KDP payment date calculator: when will KDP pay you?

If you're planning around your book income, start with the month KDP reports your royalties for. A useful planning formula is: approximate payment month = reported earnings month + 2 calendar months for Standard, or + 3 for Expanded Distribution. Expect payment toward the end of that month, provided you've met any required payment threshold.

This month-based estimate follows KDP's payment schedule: about 60 days after the reported month ends, or 90 days for Expanded Distribution. The calculator applies the formula to your chosen month and shows the delivery guidance separately. Money takes additional time to reach your bank or mailing address, so use the result for planning rather than as a guaranteed arrival date.

Enter the month from your KDP royalty report as YYYY-MM.
Distribution Required
Choose Expanded Distribution only for royalties reported through that program.

Enter a reported earnings month to see the payment estimate.

  1. Enter your reported earnings month as YYYY-MM, such as 2026-01 for January 2026. Take the month from your KDP royalty report, rather than an individual customer's purchase date.
  2. Choose Standard unless the royalties were reported through Expanded Distribution. A paperback can earn royalties through either channel; its format alone doesn't determine the schedule.
  3. Select Estimate payment month. Read the approximate month together with the payment conditions and delivery guidance below it. If you change an input, select Estimate payment month again.

You can enter years from 2007 to 2100. Every entry uses the current schedule: future months are planning scenarios, and past months don't confirm that you were paid or that a payment is overdue.

Royalties from one month can follow two schedules

Suppose your January 2026 report includes both Standard and Expanded Distribution royalties. Estimate each part separately:

Reported earnings monthDistributionApproximate payment month
January 2026StandardMarch 2026
January 2026Expanded DistributionApril 2026

For Standard, count forward from January through February to March. Expanded Distribution adds one more month. These examples assume any required threshold has been met. The difference matters when planning income from the same book across both channels; the calculator handles one distribution choice at a time.

Check the report if a payment hasn't arrived

Start with your KDP Payment Report and find the relevant sales period. Check its payment status and recorded payment date. KDP defines the payment date as the date Amazon transferred the funds, which can be earlier than the day they appear in your bank account. The Payment Report help explains the fields.

If you receive checks or wire transfers, compare your balance with the threshold for your marketplace and payment method. Each marketplace's royalties accumulate separately, and applicable tax withholding affects the amount counted toward its threshold. A balance below the threshold carries forward, so the estimate here may be too early. The calculator has no balance information and can't work out when that carried balance will be paid.

Direct deposit has no KDP payment threshold, although bank minimums can still apply after currency conversion or tax withholding. Once a payment has been issued, allow the delivery time shown with your result, counting from the recorded payment date. That guidance includes the longer direct deposit window for banks in India. If a bank payment is marked Paid but hasn't arrived after the expected delivery time, KDP advises checking with your financial institution.

For the amount you could earn from a sale, use the KDP royalty calculator.