Instructor Payments - General

This article outlines Udemy’s revenue sharing plan for premium instructors. Udemy seeks to create a sustainable partnership with instructors, where instructors are rewarded for creating amazing content and bringing students to the platform, and Udemy is rewarded for driving sales for our instructors.

There is no fee to create and host a course on Udemy, and you can publish as many free and paid courses as you like. 

Instructor revenue share overview

While we encourage you to take a look at the Instructor Terms for additional information regarding Udemy’s revenue share, a summary of the sharing plan for transactional sales is below.

Please note these are revenue shares on the Net Amount, which is the amount a student paid less any applicable taxes or fees, such as the 30% fee imposed by Apple or Google for sales on iOS and Android. A full definition of the Net Amount is available in our Instructor Terms.

• Sales occurring through instructor promotions: instructors receive 97% of the revenue when the student purchases their content using an instructor’s coupon or referral link.
• Sales that do not occur through an instructor promotion: instructors receive 37% of the revenue for any Udemy sales where no instructor coupon or course referral link was used. These sales might occur after a user clicks on a Udemy advertisement, or browses the Udemy marketplace for courses.

Instructors may also participate in our Udemy Business program. Learn how to earn revenue from Udemy Business.

Please note:

• The summary above outlines the revenue share between Udemy and instructors for a given sale It does not factor in any additional revenue sharing that an instructor may have allocated for co-instructors.

Reporting

Instructors can track all incoming sales in their Revenue Report. Some of the information the report includes are the student name, the date of purchase, and the total price paid. Learn more about the instructor revenue report.

Once a student has purchased your course, you'll have access to the instructor revenue report, where you can track and review your course sales. In addition to an overview of your course sales, the Revenue Report includes transactional details for each enrollment, revenue by channel, and data regarding your own promotional activity.

Table of Contents

• How to view the Revenue Report
• Lifetime earnings and revenue channels
• When Udemy-driven sales are assigned to attribution channels
• Monthly summary
• Total earnings
• Your promotion activity
• Your earnings by course
• Viewing single transaction details
• Exporting the Revenue Report as  a .csv
• Why is a user name on my Revenue Report but not on the Student List?

How to view the Revenue Report

The revenue report can be reached from every page on Udemy. To access your revenue report, please follow the steps below:

1. From the instructor view, move your cursor to your profile image in the top-right-hand of the page
2. Click on Revenue report from the dropdown menu

Lifetime earnings and revenue channels

On the main, revenue report page, you can see your Lifetime Earnings (pre-tax) and sales data based on specific revenue channels. For example, if you’ve been running your own promotions and distributing instructor coupon codes, you’ll be able to review how that revenue channel has been performing.

Lifetime earnings are determined by utilizing the formula below:

TOTAL EARNINGS = YOUR SHARE OF TOTAL PURCHASES + OTHER REVENUE - REFUNDS

To review your earnings through specific revenue channels, however, please do the following:

1. Hover over the chart to see how each channel is performing.
2. Click and drag to zoom in for a closer look at the graph. 

The revenue channels include: Udemy Organic, Your Promotions, Ad Program, Refunds, Individual Subscription, Affiliate Program, Udemy Business, Adjustments, and External Partners. To review more information regarding each of these channels, simply click on the icon to the right of the channel's title.

When Udemy-driven sales are assigned to attribution channels

To help ensure accurate revenue reporting, attribution channels for Udemy-driven sales are not assigned until 72 hours after the transaction. While these sales will appear promptly in your sales list and your total earnings, they won't appear on visualizations that split out revenue by channel attribution, until they have a final attribution.

Monthly summary

In addition to your overall data, sales are categorized by month on your Revenue Report. Scroll down the revenue report to see the expected payment dates, the pre-tax amount, withheld tax totals, and your net earnings for a specific month. To see a more detailed sales report for a specific month, simply click on the month in the Time Period column.

• For more detailed information on instructor payments, learn more about the instructor Payout Report.

On your monthly summary page, you can review the following pie charts:

Total earnings

After clicking on a specific month, you can see a breakdown of your course revenue (pre-tax earnings) and refunds in the first pie chart. To review an individual course's performance by sales channel, simply select the applicable course in the course filter.

Your promotion activity

The second pie chart shows which of your promotions are driving sales. Udemy coupons will not appear in this section, only instructor coupons that you’ve created for your courses.

Your earnings by course

The third pie chart on the right-hand side of the page, breaks down your sales, by course. 

The following pages are also available for each monthly report:

Purchases: Your share of total purchases is your net revenue after revenues are split with Udemy, any marketing partners (e.g., affiliates), and any co-instructors on your course. Learn more about how Udemy’s revenue sharing plan works.

Redemptions: Redemptions occur when a coupon or gift code is redeemed to purchase a course. This can include Enrollments that take place via third party sites, like Groupon for example, which also require coupon code redemptions.

Refunds: details regarding refunds for your courses, and the change to your revenue is posted on this page.

Other: other revenue includes external partner payments and adjustments (corrections for any errors in past statements).

Udemy Business:  this category includes details regarding revenue your courses may have earned from the Udemy Business Content Subscription program.

The Individual Subscription channel

Learn more about payments for the Personal Plan (individual subscription pilot).

Viewing single transaction details

You can also review detailed information for each transaction, including the time of the enrollment, the platform it took place on, and any fees or taxes that were applied. To see additional information for a transaction, click on View Details that’s posted in Your Revenue column on the right-hand side.

Learn more about how instructor revenue is calculated.

Exporting the Revenue Report as  a .csv

You can download the revenue report as a .csv file in order to further analyze the data. After clicking into a monthly statement, click Export as CSV at the bottom of the page, enter your email, and we’ll send you the file within a few minutes.

Why is a user name on my Revenue Report but not on the Student List?

This article includes answers to frequently asked questions regarding the direct deposit  (Automated Clearing House (ACH)) payment option for premium instructors. By selecting direct deposit, instructors can have their Udemy payments sent to their applicable bank account directly and securely.

Please note: currently, the direct deposit payment option is only available to instructors who are residents in the United States with a U.S. bank account. When direct deposits are available as a payment option for instructors and bank accounts in other nations, we will update this article.

Frequently asked questions regarding direct deposits for instructor payments

How do I set up direct deposit as a payment method?

Learn how to set up direct deposit as an instructor payment method.

What if I need to change the bank account I set up for my direct deposit?

Please review how to change or delete bank accounts you have set up for direct deposit.

Why am I unable to save my bank account information for the direct deposit option?

If you’re encountering issues saving your bank account information, please contact your bank to verify you are entering the correct information. 

In addition, please be sure that your name is entered exactly as it appears in your bank account (note: only the first 22 characters of a name can be entered into the direct deposit form). 

How long will it take before I receive money in my bank account, after Udemy sends my monthly payment?

Generally speaking, direct deposit transfers should be completed within 1 to 2 business days. The transfer may take longer, however, depending on your financial institution. 

Will I be charged any fees if I use direct deposit to receive my payments?

Udemy does not charge instructors any fees to use direct deposit as their payment method. We advise checking with your bank regarding any exchange or transaction fees they may charge.

When will direct deposit be available as a payment method for non-U.S. instructors?

Our team hopes to make this feature available to instructors residing outside of the United States with bank accounts in other nations. At this time, we do not have a definitive timeline for when this feature will become available in other jurisdictions. 

As the direct deposit option becomes available in other regions, we will be sure to notify our instructor community.

Is there a minimum total required in order to receive my payment?

Udemy does not have a minimum total that is required in order for instructors to receive their payment via direct deposit. 

We advise instructors to check with their bank, however, regarding any transfer limitations that may apply to their bank account.

Are there other payment methods instructors can use? 

Yes. Instructors can also set up Payoneer or PayPal as their payment method.

Where can I see when Udemy will be sending my payment? Or how much my payment will be?

You can view expected payment dates and the payment amount for a specific month on your Revenue Report.

What if I didn’t receive my direct deposit payment?

Please review our troubleshooting steps for missing instructor payments.

This article outlines how Udemy premium instructors can set up direct deposit (Automated Clearing House (ACH)) as their payment method for course revenue they earn. By selecting direct deposit, instructors can have their Udemy payments sent to their applicable bank account directly and securely.

Please note: 

• Currently, the direct deposit payment option is only available to instructors who are residents in the United States with a U.S. bank account. When direct deposits are available as a payment option for instructors and bank accounts in other nations, we will update this article.
• Udemy does not charge instructors any fees to use direct deposit as their payment method. We advise instructors to check with their bank, however, regarding any exchange or transaction fees that may apply. 

How to set up direct deposit as an instructor payment method

Instructors can set up direct deposit as their payment method by following these steps:

1. Move your cursor to your profile avatar at the top right and click on Payout settings from the dropdown menu. 
2. Click Connect to the right of the direct deposit option.
3. Enter your banking information as requested. Please be sure to enter your name exactly as it appears in your bank account (note: only the first 22 characters of a name can be entered into the form).
4. Click Save.

After your bank account information has successfully been entered, and is ready to receive payments, Active will appear on the Payout settings page, direct deposit option. The last four digits of the corresponding bank account number will also appear.

Issues entering your bank account information

If you’re encountering issues saving your bank account information on the Payout settings page, please contact your bank to verify you are entering the correct information and that your account with them is active.

As noted above, please also be sure to enter your name exactly as it appears in your bank account (note: only the first 22 characters of a name can be entered into the form).

If you have more than one U.S. bank account, you can also try entering and saving that account’s information.

How to change or delete your bank account information for direct deposit

If you need to add, delete, or connect a bank account moving forward, click Manage on the right hand side of the direct deposit option. 

1. Move your cursor to your profile avatar at the top right and click on Payout settings from the dropdown menu. 
2. Click Manage on the direct deposit option.
3. Select the bank account information you wish to delete, change, or connect as your direct deposit payment method. You can also add another account by clicking the add a new bank account option.
4. After clicking Save that bank account will be designated to receive your payments. You can verify the account that is set up to receive your funds, on the Payout settings page.

Please note:

• We recommend instructors delete bank accounts from the direct deposit option they do not intend to use. This will help ensure the correct bank account is connected to receive your monthly payment.
• After deleting a bank account from your settings, please be sure to activate another previously entered bank account for direct deposit, or a different payment option (so that your next payment can be sent on the applicable date).

Additional resources

• Answers to frequently asked questions about the direct deposit, payment method.
• Learn how instructors can set up Payoneer or PayPal as their payment method 
• Learn more about the instructor payouts page and how to troubleshoot an instructor payment.
• Learn how to begin a premium instructor application.

Udemy partners with a variety of trusted ecommerce brands to sell courses directly on other platforms or websites. This helps reach students who might not otherwise discover Udemy, and also lets students use payment methods not yet supported on Udemy.com to make their purchase. For courses that are selected for this type of distribution, this can provide exposure to new audiences and an additional revenue stream.

What is a Udemy Reseller?

Resellers are commerce sites or platforms that have an official partnership with Udemy to sell certain Udemy courses directly on their platform. Students who purchase a Udemy course via a reseller make their payment to that entity rather than to Udemy. They then access any courses they purchase directly on the Udemy platform.

How do students enroll in courses purchased from resellers?

When a student purchases a Udemy course through a reseller, they receive a unique, personal enrollment link to the email address they provide. Once the student has used this link to enroll, they will appear in the course's student list and on the instructor revenue report like any other student.

Is my course automatically offered via resellers?

Not every course is selected for reseller distribution. Udemy works with resellers to identify courses with relevance to their unique audience. 

How is instructor pay calculated for reseller purchases?

Any enrollments facilitated by a reseller will be categorized as "External Partner" on the instructor revenue report. The "sale details" on the transaction-level summary will display the sale amount in US dollars, the revenue share, and the final instructor pay. 

What should instructors do with questions about representations made by resellers?

If you have questions about a listing on a reseller site, or you'd like to confirm that an external listing is an official reseller partnership, please reach out to policy@udemy.com.

Udemy has partnered with Payoneer, a leading global payments service provider, to offer our instructors another flexible, low-cost payment method. Payments from Payoneer can be delivered to your local bank account or to your prepaid Mastercard® card.

Below are some of the frequently asked questions and answers regarding Payoneer.

How do I register with Payoneer?

From the Udemy Premium Instructor payout selection page, choose Payoneer as your payment method. Continue the signup process as prompted.

Learn how to become a premium instructor and set up your payment method.

Payoneer prepaid MasterCard® sign up:

Click “Connect” and select the prepaid MasterCard® option from the index page. Follow the registration process and complete the registration steps.

The Prepaid Debit MasterCard® will be mailed to you in over 200 countries and credited with your payments from Udemy. After receiving the card, you will be able to use it just like a regular debit card.

For more information regarding the prepaid card and what countries it's available in, please contact Payoneer Support.

Local Bank Transfer sign up:

Click “Connect” and choose the Bank Transfers option from the index page. Follow the registration process and complete the registration steps. Make sure that you have your local bank account details handy as you'll need them during the sign up.

Local Bank transfer lets you quickly, easily and safely receive money directly to your bank account in local currency, after initiating the withdrawal in your Payoneer account. Revenue is transferred directly to your local bank account in your local currency. Funds are available within 1–3 business days.

What happens after I register?

Once you have submitted your Payoneer application, you can view your account status at any time by logging into your Payoneer account - My Account.

New applications can take several business days to be approved (usually no more than 3 business days). Once approved, you will receive an email confirmation with further details. In some situations, you may be asked to provide extra details such as a copy of your ID, Certificate of Incorporation, bank statement or other documents.

What if I’m already a Payoneer user?

If you’re already a Payoneer user, select “Already have a Payoneer Account” during registration.

How long does it take for the payment from Payoneer to be transferred to my account?

Udemy payments are delivered to instructors monthly, after the 30 day period for refunds has ended. Learn more about Udemy’s payment schedule for instructors.

Once Udemy transfers the revenue you’ve earned to your Payoneer account and you request a withdrawal, the processing time for transferring to your bank account may vary, depending on your country and payment method: The estimated time for local transfers from Payoneer to your bank account is 1-3 business days. The estimated time for transfers from Payoneer to your card is within 2 hours.

What fees are included when receiving funds?

The exact fees depend on the card or Local Bank Transfer. Detailed pricing and fees information can be viewed during registration on the top left corner under the “Fees” tab. After registration, please go to the "Pricing & Fees" tab located under the "Help" menu in My Account. For pricing and fees for Local Bank Transfers, you will have an opportunity to see and approve this in Step 4 during the registration process before submitting the application. 

Is there a minimum amount required for withdrawals?

For information regarding minimum withdrawal amounts that may apply to your Payoneer account, please contact Payoneer Support.

How can I receive more information?

For more information in English and other languages, please contact Payoneer Support.

This article outlines how to use the instructor Payout Report, where Udemy premium instructors can keep track of their monthly payout and troubleshoot their failed or missing monthly payments from Udemy.

• Learn more about instructor payouts and the payout schedule.
• Learn about the Instructor Revenue Report and the Udemy revenue share model.  

Table of contents

• Instructor Payout Report
  • How to access your Payout Report
  • How to view the Payout Report
  • Payout statuses
• Troubleshooting failed instructor payouts

Instructor Payout Report

How to access your Payout Report

You can view this information on the Payout Report page. 

To access the page from the instructor view, click on your profile image in the top-right corner. From the dropdown, select Payout report.

How to view the Payout Report

On the main Payout Report page, you can view your current amount to be paid and check the status of all previous payouts. Additionally, you'll receive important notifications, including missing payout or alerts relevant to your tax information.

Amount To Be Paid

Under Amount To Be Paid, you can view your existing balance available for withdrawal for your next payout.

• Learn more about Udemy's payment process and schedule for instructors.

Payout History 

The Payout History section allows you to monitor the status of all your instructor payouts over time. Here, you can:

• Review the history and payout method for each monthly payout.
• Track the amount of each payment, including tax withholdings.
• Check the month each payout was initiated.
• Keep track of the current status of your payouts

Payout statuses

Each payout item has one of the following statuses to help you keep track of what has been paid out

• Success: The payout has been successfully sent to your instructor payment method.
  • Please Note: The payment may take additional time to appear in your account, depending on your banking provider's processing time.
• Failed: The payout was attempted by Udemy but was not delivered. See the troubleshooting steps below for actions you can take to resolve this.
• Processing: The payout is currently being processed. You should see a status update within 3 business days.
• Queuing: The payout is currently in the queue. We will attempt to process it within 10 business days.
• Ready to Pay: The payout is ready to be processed in the queue. We will attempt to process it within 5 business days.
• Initial: This status may appear before your payout is ready to begin processing. For most payment methods, you should see a status update within 5 business days.
• Blocked: The payout is currently being blocked. Please follow the troubleshooting steps below to unblock your payment. 
• Unpaid: The payout has been canceled or resent with a new payout.
• Undefined: The status of your payout is currently not defined in our system, which can occur with certain payout methods. We are continuing to process your payment, and you can expect to see an update in the payout status. 

Troubleshooting failed instructor payouts

Instructors will automatically receive email notifications regarding the status of their payouts, and whether they have been successfully processed or have encountered an issue.

If you encounter an unsuccessful payout status, or if your Payout Report is showing that you should have received a payout but haven't, please check the following:

• On your Payout Settings page, check to see that you have set up a payment method (PayPal, Payoneer, or direct deposit (U.S. only)). 
• If you have set up PayPal or Payoneer as your payment method, check to see if your PayPal or Payoneer account is verified to receive payments.
• Depending on the payment method you have selected, contact PayPal, Payoneer, or your bank to see if there are any issues with your account.

If you're still having trouble, please contact Udemy Support by clicking Contact Us. Please be sure to mention which monthly payments you have not received.

This article is an overview of the payment schedule for premium instructors, after their course is published on Udemy and they receive paid enrollments.

Table of Contents

• Instructor payment overview and schedule
• Instructor revenue share
• The instructor revenue report
• Instructor payment methods
• Instructor payment email notifications
• Missing an instructor payment?

Instructor payment overview and schedule

Here are the steps involved in Udemy’s payment schedule for instructors.

1. As an instructor, a contract is signed with the United States based, Udemy, Inc.

2. The instructor’s paid course is submitted for review and published on Udemy.com

3. In the first month, if your course receives paid enrollments, student fees are transferred to Udemy, and Udemy deducts transaction taxes and other fees from that amount as listed in the Instructor Terms.

4. Months 1 & 2: Udemy, Inc. processes refunds, corrections, and other adjustments.

5. Month 3: Udemy pays instructor [(total Month 1 student payments after applicable deductions –  total refunds) x % revenue share]. Expected payment dates and the payment amount for a specific month are posted on your Revenue Report. All payments to instructors are from U.S.-based Udemy, Inc.

Instructor revenue share

Learn more about how Udemy’s revenue sharing plan works.

The instructor revenue report

The Instructor Revenue Report includes transactional details for each enrollment, revenue by channel, and data regarding your own promotional activity. Learn more about  the instructor revenue report.

Instructor payment methods

Learn how to set up your instructor payment method: PayPal, Payoneer or direct deposit (U.S. only).

Instructor payment email notifications

Instructors will automatically receive emails when their payouts have either successfully processed or encountered an issue.

Successful Payouts: You will receive an email notification confirming that your payout was successfully processed and sent. You can access your Payout Report for further details on the transaction.

Failed Payouts: If there is an issue with your payout, you'll receive an email notification guiding you to our troubleshooting steps for failed instructor payouts.

Missing an instructor payment?

Learn about our Instructor payout report and view troubleshooting steps to take for missing instructor payments.