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How to Set Up Donations on Twitch (PayPal, Ko-fi & More)

Twitch gives you subs and Bits, but it has no button for a viewer who just wants to send you $5. To take direct donations you set up a tip link somewhere else, put it where viewers look, and (ideally) make every tip visible on stream.

The whole setup takes about 15 minutes, and you don't need Affiliate to do it. Here is the full path, in order.

Step 1: Pick where the money goes

A donation link points to an account that pays you directly. The common choices:

  • PayPal. Most viewers already have it, so it has the least friction. You share a PayPal.me link or a PayPal donate button link.
  • Ko-fi. A free creator page with one-off tips, memberships and a shop. Viewers can pay by card or PayPal without making an account.
  • Patreon. Best for monthly memberships rather than one-off tips during a stream.
  • Tipeeestream. A tipping page built for streamers, popular in Europe.
  • Fourthwall. A shop plus tips and memberships, if you sell merch.
  • Streamlabs or StreamElements tip pages. Tipping pages tied to their alert tools.

You can use more than one. Many streamers run PayPal or Ko-fi for tips and Patreon for memberships.

Fees: Twitch takes nothing from any of these, because the money never passes through Twitch. Each payment service charges its own processing fee, so look up its current rates for your country before you choose. (For how that compares with subs and Bits, see how much Twitch takes from subs and Bits.)

Setting up PayPal for Twitch donations

  1. Log in to PayPal and create your PayPal.me link (Profile → PayPal.me), or create a donate button and copy its link.
  2. Think about using a business account. Stream income is income, and a business account keeps it apart from personal payments and shows a business name instead of your legal name.
  3. Never ask viewers to send money as "friends and family" to dodge fees. It strips buyer protection and can break PayPal's terms for this kind of payment.

Setting up Ko-fi for Twitch donations

  1. Create a free page at ko-fi.com and connect PayPal or Stripe to receive payouts.
  2. Set a short page title and a thank-you message.
  3. Copy your page URL (ko-fi.com/yourname). That's your donation link.

Step 2: Add a donation panel to your channel

Panels are the image blocks under your stream on the About section. They're the first place viewers look for a tip link.

  1. Go to your channel page and open the About section.
  2. Turn on Edit Panels.
  3. Click the + to add a text or image panel.
  4. Add a title ("Support the stream"), an image (a simple "Donate" graphic works), and one line saying what tips go toward.
  5. Paste your donation link into the image links to field and click Submit.

This works for every channel, Affiliate or not. Keep the panel near the top of the panel list so it shows without scrolling.

Step 3: Add a !donate chat command

Most viewers never scroll down to panels, especially on mobile. A chat command puts the link where they already are.

  • In Nightbot, StreamElements, Streamlabs Cloudbot or your bot of choice, add a command such as !donate that replies with your link.
  • Set a timer so the bot posts the link every 20–30 minutes while you're live.
  • Mention it out loud now and then. "Link's in !donate" is easy to remember.

Twitch can hold back links from new chatters, but a message from your own bot or a moderator goes through.

Step 4: Show donations on stream

A tip nobody sees is a tip nobody copies. Visible donations are what turn one donor into five, so connect your donation service to an on-stream alert:

  • Alerts. Streamlabs and StreamElements can show an alert when a PayPal or Ko-fi tip arrives (Ko-fi can also send alerts itself). You add the alert as a browser source in OBS.
  • A donation goal. A progress bar toward a target ("new mic: $40 / $150") gives viewers a reason to give now rather than later.
  • A donation hype train. Instead of one alert per tip, a train starts when several donations land close together and levels up as more come in, with a countdown that keeps chat piling in. That's the group moment Twitch's own Hype Train creates with subs and Bits, run on tips instead.

Running a donation hype train with HyperTrain

HyperTrain connects to the donation services above and turns tips into a hype train on your stream. The core train is free.

  1. Log in with Twitch. Your account and overlay are created automatically.
  2. Connect a donation source. Each one gets its own setup page. For PayPal you paste your HyperTrain notification URL into PayPal's IPN settings; for Ko-fi you paste a webhook URL into Ko-fi's webhook settings and save Ko-fi's verification token. Patreon, Tipeeestream and Fourthwall work the same way. If you're a Twitch Affiliate or Partner, you can also let subs and Bits feed the train with one click.
  3. Add the overlay to OBS as a browser source.
  4. Send a test donation from the dashboard to see the train run on your overlay before you go live.

Once it's set up, donations made while you're live feed the train. Start it from the dashboard, or turn on auto-start in Settings so it starts by itself once enough tips land within a few minutes (you choose how many). It levels up as the total grows, and each new level brings a fresh timer. HyperTrain also gives you a public donation page that lists the donation links you add, and a scan-to-donate QR code overlay for people watching on another screen.

Step 5: Give viewers a reason to tip

The setup is the easy part. What makes donations happen:

  • Say what it's for. "Every $5 adds a minute to the Dark Souls run" beats "donations appreciated".
  • Thank people by name, on stream, right away (if they're happy to be named). Recognition is the main reward.
  • Make it a group thing. Goals and trains turn single tips into a shared push, which is where most of the money comes from.
  • Don't nag. A timer message in chat and one mention an hour is plenty.

Staying safe

  • Chargebacks. A donor can sometimes dispute a payment after the fact. Be wary of unusually large tips from brand-new accounts, and don't hand out anything of value (for example game keys) in exchange for tips you might lose.
  • Privacy. Use a business name on PayPal, and check that your alert tool doesn't show donors' full names or email addresses on stream unless they want that.
  • Taxes. In many countries tax authorities treat stream donations as income, not gifts. Keep records and ask a local tax professional how to report them.

Quick checklist

  • Donation account set up (PayPal, Ko-fi or another service)
  • Donation panel at the top of your About section
  • !donate command plus a chat timer
  • Donations visible on stream (alert, goal or a hype train)
  • Test donation sent before going live

FAQ

Does Twitch have a built-in donate button?

Not for personal tips. Twitch's own money features are subs and Bits, and its Charity tool raises money for nonprofits, not for you. To take direct donations you use a third-party link (PayPal, Ko-fi, Patreon, Tipeeestream, Fourthwall and others) and put it in your channel panels and chat.

Do you need to be an Affiliate to take donations on Twitch?

No. A donation link in a panel is just a link, so any streamer can add one from day one. Affiliate or Partner status matters for Twitch's own revenue (cash payouts from subs and Bits), not for tips that go straight to your PayPal or Ko-fi account. If you want a hype train before Affiliate, see how to run a hype train without Affiliate.

How much does Twitch take from donations?

Nothing. A tip through PayPal, Ko-fi or another third-party service never passes through Twitch, so Twitch takes no cut. The payment service charges its own processing fee, and you should check its current rates for your country.

How do I add PayPal donations to Twitch?

Create a PayPal.me link (or a PayPal donate button link) in your PayPal account, then go to your Twitch channel's About section, turn on Edit Panels, add a panel with an image and a short line of text, and paste the link into the panel's link field. Add a !donate chat command with the same link, and connect PayPal to an alert or overlay tool if you want tips to show on stream.

Are Twitch donations taxable?

In many countries, yes: tax authorities usually treat stream donations as income rather than gifts. Keep records of what you receive and ask a local tax professional how to report it.