IMVU is home to a massive and varied creator community, many of whom earn real life money through selling their creations in the IMVU catalog. For some who create as a hobby this means a little extra money here and there, but for others who treat their IMVU shop as their business it means actually earning a living!
Who can make money on IMVU?
Creator Payments are open to all creators who are able to verify their account and accept payments through PayPal. The account verification process includes providing us with identification details and a review of your catalog.
How much can I earn?
You will earn at a rate of 40 cents per 1,000 Credits*, based on the profits you have set for your products. So for example, for a product where your profit is 100 Credits, you will earn 4 cents each time it is purchased with real Credits. Sales made with Promotional Credits (also known as Promo Credits or Predits) continue to earn you one Developer Token per sale.
Though IMVU reserves the right to change this rate, we do not anticipate doing so frequently or in the near future.
How do I sign up?
Before you are able to sign up you must read and accept the updated Creator Agreement and Policy.
Once you have done that head over to Creator Payments (you must have accepted the Creator Agreement to view this page). To begin the account verification process click on the Account Verification Page link or the Submit Request link, as shown below:
This will bring up the Account Verification window which you can use to provide us with the details needed to verify your account. You only need to do this once. All Creators will need to supply us with their full name, physical address (no P.O. boxes), phone number and PayPal email. All Creators will also need to complete tax-related documents as per IRS requirements.*
*US Creators must supply us with a completed W9 form in order to get payouts.
*Non-US Creators may choose not to supply us with completed tax documents (W-8BEN form), however, in that case all their payouts will be subject to 30% withholding
You can find more tax-related information here.
Once you have completed your information and uploaded the relevant documents, hit the Submit button. You will be assigned a unique verification ID for your request and will receive a confirmation message (and email) to notify you that your request has been received.
If any additional information is required we will contact you.
Once your account has been verified you will receive a confirmation message. Click the Acknowledge button from the same page. You will now be able to request payouts!
Can I still earn Credits?
Yes! After you have signed up to Creator Payments you can set what percentage of your earnings you wish to receive in cash or Credits. You can earn 100% cash, 100% Credits or anything in between. Use the slider on the Creator Payments page to set your desired distribution.
When do I get my money?
As with credit earnings, cash earnings are held in a 14 day pend. You can see how much money is pending and how much is available by visiting the Creator Payments page.
In order to make a payout request your available balance must have reached a minimum of US$50.
How do I request a payout?
Now that you have signed up the program, and once your available balance has reached at least US$50, you can request a payout. You can request any full dollar amount (as long as it is US$50 or more).
To request a payout, click on the link at the bottom of the Creator Payments page.
A window will pop up where you can fill in the amount you wish to withdraw and your PayPal email. You also have the option to provide any additional information that may be needed.
Once you have completed the information, click the Submit button.
You can view your payout request history by clicking the link at the bottom of the page:
I have a question about earning money
Questions regarding the Creator Payment program are submitted through the Creator Payments page rather than the Help Centre. Click the link near the top of the page to go to the Creator Payments help ticket page.
Fill in the subject, give a description of the issue and upload a document or image (if needed) then click the Send Request button.
Where can I view reports of my cash income?
As well as sections in your sales reports for cash balance events and your pended cash schedule, you can download a CSV file containing details of all transactions that earned you cash from the Creator Payments page. Select the month you wish to download reports for the click the Download Report button.
Are there any limits to how much I can earn?
Aside from the US$50 minimum required for a single money payout there is also a maximum amount of US$10,000 for a single money payout.
Creators are also subject to a cap within any 30 day period. This cap is equal to either US$10,000 or the creator’s monthly average sales amount (known as MASA) over the most recent 12 full calendar months – whichever is the lesser amount. Your MASA is calculated by taking the total amount of Credits earned by your account for the most recent 12 full calendar months, multiplied by the payment rate, and divided by 12.
Capping only applies to creators requesting over $500 within any 30 day period.
Additionally, if you make more than two payout requests within any 30 day period you may be subject to a US$5 payment service fee, which will be deducted from your payout amount.
What if I have more than one Creator account I want to sign up to earn money?
You can sign up as many creator accounts as you like but each one must be verified separately. Log in to each account and follow the steps above to verify the account.
Do you offer any other payment methods?
As of the moment, we only allow payouts through PayPal. Paypal is widely available in over 200 countries and is free to set up.
Can I convert the current Credits I have to cash?
No, you can only earn cash from sales received after you have opted to earn money.
What if I do not want to send you the information you requested?
You can still earn credits for each sale that you make, but you must undergo verification to earn cash.
Can you give me some advice on the tax requirements?
We strongly suggest contacting your tax advisor for assistance on this matter. None of the policies or information in these or other articles on IMVU are intended as tax advice.