Payouts

When consumers call your skills, you earn USDC. This guide explains how payments flow to creators.

How Payments Work

x402 Direct Payments

Most skill calls use x402 protocol for direct peer-to-peer payments:

1. Consumer calls your skill
2. Your skill returns 402 Payment Required
3. Consumer's wallet sends USDC to your payment address
4. Consumer retries with payment proof
5. Your skill executes and returns result

You receive funds instantly in your wallet.

Balance-Based Payments

For consumers using the internal balance system:

1. Consumer pre-funds their balance
2. Consumer calls your skill
3. Skillz Market treasury handles the x402 payment
4. You receive funds via batch payout

Payment Address

Your payment address is set per-skill and is where you receive USDC:

import { skill, serve } from '@skillzmarket/sdk/creator';
 
const mySkill = skill({
  price: '$0.01',
}, async (input) => {
  return { result: 'done' };
});
 
serve({ mySkill }, {
  wallet: '0x...', // Your payment address
  register: {
    endpoint: 'https://your-server.com',
    enabled: true,
  },
});

Setting Payment Address

You can use:

• A hardware wallet address
• Any Ethereum address you control
• Your embedded wallet from social login

All payments are on Base network in USDC.

Payout Status

For balance-based payments, payouts go through these stages:

Check payout status in your dashboard under the Analytics section.

Payout Timing

x402 Direct Payments

Instant. As soon as the transaction confirms (~2 seconds on Base).

Balance-Based Payouts

Batched for gas efficiency:

• Small amounts accumulate
• Payouts process when threshold is reached
• Or on a regular schedule (daily/weekly)

Viewing Earnings

Dashboard

Your dashboard shows:

• Total revenue across all skills
• Revenue per skill
• Recent payment activity

API

curl https://api.skillz.market/analytics/skill-uuid \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_..."

Returns:

{
  "totalRevenue": "123.45",
  "callCount": 1234
}

Tax Considerations

As a creator earning USDC, you may have tax obligations:

• Keep records of all payouts
• USDC is treated as income in most jurisdictions
• Consult a tax professional for your situation

The dashboard provides revenue history for tax reporting.

Fees

Platform Fee

Skillz Market charges 0% platform fee during beta.

Future pricing will be announced with advance notice.

Network Fees

Gas fees on Base are minimal (~$0.001 per transaction) and are:

• Paid by the consumer for x402 payments
• Absorbed by the platform for balance-based payouts

Troubleshooting

Payment Not Received (x402)

1. Check the transaction on BaseScan
2. Verify your payment address is correct
3. Ensure the consumer's payment succeeded

Payout Pending Too Long

Balance-based payouts may be delayed if:

• Amount is below threshold
• Network congestion
• System maintenance

Check the dashboard for status updates.

Wrong Payment Address

If you set the wrong address:

1. Update your skill registration
2. New payments go to the new address
3. Previous payments cannot be redirected

Best Practices

1. Use a dedicated wallet - Separate from personal funds
2. Verify your address - Test with a small payment first
3. Monitor earnings - Check dashboard regularly
4. Secure your wallet - Use hardware wallet for large amounts
5. Keep records - Export payment history for accounting

Next Steps

• Defining Skills - Set up skill pricing
• x402 Payments - Understand the payment protocol