Educational only. Payout terms reflect Twitch's public Partner / Partner Plus disclosures as of 2026. Your contract may differ — and Amazon adjusts splits annually.
The single most common question from new Twitch streamers: "how much does a Tier 1 sub actually pay?" Default Partner contract = 50/50, so a $4.99 sub pays roughly $2.50 to the streamer. Plug your sub counts into the Twitch Subscriber Revenue Calculator and we'll walk through how to lift it.
50/50 vs 60/40 vs 70/30
- 50/50: default Partner contract since 2023. Streamer keeps half of every sub.
- 60/40 (Partner Plus): on the first $100,000 of sub revenue per calendar year, then drops to 50/50. Qualify by averaging 350 paid subs/mo for 3 months (or 100 for entry-tier Plus).
- 70/30: legacy contracts from pre-2023, not being renewed for new partners.
Prime subs, Bits, and Hype Train
Prime subs pay the streamer ~$2.50, roughly equivalent to a Tier 1 split. Bits pay the streamer $0.01 per bit cheered, but Twitch sells bits at a markup (100 bits = $1.40, 500 = $7) — that gap is Twitch's cut. Hype Train isn't a revenue line, but it multiplies sub/cheer events for 5 minutes after a flood of activity and measurably lifts session revenue 6–14%.
The math on 250 subs
A mid-Partner with 250 Tier-1, 12 Tier-2, 5 Tier-3, and 60 Prime at 50/50 split + 50K bits/mo earns:
- Tier 1: 250 × $4.99 × 50% = $623.75
- Tier 2: 12 × $9.99 × 50% = $59.94
- Tier 3: 5 × $24.99 × 50% = $62.48
- Prime: 60 × $2.50 × 50% = $75.00
- Bits: 50,000 × $0.01 = $500
- Total: ~$1,321/mo from Twitch
Off-Twitch is where real income lives
Top streamers earn 60–80% of income outside Twitch payouts: YouTube ad revenue (long-form VOD + Shorts), sponsorships ($25–75 CPM CCV via Loaded, OTK, FaZe-style networks), merch (10–18% margin via Fourthwall, Loot), and tournament/appearance fees. Treat Twitch payout as your floor, not your ceiling.