Steam Workshop Item Revenue for Beginners: The Official Rules (CS2, Dota 2, TF2)

This guide explains how creators earn from 3D items submitted to curated Steam Workshops, where Valve picks items to add to the game, such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2. It does not promise income. Most submissions are never accepted, and items that aren't accepted earn nothing.

1. A curated Workshop is not "upload and it sells"

Steamworks documentation describes two Workshop types. (Source: partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/workshop)

The Workshop About pages for CS2, Dota 2 and TF2 all say that items posted under the Items tab aren't immediately usable in the game, and that the developers ultimately choose which items to add, using community ratings as input. The Maps tab (CS2, TF2) and the Custom Games and Bot Scripts tab (Dota 2) are Ready-To-Use content instead. (Source: each game's About page)

2. The revenue share shown on official pages

As checked on 2026-10-26, the "Revenue Share" box on the right of all three About pages shows 25%, described as "the percentage of revenue an item creator receives from direct sales of their item."

(Posted and accepted counts are what the pages showed when checked. They change over time.)

Things to note:

• Under the terms, the 25% applies to "Adjusted Gross Revenue", not the full sale price. That means revenue minus returns, discounts, refunds, fraud and chargebacks, and minus customer taxes such as VAT where those were included. (Source: Supplemental Workshop Terms)
• The terms say each game's developer/publisher sets the percentage and describes it on the Workshop page.
• For indirect sales, such as selling a "key" that opens a crate, Valve and/or the publisher decide the revenue share at their discretion. Sharing fees from Community Market resales is also discretionary. So you can't assume the 25% applies the same way to every sales channel.

3. Realistic expectations

• Dividing the numbers above, CS2 has accepted roughly 0.3% of all items ever posted (438 ÷ 149,895). The ratio varies a lot by game. These are lifetime totals that include repeat uploads, so don't read them as your personal odds. They do make clear that acceptance is rare.
• You earn nothing before acceptance. The terms also say you get no compensation if a Contribution is distributed for free.
• Even with sales, no payment is made earlier than 90 days after the item is first distributed (fraud protection), and payment may be held until at least $100 has been earned. (Source: terms, Payment info FAQ)
• If you live outside the US, US withholding of 0–30% applies, depending on your tax interview.

4. Pre-start checklist

• [ ] I checked the Revenue Share and the Items tab text on my target game's About page myself
• [ ] I read the game's official technical guide (TF2: teamfortress.com/workshop, Dota 2: dota2.com/workshop)
• [ ] I won't use anyone else's intellectual property (the TF2 guide says items based on existing IP are rejected automatically)
• [ ] I have a bank account in my own name that can receive USD (PayPal is not accepted)
• [ ] I can provide my legal name in English letters and a taxpayer ID (TIN)

The paid part covers per-game submission requirements, the order for filling in contact, bank and tax interview details, ways to reduce withholding (tax treaties and TINs), payment timing and tax forms, splitting revenue with co-creators, common mistakes and a final checklist.

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1. Official submission requirements by game (verified items only)

Team Fortress 2 (Source: teamfortress.com/workshop)

The process as the official FAQ lists it:

1. Create an item that meets the submission requirements
2. Test it with the in-game 'itemtest' map
3. Publish it to the Workshop with the in-game item publishing tool
4. Valve reviews it and may select it
5. If it's selected, Valve contacts you, then integrates and tests the item
6. Valve adds it to the game and splits the money it earns in the Mann Co. Store with you

Technical guidance (based on the official FAQ wording):

Common rejection reasons listed in the FAQ: obscenity; copyright infringement (including copying the likeness of existing IP); a style too far from TF's tone; designs that obscure class silhouettes; noisy fine surface detail; and costly technical changes.

Dota 2 (Source: dota2.com/workshop)

• You can submit finished 3D models or 2D images. The page says makers of chosen items get a share of their items' sales from the Dota 2 store.
• Submission types include hero wearables, hero ability models, wards, couriers, loading screens, emoticons, cursor packs and music packs.
• Before you start, read "Account Preparation for Workshop Item Submission", "Workshop Submission Tool" and "Hero Reference and Technical Requirements", in that order. (These sub-pages showed a page error when checked, so their contents weren't verified.)

Counter-Strike 2

• The About page points to guides for creating weapons, stickers and maps, and says to publish through the Steam Workshop button in the game's main menu. (Source: steamcommunity.com/workshop/about/?appid=730)
• The official documentation it links (blog.counter-strike.net/workshop) didn't load when checked. Follow the in-game guidance for detailed technical requirements.

All games

• You can't upload with a temporary license such as Family Sharing or a Free Weekend. You need to own the game. (Source: Steamworks Workshop FAQ)
• Items stay hidden by default until you accept the Workshop legal agreement. After uploading, open the item page and accept it. (Source: Steamworks Implementation Guide)
• Valve warns that uploading content you don't have rights to can cost you all earned revenue, make you liable for damages and get you banned from the Workshop or Steam Community. (Source: steamcommunity.com/workshop/aboutpaidcontent)

2. Payment details (contact → bank → tax)

You can't finalize revenue splits until your contact, banking and tax information are all valid. Entry page: https://steamcommunity.com/login/home/?goto=%2Fmy%2Fworkshoppaymentinfo (Source: Payment info FAQ)

2-1. Contact information

• Enter your legal first and last name. No aliases or nicknames.
• Don't use special characters unique to languages other than English. Write a non-Latin name in English letters, as on your passport.
• Sole proprietors also enter their legal name, not a DBA.
• You can change your name only until an item is accepted for sale. Legal name changes can't currently be made.
• Valve says it doesn't do business with US-sanctioned countries or parties.

2-2. Bank account

• Bank-to-bank transfer (EFT) only. No PayPal or other non-bank accounts.
• Paid in US dollars only. If your account is in another currency, your bank converts it. If your bank won't accept USD, you'll need to give details for one that does. Ask your bank whether it accepts incoming international USD transfers before you enter anything.
• The account holder name must exactly match your contact legal name (no joint or third-party accounts).
• Don't put dashes or spaces in the account, SWIFT or IBAN fields. Use English letters, numbers and spaces only.
• Bank country means where your branch is located. Correspondent bank details aren't needed.
• Bank details are required even for free items.
• Banking shows as incomplete until a Valve administrator approves it, which can take up to a week.
• To make that month's payment run, finish bank changes by the 20th.

2-3. Tax interview

• You get a link during onboarding. The interview takes 5–10 minutes and walks you through W-9 (US) or W-8BEN (non-US).
• It runs on a third-party service (TaxIdentity by Lilaham), so seeing a non-Valve URL is expected.
• You can't save partway. Finish it in one sitting.
• Use the same name as in Contact Information. A different name invalidates the interview automatically.
• You can't skip it and just accept withholding. Everyone must complete it.
• Retaking it deletes the previous interview, even a verified one. Only retake it if you moved to another country or need to add a TIN you left out.

3. Withholding and TINs

• Your withholding rate appears at the end of the interview: 0–30% on US-source income.
• If your country has no income tax treaty with the US: 30%.
• If you got 30% but your country has a treaty, the FAQ says retaking the interview with a US TIN or a foreign TIN may lower it. Check treaty countries on the IRS page "United States income tax treaties A to Z". This guide doesn't state the rate for any particular country. Your interview result is what counts.
• If you add a TIN later and your rate drops, amounts already withheld are not refunded. Get it right before your first payment.
• US TINs for non-US persons: an EIN (individuals or businesses) or an ITIN (individuals only). Individuals can choose either. An ITIN can take a few months or longer. The FAQ says applying for an ITIN to claim treaty benefits doesn't, by itself, require you to file a US tax return.
• An EIN can be obtained by phone at (267) 941-1099 (not toll-free), or by sending Form SS-4 by fax (about four business days) or mail (about four weeks).
• The FAQ separately notes that Slovakia residents need a US TIN; a foreign TIN isn't enough.
• Any other taxes due, such as income tax where you live, are your responsibility. (Source: Taxes clause in the terms) Ask a tax professional about local filing.

4. Payment timing and tax forms

The terms say sales data is for your personal use and must be kept confidential. Don't post your revenue screens publicly.

5. Team revenue splits

• For an item others helped make, the submission form must list every contributor, their contact information and the split percentages.
• Valve contacts each contributor. Everyone must accept the terms, confirm their details and agree to the split before anyone is paid.
• Each account has one payee and one bank account. Re-splitting money you receive is your responsibility, so it's cleaner to register teammates as contributors from the start.
• The TF2 and Dota 2 About pages list pre-approved toolmakers and communities. Creators can choose these to receive a percentage of Valve's revenue (the page doesn't say this comes out of the creator's share).

6. Common mistakes

1. Entering contact details with a non-English-script name or an alias, so bank and tax names don't match
2. A local-currency-only account, or not checking whether your bank accepts USD
3. Skipping the foreign TIN, getting 30% withholding, and finding past withholding isn't refunded after a fix
4. Closing the tax interview partway (it can't be saved)
5. Submitting designs copied from other games or brands, risking automatic rejection and losing revenue
6. Skipping TF2's import tool and submitting without a gold star
7. Assuming you get "25% of the price", when the base is Adjusted Gross Revenue and indirect sales are discretionary

7. Final checklist

• [ ] Re-check the Revenue Share on your target game's About page today
• [ ] Build to the game's official technical guide; test and publish with the in-game tool
• [ ] Accept the Workshop agreement on the item page so it isn't hidden
• [ ] Contact: legal name in English letters, no special characters
• [ ] Bank: in your name, accepts USD, no spaces or dashes in SWIFT/IBAN; remember the 20th cutoff
• [ ] Tax interview: one sitting, same name; consider including a foreign TIN
• [ ] Every co-creator registered and has agreed
• [ ] Understand that your first payment can come 90+ days after first distribution and only at $100 or more
• [ ] Each year, after receiving Form 1042-S (non-US), ask a professional about filing where you live