. For Performance Campaigns (game-key sales), your commission is not paid from CastPact escrow. The publisher is the seller and merchant of record for those sales, and your commission is paid as a per-sale transfer on the publisher's connected Stripe account into your own connected Stripe balance. See Section 8 for how refunds and chargebacks affect Performance commissions, and the Publisher Seller-of-Record Agreement for the direct-charge mechanics that govern those sales.

Payout timing estimates are provided for convenience only and are not guaranteed. CastPact is not liable for delays caused by Stripe, your financial institution, identity or fraud verification, or events beyond CastPact's reasonable control.

4. Minimum Payout Threshold

CastPact enforces a minimum payout threshold of $10.00 USD. If an approved payment is below this threshold, the funds accumulate in your pending balance. Once your pending balance reaches $10.00 or more, the accumulated amount will be released on the next deliverable approval.

Your current pending balance is shown on your Payments page.

5. Stripe Connect

All creator payouts are processed via Stripe Connect. You must complete Stripe Connect onboarding before receiving payments. By connecting Stripe, you agree to Stripe's Connected Account Agreement and applicable Stripe policies.

CastPact does not store your banking information directly. All financial data is handled securely by Stripe.

6. Failed Payouts

You are responsible for keeping your Stripe Connect account and banking information current. If a payout fails due to incorrect or outdated banking details, CastPact will notify you via the platform. You must update your Stripe account information to receive the payment. CastPact is not liable for delays or losses resulting from failed payouts caused by inaccurate account information.

7. Tax Forms and Reporting

If you are a US-based creator, you may receive an IRS Form 1099-NEC reporting nonemployee compensation paid to you through the Platform for a calendar year that meets the applicable federal reporting threshold. For payments made on or after January 1, 2026, the federal 1099-NEC reporting threshold is $2,000.00 USD in a calendar year (for prior years the threshold was $600.00 USD).

For Sponsored Campaign payouts, which are released from CastPact-funded escrow, CastPact (via Stripe) expects to issue any required 1099-NEC to creators who meet the threshold, and Stripe issues such forms on CastPact's behalf. For Performance Campaign commissions, which are paid as per-sale transfers on the publisher's connected Stripe account rather than from CastPact escrow, the party responsible for any 1099-NEC reporting on those amounts is being confirmed with counsel and may differ. [ATTORNEY PLACEHOLDER: 1099-NEC issuer attribution for Performance-Campaign commission transfers on the publisher's connected account is fact-sensitive and is to be confirmed by qualified tax counsel before this is stated as fact.]

If you receive a 1099 form, you will receive instructions from Stripe on accessing it. The thresholds above govern whether a form is issued. They do not change what is taxable: you are solely responsible for reporting all income earned through the Platform on your tax returns, regardless of whether you receive a 1099 form, and your receipt or non-receipt of a form does not determine the taxability of your income or your employment status. CastPact does not provide tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance on your specific situation.

You are responsible for maintaining a valid and accurate taxpayer identification number (TIN) on file through Stripe. If a required TIN is missing or incorrect, applicable amounts may be subject to 24% federal backup withholding.

8. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

Sponsored Campaigns. If a publisher disputes a charge with their bank or credit card provider (chargeback), CastPact may place a hold on the associated funds pending resolution. During a chargeback investigation:

Payments already released to your Stripe account may be subject to clawback per Stripe's policies.
Pending payments will remain on hold until the chargeback is resolved.
CastPact will notify you if a chargeback affects your payments.

If a chargeback is decided in the publisher's favor, the corresponding payment may be reversed. CastPact's dispute resolution process is separate from bank chargebacks and does not guarantee protection against bank-level disputes.

Performance Campaigns (game-key sales). Because your commission on a game-key sale is paid as a per-sale transfer on the publisher's connected account, a buyer refund or chargeback on that sale results in reversal of your commission transfer for the affected sale. The refund or chargeback is charged to the publisher's account, not to CastPact, and CastPact reverses the related commission transfer. CastPact will reflect any reversed commission in your balance.

9. Platform Fee

For Sponsored Campaigns, CastPact charges publishers a platform fee on top of campaign budgets. Creators receive their full agreed payment amount. The platform fee is not deducted from creator payouts. The platform fee is charged directly to publishers at the time of campaign funding.

For Performance Campaigns, CastPact's platform fee is collected as an application fee deducted from each game-key sale on the publisher's connected account. It is not deducted from your commission. Your commission is the agreed share of the sale and is paid in full as a per-sale transfer, subject to reversal on refund or chargeback as described in Section 8.

10. Currency

All amounts on the Platform are in US dollars (USD). CastPact currently operates for US-based creators only. International creator support is planned for a future phase.

11. Set-Off, Reversal, and Clawback

CastPact may withhold, reverse, recoup, or set off against any amount owed or payable to you any amount that you owe to CastPact or that is subject to chargeback, refund, reversal, fraud investigation, or clawback (including commissions earned during a period of FTC non-compliance or fraudulent or artificial activity). If your balance is insufficient, you agree to promptly repay the deficiency, and CastPact may pursue collection of amounts owed.

12. No Warranty; Limitation of Liability

Payout services are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by law, CastPact's liability arising out of or related to payouts is subject to the disclaimers and the limitation-of-liability cap set forth in the Terms of Service. Nothing in these Payout Terms or the Terms of Service limits or excludes any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law, including liability for fraud, willful misconduct, or gross negligence. CastPact is not a bank and does not provide banking, escrow-agent, or money-transmission services beyond facilitating payments through Stripe.

13. Governing Law and Disputes

These Payout Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Idaho. Any dispute between you and CastPact arising out of or relating to these Payout Terms is governed by and subject to the binding arbitration, delegation, class-action waiver, and venue provisions of the Terms of Service, Section 22, which controls over these Payout Terms on any conflict.

14. Changes to Payout Terms

CastPact may update these Payout Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or platform notification. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance.

15. Contact

For questions about payments or these Payout Terms, contact payments@castpact.com. CastPact LLC is an Idaho limited liability company.