In the Big Leagues now

Getting your first payout as a creator is a weird mix of pride, disbelief, and “wait… do I have to tell someone about this?” The short answer is yes. The IRS. Your state. Maybe your mom, if she’s been asking how your “little videos” are going.

It’s exciting. It’s finally real. One step closer to becoming the next Mr. Beast. And it’s the moment your content stops being just a hobby and starts being a business - whether you meant to or not.

Step 1: Separate Your Money

The first move is to setup a separate checking account for anything related to your creator work. Not a joint account. Not your personal account where you buy groceries. A separate one.

Why? Because mixing personal and business spending is the fastest way to make taxes confusing and to accidentally spend the money you were supposed to set aside.

Even if you don’t register a business yet (which really depends on how much income you are bringing in), having a “content money” account makes everything easier. All income goes in. All business expenses come out. End of story.

Step 2: Keep Track From Day One

You might be thinking, “I’ll start tracking this stuff when I’m making real money.” This is how people end up in April with a year’s worth of Venmo notifications and zero clue what’s deductible.

Track your income and expenses from the very first dollar. You don’t need fancy software right away - a simple spreadsheet goes a long way! But if you want to skip the spreadsheet entirely, tools like ours can automatically pull your income and expenses together and show you what’s likely deductible.

Step 3: Taxes Are NOT Optional

It doesn’t matter if you made $200 or $20,000. If it’s income, it’s taxable. Creators are considered self-employed, which means there’s no magic payroll withholding taxes for you. You’ll need to set aside part of what you earn (general guidance is ~30%) and pay quarterly estimated taxes if you expect to owe more than $1,000 for the year. Quarterly taxes can actually be really helpful. Instead of paying all of your taxes in one painful lump during tax season, you make four smaller payments throughout the year (April, June, September, and January).

Paying quarterly does two big things for you:

1. It keeps you from getting slammed in April. You’re spreading the hit across the year instead of saving it all up (or worse, not saving it at all).

2. It avoids penalties. The IRS expects you to pay as you earn. If you wait until tax season to hand over everything, they will charge you extra for being late, even if you pay in full. The penalty is usually a percentage of what you should have paid each quarter, plus interest that keeps adding up until you pay it off. It’s basically the government’s way of saying “we noticed you didn’t pay us when you should have, and now you owe us even more.”

Step 4: Catch Receipts Like They Are Pokémon

That microphone? Deductible. Editing software? Deductible. Even part of your internet bull might count (see previous blog post). But none of it matters if you can’t prove you bought it for your business.

Save receipts, invoices, and confirmations. Screenshots and crumbled up receipts work fine!

Step 5: Think Like a Business Owner

The moment you start making money, you’re not “just making Tik Tok videos” anymore. You’re running a business. That doesn’t mean you have to act like Jeff Bezos, but it does mean thinking about your content in terms of profit, not just revenue.

Ask yourself:

• How much do I actually keep after expenses?

• What’s worth investing in?

• Is there a slower month I should plan ahead for?

This is how you make sure the excitement of getting paid doesn’t fade into the panic of “where did all of my money go?”

The Bottom Line

That first payment is the start of something bigger. It can be the beginning of a thriving creative business or the start of a very messy tax season. Which one it becomes is up to what you do right now.

Start clean. Stay organized. And remember: if you take care of the money side early, you get to spend more time on the part that actually matters - making the stuff you love.

Keep on Creating!

— The Beluga Labs Team