Getting paid
Payments are made within 45 days following the first Friday of each fiscal month. To receive payment, you must have provided all required banking and tax information and documentation, as well as meet the minimum payment threshold.
If you have not received a payment for a given month within 45 days after the end of the month, confirm that all documentation has been completed, and that the cumulative amount owed exceeds the minimum payment threshold for your country or region using current exchange rates.
Payment dates and methods
The payment date is the date the payment leaves Apple’s bank. Your bank may or may not credit those funds to you on the same day. We present the payment date in Payments and Financial Reports. For past payments, we display the value as Paid. For any scheduled future payments, we display the date as the Expected Payment Date.
How payments are made
- Electronic funds or wire transfer: All payments are made by electronic funds transfer. When available, payments are sent by low-value ACH, as opposed to high-value wire transfer. Apple’s bank will consolidate payments for different financial reports when possible, generally resulting in a single payment for all earnings each month when the requirements for being paid have been met.
- ACH payment: The term ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments is used in reference to low-value payments. You can view the payment method used for a particular payment to you on the Payment page in Payments and Financial Reports.
- Split payments: Apple accepts one bank account per financial report currency and makes one payment to that account during each monthly payment cycle if all requirements for payment have been met.
- Invoice payments: Invoices are not required in order to receive payment from Apple. You may have invoicing requirements in accordance with local laws and statutes. It is your responsibility to consult with your own legal and tax advisors with respect to any invoice requirements you are subject to. You may send a soft copy of the invoices via Contact Us.
Use the following billing address:
Apple Distribution International
Hollyhill Industrial Estate
Hollyhill
Cork, Ireland
VAT: IE9700053D
Send hard-copy invoices to:
iTunes Invoicing
Apple Operations Europe
Apple Distribution International
Hollyhill Industrial Estate
Hollyhill
Cork, Ireland
Exchange rates
The exchange rates used to convert report currency to your bank account currency is established by our bank and, due to Apple’s volume, is generally a more favorable rate. The rates are typically the spot rate on the date of payment and no more than three business days prior to the date the proceeds are received into your account.
The exchange rate used to convert each report currency to the currency of your bank account is displayed on the Payments page in the FX Rate column.
Returned payments
When a payment made to you is returned to us, you will see the return at the top of the page highlighted in red as an amount added to the cumulative balance of what you are owed. iTunes Connect will display a returned payment message until you update your banking information, or a payment is successfully made to you during the following month’s payment cycle.
Returned emails
Payment return email notifications are sent to users who have opted in to receive Payment notifications in Users and Access.
Review your bank account information in the Business section in iTunes Connect, and make updates to your bank information as necessary, based on the return reason indicated in the email. Once you make any necessary updates, we will attempt to repay the returned amount along with all other amounts owed within two payment cycles of your banking update.
Updating bank information
The return message presented on iTunes Connect is based on information from your bank. This is the best information we have on why your bank did not process a payment. The return message may provide an indication of the updates to your bank account information required. The return message on the iTunes Connect home page will stay until you update banking information or a payment is successfully made to you during the following month’s payment cycle.
If it appears that your bank account information is correct and the return reason doesn’t indicate what changes are required, try reaching out to your bank. Use the Bank Payment Reference Number presented with the returned payment to assist your bank in finding the returned payment. Once the return is found, your bank should be able to identify the action needed to allow you to be paid.
Payment troubleshooting
What is the Total Owed versus Proceeds?
Total Owed displays the estimated amount owed to you in the currency of each reported region and revenue type. Proceeds is an estimate of the amount due based on converting the amount owed to your bank account currency. The actual payment may differ from the proceeds based on variances in foreign exchange rates as well as reductions for applicable withholding taxes.
Why does the bank account presented with a payment differ from the bank account I have set up to receive payments?
Payments are sent to the bank account on file at the time a payment is processed. Depending on the timing of your bank account update, a payment could have been in process at the time you updated your banking information. In such instances, the bank account a payment was made to will differ from the account you currently have on file.
How can I reconcile my financial reports to my payments?
Go to the Payments page in Payments and Financial Reports to reconcile financial report earnings to payment amounts. The reconciliation includes the following:
- Beginning Balance: Any amounts unpaid (or returned) and carried over from prior periods.
- Earned: Amounts earned in a given period which agrees to the financial report on the Earnings page. The earned amount represents the proceeds, net of commission, in a given period for the region and revenue type displayed. The amount will agree to the total of the associated financial report.
- Withholding Tax: Amounts withheld by Apple and remitted to taxing authorities in accordance with government requirements specific to the territory.
- Input Tax: Amounts added to your payment to meet your tax requirements in certain countries/regions.
- Adjustments: Typically not applicable.
- FX Rate: The exchange rate applied to the amount owed, to convert the payment to the currency of your bank account.
- Payment: All converted payment amounts are consolidated and paid to you by Apple’s bank as a single payment. The amount paid by Apple is presented as the sum of the converted amounts by financial report currency.
Why doesn’t the payment presented match the amount received in my bank account?
The amount paid on the Payments tab represents the amount our bank has sent to your bank. Payments can be subject to bank fees and transaction costs charged to you by your bank or intermediate financial institutions, reducing the amount when presented on your bank account. Payments indicated as wire transfers would generally be subject to bank fees and transaction costs.
What does the Balance Carried Forward amount represent?
Balance Carried Forward is made up of any prior period amounts unpaid (or returned) and carried over to the current period.
What does the withholding tax amount represent?
The withholding tax displayed represents amounts withheld by Apple and remitted to taxing authorities in accordance with government requirements specific to the country or region. Withholding tax is specific to particular stores where transactions occurred or where payments are being distributed by Apple. Withholding taxes can vary based on your location, the completion of any optional tax forms, and the tax treaties entered into by your country or region.
What does the input tax amount represent?
Amounts added to your payment to meet your tax requirements in certain countries or regions. For example, Goods and Services Tax (GST) generally applies if you are either based in Australia or based outside of Australia but registered for GST.
What is the Bank Payment Reference Number?
The Bank Payment Reference Number is a nine-digit payment identifier communicated by Apple’s bank to your bank at the time a payment is attempted. This is only displayed when a payment we’ve attempted to make to you is returned. You may be able to use the Bank Payment Reference Number to follow up with your bank to find out why a payment was returned and the corrective action necessary in order to successfully process payments to your account.
You should also review the return reason presented on iTunes Connect for further indication of the action you can take to ensure the next payment is successful.