# Custom pay and unpaid sets (/docs/brands/videos/custom-pay)

Override what one set pays, stop paying for a set without touching it, or drop only its bonus.

Your rules price every <Term id="set">set</Term> the same way. Three tools let you make exceptions for a single set:

| Tool                               | Use it when                                                        | Who         |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------- |
| [Custom pay](#set-custom-pay)      | You agreed on a different amount for this set                      | Full admins |
| [Mark unpaid](#mark-a-set-unpaid)  | This set shouldn't be paid at all, but should still count in stats | Full admins |
| [Don't pay bonus](#dont-pay-bonus) | Pay the base, but not the bonus                                    | Full admins |

To change pay for **every** set of one creator, use their profile's **Custom Pay** card instead. See [Creator profile](/docs/brands/creators/creator-profile#custom-pay).

## Set custom pay [#set-custom-pay]

<Steps>
<Step>

### Open the set [#open-the-set]

On the creator's **Videos** tab, find the set and click **Custom pay**. The **Custom pay for this set** dialog opens, showing which posts earn and which aren't paid for.

</Step>
<Step>

### Choose the base [#choose-the-base]

Under **Base pay**, keep the rule's rate (labeled with whose rate it is — the brand's, or the creator's own — and the amount), or pick **Custom amount** and enter one. If you type an amount far above the usual rate, Bloss asks you to double-check it.

</Step>
<Step>

### Choose the bonus [#choose-the-bonus]

Under **Bonus**, keep the inherited bonus, or choose **Custom tiers** or **Custom CPM** for this set. The dialog shows what the set would pay on its current views.

</Step>
<Step>

### Add a note and save [#add-a-note-and-save]

Optionally add a **Note** explaining the deal, then click **Save**.

</Step>
</Steps>

<Screenshot name="brands/custom-pay-dialog" alt={"Custom pay for this set dialog with a custom base amount and the brand's bonus"} />

What to know:

- **The set still has to qualify.** Custom pay replaces the price, not the rules. A set that doesn't qualify pays $0, and your custom amounts apply as soon as it does. See [How sets work](/docs/brands/videos/how-sets-work#when-a-set-qualifies).
- **The rule's rate keeps following your settings.** If you leave the base or the bonus on the rule, later changes to your rules still apply to it.
- **Creators see it.** On the creator's side the set is marked "Your brand set this set's pay manually."
- **Find hand-priced sets** in the Video Vault with the **Custom pay** filter (or **Standard pay** for the rest). In the **Sets** view a coin marks them. On the **Videos** tab, sort by **Custom pay first**.
- **Remove it** with **Remove custom pay**. The set goes back to the rule's rates, and the dialog shows what it will pay.
- **Taking the set apart deletes its custom pay.** Unpairing the set or marking a post irrelevant removes the custom amount for good; Bloss warns you first.

### When custom pay is locked [#when-custom-pay-is-locked]

The dialog explains why if you can't change a set's pay:

- The creator has been removed.
- The set is marked unpaid — restore it to payout first.
- Bonus is skipped on this set.
- The cycle has already been paid out.
- The creator's payout for the cycle is already paid — unmark it first.
- You're lowering the base or bonus below what's already been paid. Raising it is allowed. To stop paying, use **Mark unpaid** instead.

Brands on the <Term id="ledger">ledger payout model</Term> have their own limits. See [Cycle vs ledger](/docs/brands/payouts/cycle-vs-ledger).

## Mark a set unpaid [#mark-a-set-unpaid]

Use **Mark unpaid** when a set shouldn't be paid — a duplicate, a post that broke your brief — but you still want its views in your stats.

<Steps>
<Step>

### Mark it [#mark-it]

On the creator's **Videos** tab, click **Mark unpaid** on the set.

</Step>
<Step>

### Confirm [#confirm]

The **Mark pair as unpaid?** dialog shows the amount. Confirm with **Mark unpaid**.

</Step>
</Steps>

The set's pay is excluded from the cycle's payout and from the creator's earnings, and the set shows **Excluded from payout**. Its posts still count toward analytics. Click **Restore to payout** at any time to undo it.

Unlike [marking posts irrelevant](/docs/brands/videos/irrelevant-videos), this leaves the set and its posts exactly as they are — so it also works on a set whose base pay was already sent, as long as its cycle isn't paid. **Mark unpaid**, **Restore to payout** and **Custom pay** are disabled on paid cycles.

## Don't pay bonus [#dont-pay-bonus]

<Availability is="full-admin" />

On the **Bonus pay** board, expand a creator to see their sets and click **Don't pay bonus** on one. Confirm in **Don't pay bonus for this set?**.

The set stops earning bonus: that amount leaves the creator's balance and they see no bonus on it. Base pay is unchanged, and so is whether the set qualifies. Click **Restore bonus** to undo it while the payout is still unpaid.

See [Bonus pay board](/docs/brands/payouts/bonus-pay-board).

## Related [#related]

- [How sets work](/docs/brands/videos/how-sets-work)
- [Base pay rules](/docs/brands/settings/base-pay-rules)
- [Bonus rules](/docs/brands/settings/bonus-rules)
- [Running a cycle](/docs/brands/payouts/running-a-cycle)