I Made $100,000 on OnlyFans. How Much Tax Should I Put Aside?
Updated: Sep 30
Making $100,000 on OnlyFans sounds great, until you realise that the money arriving in your account is not necessarily all yours to spend.
Unlike a normal employee, tax generally is not automatically withheld from your OnlyFans earnings before you receive them.
That means if your creator business takes off, you could end up with a significant tax bill.
So, if you make $100,000 from OnlyFans in Australia, how much should you actually put aside for tax?
First, Is the $100,000 Your Revenue or Your Profit?
This is one of the most important distinctions.
Suppose your OnlyFans business generates $100,000 of assessable income during the financial year, and you have $15,000 of deductible business expenses.
Your calculation may look something like:
OnlyFans income: $100,000Less deductible expenses: $15,000Taxable business profit: $85,000
Generally, you are taxed on your taxable income, not simply the amount of money that moved through your OnlyFans account.
Your actual tax position will depend on your circumstances and any other income, deductions, offsets and obligations you have.
How Much Tax on $100,000 of Taxable Income?
For an Australian resident individual, the 2025-26 resident tax rates applying to taxable income between $45,001 and $135,000 are $4,288 plus 30 cents for each $1 over $45,000.
If your taxable income was exactly $100,000, the basic income tax calculation would therefore be approximately:
Tax on first $45,000: $4,288Tax on remaining $55,000: $16,500Income tax: $20,788
The Medicare levy is generally 2% of taxable income, subject to thresholds, reductions and exemptions.
At $100,000, a straightforward 2% Medicare levy would be another:
$2,000
That gives an illustrative total of approximately:
$22,788
This is a simplified example. It does not account for factors such as other income, deductions, tax offsets, HELP debt, Medicare levy surcharge, private health insurance adjustments or other individual circumstances.
So Should I Put Aside 22.8%?
Not necessarily.
Your tax is calculated on your overall taxable income, and your OnlyFans earnings may not be your only income.
Consider someone who already earns $80,000 from their full-time job and then earns another $100,000 of taxable income from OnlyFans.
Their total taxable income could potentially be around:
$180,000
That produces a very different result from someone whose only taxable income is $100,000.
This is why blindly saving 20% of your OnlyFans earnings can leave you short.
A Simple Rule for Putting Money Aside
Rather than trying to calculate your exact tax bill every time OnlyFans pays you, it can be useful to maintain a separate tax savings account.
For many creators, putting aside approximately 30% to 40% of taxable profit can provide a starting buffer.
But this is not a universal tax rate or personalised recommendation.
A creator with a substantial salary, HELP debt or very high creator income may need to reserve more. Someone with lower taxable income and legitimate deductions may ultimately pay less.
Once your income becomes significant, have your expected tax liability calculated properly.
What About GST?
This is where $100,000 of OnlyFans revenue raises another important question.
The general GST registration threshold for a business is $75,000 of GST turnover.
However, GST turnover is not necessarily the same as the headline amount shown in your OnlyFans account, and the GST treatment of transactions involving an overseas platform can require closer consideration.
If your creator business is approaching or exceeding $75,000 in turnover, do not wait until tax time to investigate GST.
This should be reviewed as soon as you expect to reach the registration threshold.
What Expenses Can Reduce My Taxable Profit?
OnlyFans creators can potentially claim business expenses where the normal deduction requirements are satisfied.
Depending on your circumstances, these could include costs associated with:
cameras and lighting
computers and other equipment
editing software
internet and phone usage
accounting and bookkeeping
advertising
platform and payment processing costs
certain home-based business costs
However, expenses with a private component generally need to be excluded or appropriately apportioned.
This becomes particularly important for OnlyFans creators because some expenses can sit very close to the line between business and personal use.
Clothing, lingerie, makeup, cosmetic procedures, grooming and travel should not simply be assumed to be deductible because they appear in your content.
We will cover those expenses separately because the answer is more complicated than many creators realise.
What Happens When Your OnlyFans Income Suddenly Takes Off?
This is where creators often get caught.
Imagine you were making $2,000 per month at the beginning of the year.
Six months later, you are making $15,000 per month.
That is fantastic growth, but your tax obligations are growing with you.
At this point, you should be considering more than simply lodging an individual tax return once a year.
Depending on your circumstances, it may be time to review:
GST, PAYG instalments, bookkeeping, your business structure, tax planning and how much cash you are reserving for tax.
PAYG Instalments Can Change Your Cash Flow
The ATO may eventually enter you into the PAYG instalment system.
PAYG instalments are regular prepayments towards the tax expected on your business and investment income.
This can actually help creators manage cash flow because some of the expected tax is paid throughout the year rather than arriving as one enormous bill after lodging a tax return.
But it also means you need to budget for those payments.
The Biggest Mistake Is Treating Revenue Like Spending Money
If $10,000 lands in your account this month, that does not necessarily mean you have $10,000 available to spend.
Some may need to cover:
tax, GST where applicable, business expenses and future PAYG instalments.
As your OnlyFans business grows, separating your personal spending from your business finances becomes increasingly important.
Making Serious Money on OnlyFans?
At Dolman Bateman, we work with content creators and online businesses across Australia.
If your OnlyFans income is growing, we can help you understand how much you should be reserving for tax, identify legitimate deductions, review your GST position and make sure your accounting structure continues to make sense as your income increases.
The earlier you plan for tax, the less likely you are to get an unpleasant surprise after lodging your return.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial, legal or tax advice. All content relates to the current financial year only. Future changes to tax laws, thresholds or administrative requirements may affect the accuracy or relevance of this information, so you should always confirm that the guidance remains current. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of publication, Dolman Bateman accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this information. You should seek professional advice tailored to your circumstances before making any financial or tax decision.
