Payment Timelines, Statements & FAQs
When are royalty payments distributed?
Royalty payments are distributed on a monthly basis. Payments go out about 75 days after the end of each calendar usage month. For example, usage from January would be paid in mid-April.
How can I tell what a statement includes?
Review your royalty statement and look at the following fields:
- Processing Type — shows whether the payment includes newly reported, historical, or reprocessed royalties
- Usage Period Start Date
- Usage Period End Date
These details help identify which usage periods are included in a given distribution.
Why can payment amounts change from one statement to the next?
Payment amounts may vary from one distribution to the next because later distributions often include more current usage and fewer historical or reprocessed royalties. The first several royalty distributions may include historically unclaimed or reprocessed royalties in addition to royalties from the current usage period.
When are retroactive royalties paid?
Retroactive royalties may be paid after:
- A work is newly registered
- Ownership information is updated
- A match is made to previously unmatched usage
- Royalty calculations are adjusted
Retroactive royalties are distributed on a non-linear schedule, so they may appear in future statements rather than all at once.
Why might a royalty statement be blank or not show a payee?
A payee list on the Royalty Statements page only populates when there is a statement available. If no statement has been generated yet, the payee dropdown will remain blank.
What should I check if I am waiting for royalties from earlier usage periods?
- Download your royalty statements.
- Review the Processing Type column.
- Check the Usage Period Start Date and Usage Period End Date columns.
- Look for royalties in future monthly statements if they are not included yet.
How are unpaid royalties from a previous year shown?
Unpaid royalties from a previous year appear as reprocessing royalties on royalty statements.