You've sold $3,200 worth of tickets, after fees. Then your venue texts: the $1,500 deposit is due Friday. The money is right there in your Eventbrite dashboard, and you can't touch it.
When does Eventbrite pay you? By default, Eventbrite sends your payout three business days after your event ends, and a US bank takes another 2 to 3 business days to post it. If it's your first paid event on Eventbrite, that's the only option. Organizers who've hosted a paid event and received a payout before may be able to get paid earlier, with 20% held back.
Below: the exact rules from Eventbrite's own help pages, the two ways to get paid sooner and what they cost, and how organizers get their ticket money while tickets are still selling.
The same story in five minutes, with every rule shown on Eventbrite's help pages.
When Eventbrite pays you, by default
Here's the rule, word for word, from Eventbrite's article Get started with event payouts: "Eventbrite sends your payout three business days after your event ends." Then your bank has to post it. Eventbrite says that takes another 2 to 3 business days at a US bank, and 5 to 7 at a bank outside the US.
Put that on a calendar. Your event is on Saturday, October 17. The payout goes out on Wednesday, October 21, and lands in your account on Friday the 23rd, or Monday the 26th if your bank is slower. If you opened sales a month before the event, that's 36 to 39 days between your first ticket sale and the money reaching your bank.
Eventbrite's support site puts the same rule a different way: "Your event payout should arrive within 6-8 business days after your event ends." Both versions add up to roughly a week after your event.
And if it's your first paid event on Eventbrite, there's no way around the wait. In Eventbrite's words: "If you're new to using Eventbrite, your first payout will be sent after your event ends."
Why Eventbrite holds your ticket money until after the event
On Eventbrite's standard setup, Eventbrite Payment Processing, Eventbrite collects the money from your buyers, not you. It "deducts any Ticketing Fees, and sends your payout by direct deposit" on its own schedule.
When it does pay out before an event, Eventbrite holds part of the money back, and says that reserve is there to "help cover potential refunds, chargebacks, and cancellations." That protects your buyers, and it's a fair reason.
Your bills don't wait for it, though. In Eventbrite's own survey, 72% of organizers said they pay for expenses before their event goes ahead, which, in Eventbrite's words, "creates cash flow issues." The venue deposit, the DJ, the decorations, the printed wristbands: all paid up front, while you wait for your payout.
Two ways to get paid before your event on Eventbrite
Eventbrite's help pages describe two ways to get paid sooner, and both come with conditions.
1. A payout schedule
Instead of one payout after the event, Eventbrite can start your payouts every week on Wednesdays, or twice a month on the 1st and 15th. Eventbrite's article Set up a payout schedule says the schedule only sets when processing starts, so "allow up to five business days within the United States" for the money to reach your bank.
2. Instant Payouts
Instant Payouts are for "some U.S. organizers." You request one from your event dashboard, up to $10,000 at a time, and Eventbrite says the deposit "should appear in your bank account within 30 minutes."
The catch: neither one works on your first event
To use either option, Eventbrite requires that you've "previously hosted a paid event on Eventbrite" and already received a payout to your bank account. Instant Payouts also need an upcoming or active event selling in US dollars. So if this is your first event on Eventbrite, both options are off the table. Eventbrite's line: "If your account doesn't qualify for early payouts, you'll receive your payout after the event ends."
What getting paid early on Eventbrite costs
Even when you qualify, you can't reach all of your money. On every early payout, Eventbrite "holds 20% of your event's net sales in reserve," and releases it in your final payout after the event.
Go back to the $3,200. Eventbrite holds $640 of it. The most you can reach before the night is $2,560.
Instant Payouts add a fee: "a 3% fee for each Instant Payout requested, with a minimum fee of $2.99 and a maximum fee of $40.00." Pull the $1,500 deposit instantly and 3% would be $45, so you pay the $40 maximum. Pull $500 for the DJ and it's $15. Pull $300 for decorations and it's $9. Every request is charged again, so three bills paid three separate times cost $64.
There's also a ceiling. Across all your active events, Eventbrite pays out at most $100,000 before events end, and that cap covers both Instant Payouts and scheduled payouts.
How to get your ticket money while tickets are still selling
There's another way to set this up: sell through your own Stripe account.
That's how TixFox works. You connect a Stripe account once, before you publish your event. When someone buys a ticket, the money goes into your Stripe balance at the moment of the sale. TixFox never holds it. With Stripe's automatic daily payouts, Stripe sends your available balance to your bank every business day, and in the US a payment typically becomes available two business days after the sale.
So a ticket sold on Monday can be on its way to your bank on Wednesday, before your event happens, with no payout request, no instant fee, and nothing held back by TixFox. It works on your first event too, as long as you open sales early enough for a new Stripe account's first payout (more on that below).
Back to the deposit. With your own Stripe account, last week's sales can already be in your bank when the venue's text arrives. The fee is 39¢ a ticket (30¢ under $5) plus Stripe's standard card processing (2.9% + 30¢ per order in the US), with no monthly fee. See the full TixFox pricing.
You don't have to move the event you're running now. Try it on your next one: connect Stripe, and you'll see the exact fee on each ticket before you publish.
Two things to know before you switch
We'd rather you hear these from us than find them out the week of your event.
- A brand-new Stripe account pays out slower the first time. Stripe's docs say that after your first live payment, the first payout typically completes within 7 to 14 days. After that, it's the usual couple of days. If your Stripe account is new, open ticket sales early.
- Refunds and chargebacks come out of your Stripe balance. The money is in your account, not ours, so when you refund a buyer it comes from your balance, and TixFox's per-ticket fee isn't refunded. Keep a small cushion in Stripe until the event is done.
The step-by-step guide to selling tickets with Stripe walks through connecting your account.
Organizers who switched
The Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention has run every October since 1988, with more than 170 artists and about 3,500 attendees over three days. Sam Dakart, who handles the convention's marketing, had used other ticketing platforms before moving to TixFox: "I've worked with a handful of other ticketing platforms, and this one has been the best for our needs."
Sam's advice to other organizers is short: "Just try it."
Eventbrite payouts: frequently asked questions
How long does Eventbrite take to pay out?
By default, Eventbrite sends your payout three business days after your event ends. A US bank usually takes another 2 to 3 business days to post it, and banks outside the US take 5 to 7. Eventbrite's support site sums it up as "within 6-8 business days after your event ends" for US banks.
Does Eventbrite pay you before the event?
Only if you qualify. You need to have hosted a paid event on Eventbrite and received a payout to your bank before. Then you can choose weekly or twice-monthly payouts, or request Instant Payouts if they're offered to you. Eventbrite holds 20% of net sales until after the event either way.
How much does an Eventbrite Instant Payout cost?
3% of the amount you pull, with a minimum fee of $2.99 and a maximum of $40 per payout. The fee is charged on every request and comes out of the payout. It applies to Instant Payouts only: Eventbrite's payout schedule article lists no fee for weekly or twice-monthly payouts.
Why haven't I received my Eventbrite payout yet?
Check the calendar first: the payout leaves Eventbrite three business days after your event ends, and your bank needs a few more days. If your bank is in the US, Canada, the UK or Australia, Eventbrite also requires you to verify your financial information before it can send a payout. You can see each payout's status under Finance, then Payouts, in your Eventbrite account.
Can I get paid on my first Eventbrite event?
Not before it ends. Eventbrite's rule is that a new organizer's first payout is sent after the event. Selling through your own Stripe account is the way to have ticket money before a first event, as long as you open sales early enough for Stripe's first payout.
The short version
Eventbrite pays you three business days after your event, plus a few days for your bank. You can get paid sooner only once you've hosted a paid event there and received a payout, with 20% held back and 3% charged for instant. If you'd rather have your ticket money while you're still selling, sell through your own Stripe account.
Eventbrite's fees are a separate question from its payouts. Our Eventbrite review covers what it takes per ticket. When you're ready, set up your next event on TixFox for free, and good luck with that deposit.
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