Payments to members
Payment dates
We’ll pay you any money we’ve collected for you in:
- March
- September (we don’t make any payments for journal or magazine articles in this distribution)
You’ll find the exact dates on our website, social media and newsletter a couple of months beforehand.
Statements
When your payment goes into your nominated bank account, we’ll send you an email letting you know your statement is ready to download from the members’ area.
Your statement shows you:
- The sums collected.
- Where the money has come from.
- Which of your works have generated income.
- The commission we’ve charged and any other deductions.
- Your self-billing VAT invoice (if you’re VAT registered and signed up to the scheme).
What is included in each payment?
We receive many different sources of income at different times of the year from different organisations. After receiving the income, we allocate payments to the writers whose works have been used.
Each distribution of fees you receive includes all sources of income collected and allocated to you since the previous distribution. So, depending on whether we’ve collected any money for your works, you might receive payment in one or both distributions in any year.
Fluctuations in payments
The amount of money you receive from us can fluctuate from year to year. This depends on a combination of factors, including the type(s) of work you produce, what sources of income we’ve received within a given timescale, and the way your work is used.
Depending on the type of work you do, fluctuations can occur for any of the following reasons:
- Payment fluctuations in books royalties
Payments for copying and scanning books come from the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which licenses educational establishments, public bodies and commercial businesses to copy extracts of your work. The CLA carries out regular data collections and audits of institutions to see which works are being copied. It does this among a representative selection of organisations within a given sector (for example, schools) on a continually rotating basis. The data collections capture an ongoing representative sample of works being copied. The CLA applies licence fees to them, and fluctuations can occur as the samples being monitored change over a period of time.
Payments come from different licence groups (such as business licences or further education licences) at different times throughout the year, and this determines whether you receive a payment in the September or March distribution – so some fluctuations are simply down to timing.
- Payment fluctuations in articles royalties
You need to claim for articles royalties each year and payments are made in March. The types of publication being copied determine the funds available to be claimed. So year-to-year payment fluctuations for your journal and magazine articles depend on the types of publication you’ve written for, as well as the number of articles you claim for each year.
- Payment fluctuations in audiovisual (UK) royalties
Payments for scripted TV and radio works used in the UK depend on the length of the work and the number of times it’s broadcast on eligible UK channels within a given period. The more minutes broadcast and the more times it’s shown, the more payments you’re likely to receive in the next distribution. Payments can come in to us up to 12 months after the date of broadcast, and the date we receive the money determines when we pay you.
- Payment fluctuations in audiovisual (Overseas) royalties
Payments for scripted TV and radio works used overseas are determined by partner organisations in the countries where your works are broadcast. Different countries pay us at different times of the year, with varying levels of frequency, and this affects the timing of payments to you.
We occasionally receive payments from other organisations that include ‘negative’ amounts. These ‘negatives’ are generally corrections that have been made to previous payment amounts we’ve been sent (often because an incorrect tax rate has been charged which has been retrospectively picked up by the organisation that sent it). This can impact the amount of money that you receive and in some cases mean that you won’t receive a payment in a distribution.
Why do some books earn money, but not others?
Payments for copying and scanning books come from the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which licenses educational establishments, public bodies and commercial businesses to copy extracts of your work. It might not be your most popular or latest titles that are copied – it’s those that the licensed establishments own and decide to copy. In fact, studies show that the average age of publications copied or scanned under CLA licences is eight years old.
Why do we make payments only twice a year?
Processing payments to over 100,000 members in a distribution, and ensuring that your statements are correct, takes time. By making payments only twice a year, we can cut down on administration time and costs, and focus on collecting and paying out more money to members.
Haven’t received a payment?
Most of our members are paid only in March. But if you haven’t received a payment from us, and think you should have, please login to the members’ area and check for any notifications on your account.
Generally no notification in your account will mean you weren’t due a payment. If you believe this is incorrect, you can always contact us and we’ll be happy to look into this for you.
If you need to know anything about your payments or statements, our operations and membership departments will be happy to help:
+44 (0)207 264 5700
