Note: legal review pending
This article explains the legal and tax situation to the best of our knowledge with sources — it is not legal or tax advice. For binding guidance, please consult a lawyer or tax advisor.
In short
You usually pay an influencer per collaboration: you agree a gross fee, secure the budget before production (escrow), and once content is approved the payout flows — minus the platform fee and VAT on that fee. With Collavo this runs on one record from brief to bank account, with a trackable status.
How do you pay an influencer step by step?
- Brief & offer: define the deliverable, usage rights and the gross fee; negotiations run on a traceable ledger, not scattered DMs.
- Contract: both confirm terms and the contract is sealed (status flip with a sha256 seal — not a qualified eIDAS signature).
- Secure the budget: the fee is held as 'Payment secured' (escrow hold) before production starts.
- Production & review: content is uploaded and approved with frame-accurate annotations.
- Payout: after approval the fee is paid out, minus the platform fee and VAT on that fee.
What does it cost to pay an influencer?
What lands net is not the agreed gross fee. The platform fee and VAT on that fee are deducted — same math every time, visible to both sides: gross − platform fee − VAT on the fee = net.
Math: gross − platform fee − VAT on the fee = net. Planning estimate; the in-app statement is authoritative.
How do you secure the payment before production?
'Payment secured' means the fee sits as a visible escrow hold (status FUNDED) before the creator produces. To be honest about it: this is not a creator-controlled trust account — it is a EUR/Stripe-Connect-bound hold status, payout requires completed KYC and DAC7 details, and a protective hold of about 56 days can apply.
Do you need an invoice from the creator?
The monthly account statement (PDF) in the app is an overview of your payouts — not a § 14 UStG invoice. Anyone who needs a proper invoice still issues it themselves.
How do you know when the money arrives?
Instead of 'has the payment gone out?' you see the status on one record: from 'Approval pending' through 'Approved', 'Scheduled' and 'Paid out' to 'In the account', plus an estimated arrival (ETA) and an overdue flag.
ETA is an expectation, not a date
The estimated arrival is a calculated expectation based on approval, protective hold and bank transit — not a guaranteed payout date. That is why it always reads 'expected'.
What should you watch legally?
Paid collaborations touch ad disclosure, usage rights, VAT and — above a threshold — reporting duties like DAC7. Collavo captures the data and exports DAC7-ready records as PDF/CSV; it explicitly does not file an automatic tax report with the authority. Processes are GDPR-aligned and hosted in Germany (with SCC-backed subprocessors).
Not legal or tax advice
This page explains workflows and is not a substitute for legal or tax advice. 'Clean' means well-documented processes — the legal assessment of your case belongs with your tax advisor.
Frequently asked
- What does 'Payment secured' mean at Collavo?
- That the fee sits as a visible escrow hold (status FUNDED) before production. It is not a creator-controlled trust account; it is bound to EUR and Stripe Connect and payout requires KYC and DAC7 details.
- How much of the fee lands net?
- Gross minus the platform fee minus VAT on that fee. Compute the exact figure with the net calculator; the in-app statement is authoritative.
- Is the app's account statement an invoice?
- No. It is a payout overview, not a § 14 UStG invoice. You still issue a proper invoice yourself.
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