If you are earning money from Patreon, you are officially considered “self-employed”, and will have to pay tax on this income. This is because Patreon does not withhold any taxes from your income, like an employer would.
So whether you’re a sole proprietor who sells stickers or work as an
independent contractor who does voice-over work and uses Patreon to test out new material, that
15.3% self-employment tax isn’t going anywhere.
Note that this tax is separate from the federal income tax (which you will also have to pay) that is determined by your
tax bracket. If your total tax liability is over $1,000, use a
tax estimate calculator to figure out your quarterly tax payments.
If you’re trying to be more sustainable, Patreon allows for its users to receive paperless tax statements electronically. You can then simply download your
1099-K form as a PDF and use that when you’re filing your taxes.