Coins, diamonds, and what's actually yours
Viewers buy coins, spend them on gifts, and the gift converts to diamonds in your balance. The platform takes its share between those steps, so the headline coin value of a gift is roughly double what reaches you — and that's before withdrawal fees and tax.
Treat it like self-employment income
Gift income is taxable in almost every jurisdiction and nothing is withheld for you.
- • Set aside tax from every payout rather than at year end.
- • Keep your own record of payouts — platform statements can be hard to retrieve later.
- • Currency conversion and payment-provider fees are real costs; include them in the fee input.
- • Payout thresholds mean a slow month may not pay out at all until the balance clears.
Hourly rate is the reality check
Gifting income is spiky, and one big night can hide a lot of unpaid hours. Dividing a month's payout by hours live is the number that tells you whether LIVE is a business or a hobby with occasional upside.
Related guides
Long-form playbooks on the same topic, written by the RevenueLab editorial team.
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Read the guideFAQ
How much is one diamond worth?
The commonly used figure is about half a US cent per diamond, but the exact rate varies by region and changes over time. Use your own payout statement to calibrate the rate input.
Why did I receive less than the coin value of my gifts?
Because the platform takes a share between coins and diamonds — roughly half in most reports — and payment fees and currency conversion apply on top.
Is TikTok gift income taxable?
In most countries yes, as self-employment or miscellaneous income. This calculator's tax input is a planning set-aside, not tax advice — check with a local professional.
When do payouts arrive?
Typically monthly and only once your balance clears the withdrawal threshold. Balances below the threshold roll forward.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last editorial review
Reviewed on a rolling quarterly cycle. Dated reviews are published on the methodology record for each calculator.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.