We have a responsibility to maintain a transparent and compliant platform. At the same time, we do not want creators’ hard-earned support sitting idle indefinitely or have supporters continue to send payments to a truly inactive account. Our dormancy policy protects the best interests of creators and supporters alike.
This article explains what happens if a creator account has not been logged into for 18 months.
What counts as inactivity
A creator account is considered inactive when there has been no login activity for 18 consecutive months.
Login activity is what determines whether an account is active. As long as you log in at least once within a 18-month period, your account remains active, regardless of your payout activity or balance.
This policy applies at the account level and affects all types of earnings, including one-time support, memberships, shop sales, and any other payments received through your Buy Me a Coffee account.
Timeline and notifications
The dormancy process follows a structured timeline.
If there has been no login activity for 12 consecutive months, we will begin sending reminder notifications to the email address associated with your account. These reminders will be sent weekly for the next six months.
If you log in at any point during this six-month notification period, your account will immediately be marked as active again, and no further action will be taken.
If no login activity occurs for a total of 18 consecutive months, the dormancy policy will be enforced.
What happens when dormancy is enforced
When an account reaches 18 months of no login activity and the notification period has passed without response, the remaining balance will be handled as follows:
If you have an active payout connection, the remaining balance will be paid out to your connected payout method.
If there is no active payout connection, the remaining balance will be refunded to the original supporters’ payment methods.
Buy Me a Coffee does not retain platform fees in this situation. Because the creator does not receive the funds (in the case of refunds), we do not earn from them. Processing charges may apply depending on the payment provider's policies.
Important: This action is irreversible. Once funds are paid out or refunded under this policy, they cannot be restored to the creator’s account.
If a payout or refund cannot be completed due to payment method issues or other constraints, applicable legal and financial regulations will determine how the funds are handled.
What happens to your page when the dormancy policy kicks in
When dormancy is enforced after 18 months of no login activity, your page is unpublished. It is no longer visible to the public, including through direct links.
We unpublish the page to prevent new supporters from sending funds to an inactive account.
Your content remains stored in your account, and you may still log in to your dashboard.
However, your page will remain unpublished until formally reactivated.
Reactivating your account
Creators may request reactivation by contacting our support team at [email protected].
Reactivation may take up to 30 days. Once your account is reactivated, you may begin receiving support again.
However, any previously paid out or refunded balance cannot be reversed. Reactivation begins fresh after dormancy enforcement has been completed.
How to avoid dormancy
To prevent dormancy, ensure that you log in to your account at least once every 18 months.
Any login activity resets the inactivity period.
If you plan to take a long break from your page, simply logging in periodically will keep your account active.
Need help?
If you believe your situation involves special circumstances, please contact support at [email protected]. We’re here to help.
Please note that if your account has already completed the dormancy enforcement process due to 18 months of no login activity, the payout or refunds will have been completed and cannot be reversed.