Data licensing revenue share calculator
The price a data buyer agrees to is not what ends up in your account. Enter the deal and the calculator takes off the broker or platform share, your preparation and legal costs, any share owed to partners and tax, year by year across the term. It also shows the broker fee at which selling the data yourself would leave you with the same amount.
Where the money goes
Every deduction from the gross deal value, over the whole term.
Year by year
| Year | Gross | Broker | Costs | Partner | Tax | You keep | Running total |
|---|
How the split is calculated
Each year is worked out on its own, in the order money usually flows in a data deal, and then the years are added up.
Gross for the year
Year 1 gets the upfront fee plus the yearly fee; later years get the yearly fee only.
Broker or platform share
Taken first, from the gross amount, as most platforms deduct their share before paying out.
broker = gross × broker share
Your costs
Preparation and legal review fall in year 1; delivery costs every year.
Partner share and tax
Partners get their percentage of the profit after costs. Tax is a flat rate on what remains, and only on profit.
kept = (profit − partner) × (1 − tax)
Compare with selling directly
The direct route drops the broker share but adds your own selling cost. The break-even share is the broker fee that leaves both routes level.
break-even = direct selling cost ÷ gross deal value
Questions about data licensing revenue shares
How much do data brokers and licensing platforms take?
Most charge between 15 and 30 percent of the deal value, sometimes with a minimum fee. Some take a smaller share but charge separately for preparing and anonymizing the data. Compare offers on what you keep at the end, not on the headline percentage.
Is it better to sell data through a broker or directly?
Selling directly saves the broker share but costs time and money: finding buyers, preparing samples, negotiating and paying for legal review yourself. The break-even figure in the calculator shows the broker share at which both routes leave you with the same amount.
Who pays for data preparation?
It varies. In many deals the seller pays for cleaning and anonymizing, either in-house or through a vendor. Some platforms include it in their share. Include it in the calculation either way, because it often runs to 10 to 20 percent of a first deal.
Why would I share revenue with a partner?
If some of the data was created with or for a client, partner or franchisee, your contract may give them a share of any income from it, or they may ask for one in exchange for consent. It is usually calculated on profit after costs, which is how the calculator handles it.
Is data licensing income taxed?
Generally yes, as ordinary business income in the year it is received or earned, depending on your accounting method. The tax rate in the calculator is a simple flat rate for planning. Ask your accountant how the income should be treated in your country.