After you’ve submitted your final content for a paid brief, here’s how payment works.
The 30-day window
Once the brief’s content due date passes, Cohley sets a pay-by date for the brand — 30 days from the due date. That’s the brand’s deadline to send your payment.
Because the window is tied to the brief’s due date, everyone on the brief has the same pay-by date — submitting your content early doesn’t move yours earlier. The brand triggers your payment within Cohley anytime in that window, and Cohley dispatches it via PayPal to the account you have on file.
Track your payment status on the brief card
- Awaiting payment — the brand hasn’t sent your payment yet. The brief stays in your Active tab.
- Completed — the brand has sent your payment and Cohley has dispatched it via PayPal. The brief moves to your Past tab.
Status updates in real time, so as soon as the brand triggers your payment you’ll see it change. You’ll also see a payment highlight in your Weekly Pulse email when payment is sent.
The brief stays in Active until you’ve actually been paid — even if it’s past the 30-day pay-by date. If your status still shows Awaiting payment after 30 days, the brief won’t move to Past until the brand sends the payment.
For more detail on what each status means, see How do I know when a brand has paid me?
Fees and your cut
- Cohley doesn’t take any cut of your creator compensation. You receive 100% of what was agreed in the brief.
- PayPal doesn’t charge you a fee for the standard payout.
- For tax season, PayPal compiles your 1099 automatically — see Do I need to file any tax form for Cohley payments?
If your payment hasn’t arrived by the pay date
- It’s been less than 30 days from the brief’s due date — you’re still within the brand’s pay-by window. Keep an eye on the brief card status.
- It’s been more than 30 days — your brief will still be in Active with the Awaiting payment status. Message the brand directly in your brief chat from there.
- The brand hasn’t responded within 2 business days of your message — email support@cohley.com with the brand name and the brief name. We’ll follow up on your behalf.
If the payment was attempted but didn’t land
PayPal can occasionally block or delay payments. The most common reasons and where to learn more:
- Your PayPal account is on hold — see Why is my payment on hold from PayPal?
- Your PayPal account isn’t verified yet — see Verify PayPal
- You don’t have a PayPal account connected — see Don’t have a PayPal account?
- The payment tier looks wrong — see I was not paid for the correct tier based on my follower count and Why was I paid in the wrong payment tier?
A note on the amount you’ll be paid
The amount on your brief card is your specific pay rate for that brief — Cohley already factors in your tier (if the brief is tiered) and any negotiation you did:
- Flat-rate briefs pay the exact amount listed in the brief
- Tier-based briefs (where pay scales with follower count) display the amount that applies to your tier — you’ll see your own rate, not a tier table
- Negotiated briefs pay the amount you agreed on in chat — see Can I negotiate compensation?
If something looks off, message the brand first; if you can’t reach a resolution, email support@cohley.com.