{
  "slug": "fantasy-league-payout-calculator",
  "title": "Fantasy League Payout Split Calculator",
  "heading": "Fantasy League Payout Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fantasy-league-payout-calculator",
  "summary": "Split your league's total prize pool across places and side pots fairly.",
  "description": "Most fantasy leagues collect a buy-in per manager, then argue about payout structure every August. This calculator takes your total pool and splits it across finishing places using common payout structures — winner-take-most, top-3 tiered, or a flat percentage split you define — while also carving out optional side pots like weekly high-score, toilet bowl loser payment, or a regular-season points champion. Standard structures in home leagues tend to pay the champion 50-60% of the pool, second place 20-25%, and third place 10-15%, sometimes with a small regular-season leader bonus taken off the top before the playoff splits are calculated. This tool does the arithmetic so the numbers add up to exactly 100% of the pool before the season starts, which avoids the classic dispute where someone realizes in week 16 that the agreed percentages summed to 103% of the actual pot. Set your split once, confirm the dollar amounts, and lock it into the league constitution before Draft Day.",
  "formula": "Each place's payout = pool × its percentage share, after subtracting any flat side-pot amounts first. Percentages must sum to 100% of the remaining pool.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=fantasy-league-payout-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "teams",
      "label": "Number of teams",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 4,
      "max": 20
    },
    {
      "id": "buyIn",
      "label": "Buy-in per team",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "sidePot",
      "label": "Side pot (weekly high score, etc.) — flat $ off the top",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "firstPct",
      "label": "1st place %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "secondPct",
      "label": "2nd place %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 25,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "thirdPct",
      "label": "3rd place %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "pool",
      "label": "Total prize pool",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "first",
      "label": "1st place payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "second",
      "label": "2nd place payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "third",
      "label": "3rd place payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "remaining",
      "label": "Pool after side pots removed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "pctSum",
      "label": "Your percentages total (should be 100%)",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Number of teams: 12",
      "Buy-in per team: 100 $",
      "Side pot (weekly high score, etc.) — flat $ off the top: 100 $",
      "1st place %: 60 %",
      "2nd place %: 25 %",
      "3rd place %: 15 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total prize pool: $1,200",
      "1st place payout: $660",
      "2nd place payout: $275",
      "3rd place payout: $165",
      "Pool after side pots removed: $1,100",
      "Your percentages total (should be 100%): 100%"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter number of teams.",
      "Enter buy-in per team ($).",
      "Enter side pot (weekly high score, etc.) — flat $ off the top ($).",
      "Enter 1st place % (%).",
      "Enter 2nd place % (%).",
      "Enter 3rd place % (%).",
      "Read your total prize pool on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "teams": 7,
        "buyIn": 60,
        "sidePot": 60,
        "firstPct": 36,
        "secondPct": 15,
        "thirdPct": 9
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "teams": 12,
        "buyIn": 100,
        "sidePot": 100,
        "firstPct": 60,
        "secondPct": 25,
        "thirdPct": 15
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "teams": 19,
        "buyIn": 160,
        "sidePot": 160,
        "firstPct": 96,
        "secondPct": 40,
        "thirdPct": 24
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a typical payout split for a 12-team home league?",
      "a": "The most common structure is roughly 60/25/15 or 65/25/10 for the top three finishers, sometimes with a small $25-$50 bonus to the regular-season points leader taken off the top before playoff payouts are calculated. Winner-take-all is simpler but reduces incentive for teams fighting for 2nd or 3rd late in the season."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should losers pay a penalty instead of just winners getting paid?",
      "a": "Many leagues add a last-place penalty (a public dare, a small cash payment to the group, or a punishment) funded by a small carve-out of the buy-in. This doesn't change the payout math above the direct prize pool but is worth deciding and writing down before the season, alongside the payout percentages."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why do my percentages need to sum to exactly 100%?",
      "a": "If they sum to more than 100%, the pool doesn't have enough money to cover every promised payout and someone gets shorted or the commissioner has to cover the gap personally. If they sum to less than 100%, money sits unaccounted for. This calculator flags your total so you can adjust before the season locks in."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fantasy-auction-budget-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fantasy-keeper-value-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/survivor-pool-pick-ev-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Fantasy League Payout Split Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fantasy-league-payout-calculator)"
}