# Bonus rules (/docs/brands/settings/bonus-rules)
Pay creators extra for views — tiered milestones or a linear CPM rate with an optional cap per set — and choose how views are counted across a set.
A bonus pays creators for views, on top of [base pay](/docs/brands/settings/base-pay-rules). Configure it in Settings › Rules › Bonus tiers.
**A set only earns a bonus if it passes your base pay rules** — the platform requirement and the minimum views. A set that fails them earns $0 bonus, however many views it has.
Open Settings › Rules
## Choose a bonus model [#choose-a-bonus-model]
Use the **Bonus model** switch at the top of the card. It saves as soon as you click.
| Model | How it pays |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Tiered** | Fixed bonuses at view milestones. The **highest tier reached** pays; amounts don't stack. |
| **Linear CPM** | A flat rate per 1,000 views: `(views / 1,000) × rate`, optionally capped per set. |
### Set up tiers [#set-up-tiers]
Under **Add new tier**, enter a **Views threshold** and a **Bonus amount**, then click **Add Tier**. Remove a tier with the trash icon on its row.
Tiers must never pay less as views grow: a higher threshold can't have a smaller bonus. With no tiers, the brand pays no bonus.
### Set up linear CPM [#set-up-linear-cpm]
Enter a **Bonus rate** (per 1,000 views) and, optionally, a **Cap per set**, then click **Save**.
- Leave the cap empty for no cap. A cap must be more than $0.
- Once a set's bonus reaches the cap, more views add nothing.
- The cap applies to the whole set, after any per-platform bonuses are added up, so one video never earns more than the cap however many platforms it's on.
- A cycle keeps the cap it started with.
## Pair-aggregate bonus mode [#pair-aggregate-bonus-mode]
The **Pair-aggregate bonus mode** switch decides which views the bonus is measured on. It saves as soon as you flip it.
| Base pay pricing | Pair-aggregate **off** | Pair-aggregate **on** |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **One rate per pair** | One bonus, on the set's **best-performing post** | One bonus, on the **sum of views** across the set |
| **A rate per platform** | A separate bonus for **each platform that qualified**, added up | One bonus, on the **sum of views** across the set |
Pair-aggregate mode applies whichever pricing you use.
## Worked examples [#worked-examples]
One set, with views of **Instagram 62,000**, **TikTok 41,000** and **YouTube 8,000** (111,000 in total). The set passes the base pay rules, and every platform qualifies.
### Tiered: 10,000 → $10, 50,000 → $30, 100,000 → $75 [#tiered-10000--10-50000--30-100000--75]
| Base pay pricing | Pair-aggregate off | Pair-aggregate on |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **One rate per pair** | **$30** — best post 62,000 reaches the 50,000 tier | **$75** — 111,000 reaches the 100,000 tier |
| **A rate per platform** | **$40** — Instagram $30 + TikTok $10 + YouTube $0 | **$75** — 111,000 reaches the 100,000 tier |
Tiers don't stack: a 62,000-view post earns $30, not $10 + $30.
### Linear CPM: $0.50 per 1,000 views [#linear-cpm-050-per-1000-views]
| Base pay pricing | Pair-aggregate off | Pair-aggregate on |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| **One rate per pair** | **$31.00** — 62 × $0.50 | **$55.50** — 111 × $0.50 |
| **A rate per platform** | **$55.50** — $31.00 + $20.50 + $4.00 | **$55.50** — 111 × $0.50 |
With a **$40 cap per set**, the three $55.50 cases pay **$40.00**. The $31.00 case is unchanged.
With **A rate per platform** and pair-aggregate off, only platforms that pass
the minimum views earn a bonus. With a 10,000-view minimum, YouTube (8,000)
wouldn't qualify: the tiered bonus stays $40 (YouTube reached no tier), and
the linear bonus drops to $51.50 ($31.00 + $20.50).
## Try it [#try-it]
## Custom bonus deals [#custom-bonus-deals]
You can give one creator, or one set, its own bonus instead of the brand's:
- **For a creator**: on their profile, click the pencil icon (**Edit custom bonus**) beside **Bonus** and choose **Custom tiers** or **Custom CPM**, or keep the **Brand's bonus**. The deal applies to their sets in unpaid cycles.
- **For a set**: set custom pay on the set. See [Custom pay and unpaid sets](/docs/brands/videos/custom-pay).
The most specific deal wins: a set's own bonus, then the creator's deal, then the brand's rules. A custom deal **replaces** the brand's model and numbers completely, including the cap. It still needs the set to pass your base pay rules.
When creators or sets have their own deal, the Bonus Tiers card says so, for example "2 creators and 1 set have their own bonus deal and don't follow changes here."
## Skip one set's bonus [#skip-one-sets-bonus]
To drop the bonus on a single set without changing base pay, use **Don't pay bonus** on the [Bonus pay board](/docs/brands/payouts/bonus-pay-board#dont-pay-bonus).
## When changes take effect [#when-changes-take-effect]
Bonus settings are part of each cycle's locked rules. A running cycle keeps the bonus it started with unless you choose **Update cycle rules**. See [Changing rules mid-cycle](/docs/brands/settings/changing-rules-mid-cycle).
## Related [#related]
The gates a set must pass to earn anything.
Pay bonuses once the cycle ends.