How To Get Paid on Facebook
Summary
If you like, Facebook will pay you for what you post. Most online guides quote figures and rules that are out of date, which is understandable, as these things change all the time. You can work towards two of its three payment routes from 500 followers upwards. The third way comes currently only by invitation. On elizabethjamieson.com I set out what each payment needs, which account opens it, and what to put in place before you can expect your first payment.
Meta has three ways to pay digital creators for what they post on Facebook. Two of the methods have published thresholds, so you can start working toward them from the day you decide to start publishing. The third way is by invitation only. But if you post original content on a steady schedule and build an audience, you may well receive an invite to performance-based content monetisation at some point.
I checked every figure here on 23 October 2026.
The three ways Facebook pays
Stars
Stars is Facebook’s name for what we might call tips. A Facebook user buys them from Meta and can then attribute them to posts they particularly like. Meta pays the creator one cent for each Star received.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are a monthly fee that fans pay for extra content.
Content Monetisation
Content Monetisation is what we all want to take part in. It pays for performance on Reels, posts and Stories. But you do need an invitation from Meta to join the programme. Unfortunately, there is no way to know when you will get an invite. You will need to post consistently until you receive an invitation.
The Facebook account you need
An ordinary personal account cannot earn, but there are two kinds of account that can.
Facebook Page
A Facebook Page is a separate presence from your profile page that you can create as a person or a business. All three earning methods are available for Facebook Pages. The advantage of a Facebook Page is discretion. When you create a Facebook Page none of your existing friends and family will know about it unless you tell them. The downside is that you are starting from scratch in terms of user attention.
Professional Profile
You can also switch your personal profile to professional mode. This option means you keep all your friends and family, so they can “like” and support your monetisation efforts. However, you may prefer to avoid explaining yourself to people who might not understand what you are trying to do. Only content monetisation and Stars are open to a Profile.
For a creator starting anew, the Page is the better choice. Every tool is open to it, and its audience is followers rather than friends.
| Account | Stars | Subscriptions | Content Monetisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Page | Open | Open | By invitation |
| Professional Personal Profile | Open | Pages only | By invitation |
| Personal Profile | Cannot earn | Cannot earn | Cannot earn |
In any case you must be 18 or older, you must live in an eligible country and the whole Page or profile must pass Meta’s Partner Monetisation Policies.
Stars, the first rung
Stars are the first money a Facebook creator can earn. Viewers buy Stars from Meta and spend them on a post. For every Star received, Meta pays one cent. One hundred Stars is one dollar.
To switch Stars on, a Page or profile needs :
- 500 followers, held for 30 consecutive days.
- A creator who lives in a country where Stars runs.
- A Page or profile that meets all the Meta standards.
- Your acceptance of the Stars Terms and Conditions.
There is no watch-time requirement and no engagement requirement.
Stars can be spent on Reels, Lives, photos, text posts and Stories. So a creator who only posts photographs and text, for example, can still receive Stars.
Your income with Stars depends on how many viewers choose to tip.
Subscriptions, the second rung
Subscriptions turn an audience into a monthly income. Fans pay a recurring monthly fee and receive whatever extras you choose : a subscriber-only Facebook Group, exclusive Lives, behind-the-scenes posts, and other content that only they can see.
Subscriptions are available only to Pages. The Page must have :
- 10,000 followers, or 250 return viewers, and
- in the last 60 days, either 50,000 post engagements or 180,000 watch minutes.
Both targets must be met. The count of return viewers is shown in the Page’s own insights.
The Page and its content must also comply with Meta’s Policies, the Fan Subscription Creator Terms, and the Page must have passed the Page-level review. Subscriptions are open in some 37 countries and do not rely on an invitation.
Content Monetisation
Facebook Content Monetisation is the one programme where Meta pays for how your content performs.
You currently have to get an invite from Meta. However, you can also ask to be considered via your dashboard.
Note that a real invitation comes through the Facebook app, email, Meta Business Suite or the Professional dashboard. Anything else you may receive will be fake. Fake invitations do happen.
How do we know when we’re close?
Meta publishes no required follower count, view count or watch-time figure for an invitation. Many online guides still quote figures like 10,000 followers and 600,000 minutes viewed in 60 days. Those were the thresholds in older Facebook programmes, which Meta replaced, and Meta no longer publishes thresholds.
Meta doesn’t publish payment rates either. Its page says only that earnings depend on how posts perform.
Every video is a Reel
Every video posted is shared as a Reel. A 20-minute horizontal video and a 15-second vertical clip are both Reels. As far as we know, there is no minimum length for Reels.
What content must be
Content must be original. Meta detects reposted content automatically and will cut reach if it does. It can also remove monetisation from accounts that repeatedly repost other people’s work. But adding your commentary or reaction to other people’s work counts as original.
Note that the following types of content earn very little or nothing:
- A still image, or a slideshow of still images, with music or a voiceover is not treated as video.
- Reused clips from TV, film or other creators, without your commentary or reactions.
- Anything using unlicensed music. You can get licensed music from the Meta Sound Collection.
- Content that is mainly text on a screen, engagement bait, or a request for likes and shares.
A set of stills with a music track is not a video in Meta’s eyes, so always post photographs as actual photographs.
How to get paid
You set up the payout account in Meta Business Suite or the Professional dashboard, under Monetization. Nothing is paid until it is verified. You will need a bank account in your own name. The name must match the Page or profile owner exactly.
A creator in the United States must complete a W-9 form. A creator anywhere else completes a W-8BEN, which declares non-US status so that US withholding tax is not taken at the full rate.
When does Meta pay?
Monthly, for the previous calendar month, once the balance reaches a minimum.
Is there a minimum payout?
Meta’s own pages do not state a figure, but it appears to be around 100 USD or the local equivalent, with smaller balances rolling over to the next month. Check the figure shown in the payout settings for your own account.
Do I declare the income?
Yes. Income from Meta is income to declare in your own country.
The order of work
Create a Page
Create a Facebook Page for your subject, or switch an existing profile to professional mode. A Page is the better choice, because every tool is open to it.
Read the eligibility status
Open the Professional dashboard, go to Monetisation, and read the eligibility status. It will tell you what you are missing.
Post original content
Reels, photos and text posts all count toward an audience, and all of them can carry Stars later. Post at regular intervals.
Switch on Stars
When you’ve had 500 followers for 30 consecutive days, switch on Stars and accept the terms. You’re unlikely to earn anything significant from this, but at least it is confirmation of a growing audience.
Set up the payout account
Set up the payout account and the tax form so your first payment is not delayed.
File the interest form
Complete the Content Monetisation interest form in the Monetisation tab. If an invitation arrives, obviously accept it.
Switch on Subscriptions
At 10,000 followers or 250 return viewers, and with 50,000 post engagements or 180,000 watch minutes in the last 60 days, switch on Subscriptions and decide what special stuff you can send to your subscribers.
Keep posting
A Page that goes quiet loses the return viewers the Subscription test depends on.