PayoutMath
Creator

Buy Me a Coffee Fee Calculator UK

Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% of supporter contributions plus Stripe processing (2.9% + £0.30). On a £5 coffee, total fees are £0.69 — you keep £4.31. Calculator below shows the maths for any supporter amount.

Last verified: 25 April 2026 Source: Buy Me a Coffee help: Fees Next review: 25 October 2026
Inputs
Gross revenue —
BMaC fee (5%) —
Stripe (2.9% + £0.30) —
Total fees —
You take home —
Effective fee % —
£5 coffee
£5 supporter contribution

5% BMAC (£0.25) + Stripe (£0.45) = £0.70 fees. Net £4.30 (86%).

£20 monthly membership
£20 monthly recurring

5% BMAC (£1) + Stripe (£0.88) = £1.88. Net £18.12 (90.6%). Higher amounts reduce relative impact of fixed processing.

£50 extra/tip
£50 large tip

5% BMAC (£2.50) + Stripe 2.9% + £0.30 (£1.75) = £4.25. Net £45.75 (91.5%). Best efficiency at higher transaction sizes.

Buy Me a Coffee is the friendly tipping platform with 5% platform fee on EVERYTHING (tips, memberships, extras, shop). Plus Stripe ~3.2% + £0.30. Total ~9-15% depending on transaction size.

Fee structure

  • 5% platform fee on all transaction types (tips, memberships, extras, shop)
  • Stripe processing: 2.9% + £0.30 per transaction (UK standard)
  • No monthly fee on free plan
  • BMAC Pro (£6/month) adds analytics, branding, no fee reduction

Effective rate by transaction size

Transaction BMAC + Stripe combined
£3 (small tip) 19%
£5 (default ‘coffee’) 14%
£10 10.5%
£20 9.4%
£50 7.5%
£100 6.5%

Lower amounts hurt disproportionately because of the £0.30 fixed Stripe component. £5 tips are okay; £1-£2 ‘coffees’ lose 25-40% to fees.

When BMAC makes sense

  • Casual tips and one-off support with simple checkout
  • Memberships at small scale (under 50 patrons — Patreon’s tooling not yet justifying its 8-12% fee)
  • Multi-format creators (one platform for tips + memberships + extras + small shop)
  • Friendly UX preference over Ko-fi’s slightly busier interface

When BMAC doesn’t make sense

  • Pure tipping (Ko-fi free plan is 0% on tips — meaningfully cheaper)
  • High-volume membership business (Patreon’s discovery + tooling worth the higher fee at 100+ patrons)
  • Physical e-commerce at scale (Etsy/Shopify better for SKU complexity)
  • VAT-registered businesses (BMAC doesn’t act as MoR for UK VAT; manual handling required)

Comparison

Platform Effective on £5 transaction
Ko-fi free (tip) ~9% (Stripe only)
Ko-fi free (shop) ~14% (5% + Stripe)
Buy Me a Coffee ~14% (5% + Stripe)
Gumroad ~21% on £5 (£0.30 Stripe + 10% + 2.9%)
Patreon ~10-15% depending on tier

Ko-fi free wins on tips. BMAC equal to Ko-fi free on shop. Both meaningfully cheaper than Gumroad on small transactions.

What this calculator doesn’t include

  • BMAC Pro’s £6/month subscription
  • International currency conversion (~1.5% above standard rates)
  • Recurring membership cancellations/refunds modelling
  • UK VAT (BMAC doesn’t handle for UK/EU sales)
  • UK self-employment tax (see side hustle tax calculator)

For a 0%-tip alternative see Ko-fi calculator. For digital products with similar simplicity see Gumroad calculator.

Common mistakes
  • Treating BMAC like Ko-fi free plan. BMAC charges 5% on EVERYTHING (tips, memberships, extras). Ko-fi free plan is 0% on tips. For pure tipping audiences, Ko-fi free is meaningfully cheaper.
  • Forgetting to subtract Stripe fees. BMAC’s 5% is the platform fee, not total. Add Stripe ~3.2% + £0.30 for total ~9-15% depending on amount.
  • Not exploring BMAC Pro features. BMAC offers analytics, supporter management, and shop features. No reduced fees, but the productivity boost can offset the slightly higher fees vs Ko-fi free.
  • Comparing to Patreon at low volume. Patreon charges 5-12% PLUS Stripe (varies by tier). For <50 supporters, BMAC’s simpler 5%+Stripe usually wins on simplicity AND total fees.
  • Ignoring international supporter currency conversion. International tips get currency-converted by Stripe at ~1.5% above interbank. Stack with the 5% + 2.9% = 9.4% all-in for typical international transactions.
What this calculator doesn't cover
  • Doesn’t model international currency conversion (~1.5% above standard Stripe rates).
  • Doesn’t include BMAC Pro / Shop premium features.
  • Single-transaction focused; doesn’t model recurring-membership lifecycle (cancellations, refunds).
  • Doesn’t track UK self-employment tax — see side hustle tax calculator.

Frequently asked questions

BMAC vs Ko-fi — which is cheaper?

Ko-fi free plan is cheaper for pure tips (0% vs BMAC’s 5%). For shop sales they’re equal (5% each). Ko-fi Gold (£6/mo) beats both for high-volume shops. BMAC has marginally better UI and supporter management. For pure tip-driven creators (newsletter, podcast), Ko-fi wins on cost. For multi-product creators, BMAC’s tooling can be worth the extra 5%.

Does BMAC handle VAT for me?

Limited. BMAC is US-based and doesn’t act as Merchant of Record for UK/EU VAT in most cases. Your responsibility if you’re VAT-registered (turnover above £90k UK threshold). Below threshold, voluntary registration optional.

Can I sell physical merch on BMAC?

BMAC Shop supports physical products but it’s lightweight. For real e-commerce with inventory, multiple SKUs, postage rules, use Etsy or Shopify. BMAC Shop is best for limited-quantity drops or simple digital products.

Is the £6/month BMAC Pro worth it?

Pro adds analytics, custom branding, supporter export, and other features but no fee reduction. For creators above ~50 active supporters, the productivity gains often justify the cost. Below 50, free plan is fine.

Are BMAC earnings taxable?

Yes — UK self-employment income. £1,000 trading allowance applies; above that, taxable. BMAC provides downloadable transaction reports for accounting. See side hustle tax calculator.

About this calculator. Maintained by Jordan — a UK seller and creator who actually uses these platforms (Etsy, eBay, Vinted, DistroKid). Built to be accurate, mobile-fast, and honest about its limits. Spot a bug? Email hello@payoutmath.co.uk.