How tutors get paid
How payment works once you're certified and taking bookings on ImChatty.
Turn on booking
Learners can book you on ImChatty once your payout method is set up. Under Payouts in your tutor settings:
- Choose Stripe or PayPal. For Stripe, connect an account and complete Stripe's identity verification. For PayPal, add the email address you receive payments on.
- Confirm that the identity details on file with your payout provider are accurate.
The Book button then appears on your profile.
You set your rate
You choose your own hourly rate and can change it at any time. Learners see it on your profile and book you directly. There's no listing fee and no monthly cost.
The split
You keep 80% of every session fee, after payment-processing costs. Stripe's processing fee comes off the top first, then the 80/20 split applies to what's left, so ImChatty's effective share of the gross amount is a little above 20%.
Currencies
What the learner pays depends on the product, but everything you earn is paid in US dollars:
- Lessons: your rate is in dollars, and every learner pays in dollars, whatever their country. The processing fee comes off first, then you keep 80%.
- Naturalization mock interviews: the candidate pays 39 €, and the coach is paid a fixed $20 per interview. The exchange rate doesn't change your pay.
- Tasks: a fixed amount in dollars, shown in the task. No fee comes off it.
If your bank account is in another currency, Stripe converts your dollars when it pays you out, at its own rate with a small conversion fee.
Estimate what you'll receive
- Learner pays
- $30
- Processing fee (estimate)
- −$1.62
- You receive (80% of the rest)
- $22.70 ≈ 19,52 €
The real processing fee depends on the learner's card. This uses Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30, plus 1.5% for cards issued outside the US. The euro figure uses the rate above, so check today's rate. Stripe also takes a small conversion fee, so expect a little less in your bank.
Payout timing
A session counts as complete 48 hours after it ends. That window gives you and your learner time to report a problem. If nobody does, your share is sent automatically to your payout method, with no invoicing on your side. Stripe payouts then follow Stripe's regular schedule, and PayPal payouts arrive once PayPal confirms the transfer.
A session you didn't join, or one with a reported problem, isn't paid out automatically. Our team reviews it instead. New tutors may see their first Stripe payouts held a little longer while verification finishes. There's no monthly minimum.
Taxes
You're an independent contractor, not an employee, so you're responsible for your own taxes on what you earn through ImChatty. Where required, tax forms (for example a 1099-K in the US) are issued through Stripe as the payment processor. ImChatty does not withhold tax on your behalf.
The full terms
This page is a plain-language summary. The binding details (compensation, cancellations, disputes, and termination) are in the Tutor Agreement.
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