How to start an OnlyFans: a step-by-step guide for beginners

What you need to open an OnlyFans

To open an OnlyFans as a creator you need five things: to be 18 or older, a valid government ID, a passed identity verification, a bank account or payout method in your own name, and your tax details. They come straight from OnlyFans’ terms, and there are no shortcuts: without verification you cannot get paid.

Requirement	What OnlyFans asks for	Why it matters
Age	At least 18	It is the condition for using OnlyFans; some countries add extra age checks through outside providers
Identity	A valid ID and two photos of yourself	A third-party provider compares a short video selfie with the photo on your ID
Payouts	A bank account or payout method in your name	OnlyFans can check that it matches your verified identity
Tax details	Your tax number, or VAT number where it applies	OnlyFans uses them to meet its tax reporting obligations
Your own email (recommended)	A fresh email address and an authenticator app	OnlyFans is not responsible for compromised accounts or emails

Opening the account is free. OnlyFans makes its money from its fee: it keeps 20% of every payment your fans make and pays you the other 80%. You set your own prices, which are usually charged in US dollars.

OnlyFans’ terms list several ways a creator earns: subscriptions, which renew automatically; pay-per-view (PPV) content; other fan payments, including direct messages; tips; and livestreams. It is worth deciding early what you will offer through each one, not just through the subscription.

How to create your creator account

Creating the account takes a few minutes; what deserves some thought is the details you open it with. Sign up with a new email address you only use for your creator business, not your personal or work email. That separates your private life from the business from day one, and if you ever work with an agency, the recovery email stays yours.

Then, in this order:

1. Turn on two-factor authentication before anything else. An authenticator app is better than SMS, and keep your backup codes somewhere other than your phone.
2. Start the creator setup. OnlyFans will ask for identity verification, a payout method and your tax information.
3. Review your privacy settings before you upload anything (more on that below).

The account must be yours and in your name. If an agency helps you run it, OnlyFans is clear that its relationship is with you: you remain legally responsible for the account.

ID verification: how it works and why it gets rejected

Verification is handled by a third-party provider that uses facial recognition to compare a short video selfie with the photo on your ID. OnlyFans also checks your country of residence and that you have not had an account banned before, and it can ask you to verify again later on.

Because of how the process works, these are the points where it can fail:

• The document: expired, damaged or not an official government ID.
• The image: a photo of your ID that is blurry, cropped or has glare that makes it unreadable.
• The face match: a selfie in poor light, with sunglasses, a cap or filters, or a very old ID photo.
• The details: a country of residence that does not match your ID or the rest of your information.
• Your history: a previous account that was banned.

If you are rejected, check these points, redo the verification facing the light and, if it keeps failing, contact OnlyFans support. Never use someone else’s ID: besides breaking the terms, you risk having the account closed and your earnings forfeited.

How payouts and taxes work

Payout methods depend on your country of residence, and the bank account or method you choose must be in your name, since OnlyFans can check that it matches your verified identity. Payments are usually made in US dollars; if your bank converts them, expect exchange costs and possibly fees from the bank itself.

Also keep in mind:

• Earnings are not available instantly: they reach your balance after a pending period, and you can only withdraw once the balance is above the minimum payout amount, which the terms do not set as a fixed figure.
• If a fan gets a refund or a chargeback, OnlyFans can deduct the matching share of your earnings.
• OnlyFans collects your tax number and shares data with tax authorities. If you do not meet your tax obligations, it can close the account or restrict your payouts.

What you owe depends on where you live. In the US, creators are asked for a W-9 before payouts, all income must be reported whether or not you receive a 1099, and self-employment tax of 15.3% applies once net self-employment earnings reach $400. In the UK, the first £1,000 of trading income is tax-free, and above that you register for Self Assessment. We cover the basics in our OnlyFans taxes guide and payout methods in how to get paid on OnlyFans. This is general information: for your own situation, speak to an accountant.

Privacy from day one

Privacy is decided before you post, not after someone recognizes you. These settings are in your account and worth reviewing on day one:

• Two-factor authentication: with an authenticator app (Google or Microsoft Authenticator) or SMS, plus single-use backup codes. The strictest mode only accepts app codes.
• Geo and IP blocking: you can stop your profile from being seen in your country, in a state or region, or from specific IP addresses.
• Watermark: OnlyFans can add one to what you upload, which discourages sharing and helps you recognize your content if it turns up on another site.
• Display name: pick one that has nothing to do with your real name or your personal social accounts.

If you want to start without showing your face, plan it from the beginning. We walk through it in our faceless OnlyFans guide.

Profile, price and the rules to know

Your profile is your shop window, and it has rules: your profile photo and banner cannot contain explicit content, and descriptions of your content or account cannot be misleading. Use your bio to explain what subscribers will get and how often you post.

On pricing, decide whether you launch with a paid or a free page and at what price. Your launch price is not forever, but it shapes who you attract. We help you think it through in how to price your OnlyFans subscription.

And if anyone else will appear in your content, they must be a tagged creator or an adult whose identity has been checked and who has given written consent, which they can withdraw at any time.

What to post on OnlyFans as a beginner

As a beginner, post what you can keep up: consistency matters more than a spectacular first week you never repeat. Before you launch, sum up your offer in one sentence (what you offer, to whom and in what style) and set your limits, the things you will not do even if asked.

A good starting point:

• Subscriber posts ready for your first two weeks, so anyone who joins finds content from day one.
• Content to sell by message (PPV) that is different from what everyone already sees on your feed.
• A welcome message for every new fan, explaining what they will find and how to request something.
• A simple schedule: which days you post and what type of content goes on each day.

Always keep your own copies. If you close the account, or it is closed for you, OnlyFans will not let you access the content you uploaded.

Your first week on OnlyFans, with or without followers

Your first week is for checking that everything works and getting your first fans, not for getting rich. A realistic plan:

1. Days 1 and 2: review your profile, price and privacy, and post your first pieces so your feed is not empty.
2. Days 3 to 5: start promoting on one or two channels that suit you, each with its own tracking link and within its rules.
3. Every day: reply to every new fan. Early subscribers remember how they were treated.
4. Day 7: check how many clicks and subscribers each tracking link brought in and decide what to repeat.

If you have no social media following, you can still start, but growth will be slower and will depend on promoting every week. You can lean on communities that allow self-promotion, such as some on Reddit (with adult content tagged, no spam and each community’s rules read first), and on shoutout swaps with other creators. Our guide on how to promote OnlyFans covers the channels and their rules.

If you would rather not do it alone, our launch from scratch service reviews your account and privacy with you, sets your launch price and runs your chat from the first fan, without promising you numbers.