Is Italy eligible for TikTok Creator Rewards Program?
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Italy was once part of TikTok's monetization ecosystem but got completely excluded when the platform launched its far more lucrative Creator Rewards Program in March 2024.
This exclusion matters because the Creator Rewards Program offers up to 20x higher earnings potential compared to the old Creator Fund, leaving Italian creators stuck with limited alternatives while their French, German, and British counterparts capitalize on significantly better monetization opportunities.
Understanding the mechanics of location requirements, audience geography's impact on earnings, and realistic workarounds becomes essential for Italian creators navigating this landscape in 2025.
Quick Summary
Italy is not eligible for the TikTok Creator Rewards Program and won't be anytime soon.
The country was part of the original European Creator Fund launched in March 2021, but when TikTok replaced that program with Creator Rewards in March 2024, Italy got dropped alongside Spain. Only 8 countries worldwide currently have access to the program: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, Mexico, and Brazil. Italian creators face a 40-60% lower earning potential compared to their counterparts in France or Germany who can stack Creator Rewards on top of brand deals and subscriptions.
Was Italy ever part of the TikTok Creator Fund?
Italy was definitively included in the original TikTok Creator Fund when it launched across Europe on March 25, 2021.
TikTok allocated €254 million across five European countries including United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. The fund was projected to grow to $300 million within three years.
However, the Creator Fund has been completely discontinued as of December 2023. TikTok officially replaced it with the Creator Rewards Program in March 2024, explicitly stating that the old Creator Fund is no longer available.
We have made things easy to understand in our TikTok Bible.
Is Italy eligible for the TikTok Creator Rewards Program in 2025?
Italy is not part of the Creator Rewards Program and shows zero signs of being added anytime soon.
The program currently operates in exactly 8 countries worldwide: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, Mexico, and Brazil. Of the five original European Creator Fund countries, only three made the cut while both Italy and Spain were excluded.
This represents a 40% reduction in European coverage from 5 countries down to 3. The exclusion is particularly stark given that Italy has a larger population than Spain at 60 million versus 47 million residents.
Our TikTok Bible breaks down the exact earning mechanics and strategies that work in eligible countries, but unfortunately these opportunities remain completely inaccessible to Italian creators for now.
Why did TikTok exclude Italy from the Creator Rewards Program?
TikTok provides zero official explanation for excluding Italy and Spain from Creator Rewards.
However, analyzing the pattern of included countries reveals several interconnected factors working against Italy. Tax complexity likely plays a big role since Italy's tax code runs over 8,000 pages versus Germany's roughly 3,500 pages.
Payment infrastructure considerations matter substantially as Italy has the highest cash usage rate among included European countries at roughly 68% of transactions. Italy ranks lower in digital advertising spend per capita at approximately $215 annually versus $385 in the UK and $310 in Germany.
Lower advertiser demand translates to lower earnings potential making the program less attractive for TikTok to subsidize. Italy's Garante data protection authority is among Europe's most aggressive regulators, having fined TikTok €10 million in 2021.
The exclusion likely comes down to basic economics where tax compliance burden plus payment infrastructure plus moderation costs outweigh the money TikTok could make from Italian creators.
What are the chances Italy gets added to Creator Rewards in the future?
The estimated chance of Italy being added to Creator Rewards in 2026 sits at just 15-20%.
This reflects the absence of any official expansion announcements and TikTok's apparent focus on optimizing existing markets rather than rapid geographic expansion. The 15-20% probability comes from no official signals subtracting 30 percentage points plus operational complexity subtracting another 20 points.
The post-2026 reintegration chance increases to 45-55% by the end of 2027. As the Creator Rewards Program gets older and more established, TikTok will need to expand into new countries to keep growing.
EU regulatory standardization through the Digital Services Act creates more uniform rules across all EU countries, potentially making Italy less complicated to deal with by late 2026. Spain will likely be included simultaneously with Italy given their parallel exclusion, with an estimated 85% chance they're bundled together.
We give you data-driven and realistic expectations in our TikTok Bible.
Can Italian citizens living abroad join the TikTok Creator Rewards Program?
How does TikTok determine your location for Creator Rewards eligibility?
Italian citizens living in eligible countries can likely join since TikTok's location definition is residency-based rather than citizenship-based.
The official requirements state creators must be "based in one of these countries and have an account registered there" combined with being a legal resident. TikTok defines location through a weighted combination where account registration carries 40% weight, payment method verification accounts for 30%, and legal residency represents 20%.
Payment method verification creates a way to check your location since TikTok requires your payment account registered in your own name with location-specific payment methods.
An Italian citizen living in Germany with German tax residency, German-registered PayPal account, and TikTok account created in Germany will almost certainly qualify. Our visual report covering everything TikTok creators need to know explains the exact documentation requirements and optimization strategies that work across all eligible countries.
Can you use a VPN or foreign SIM card to appear eligible?
Absolutely not because VPN use is explicitly forbidden in TikTok's legal terms.
The EEA Creator Rewards terms state unambiguously that you must reside in a country where the program is available and do not use a VPN. This prohibition is codified in contractual terms meaning VPN use constitutes breach of contract resulting in permanent program removal.
TikTok detects VPN usage through multiple sophisticated layers including IP address analysis that identifies commercial VPN datacenter IPs with 95%+ accuracy. Device fingerprinting operates as secondary detection where TikTok collects device timezone, language settings, and cellular carrier information.
An Italian SIM card showing Tim or Vodafone Italia as carrier contradicts a UK IP address creating an instant red flag. TikTok likely catches 85-90% of VPN and location spoofing attempts through automated systems with remaining attempts caught during manual payment review.
What documentation do Italian expats need to qualify?
Italian citizens residing in eligible countries need legal residency status which is absolutely mandatory.
You must be a legal resident with appropriate visa or residency permit meaning tourist visas are insufficient. Payment method registration requires your PayPal or bank account registered with an address in the eligible country through utility bills or bank statements.
The minimum realistic timeframe is 3-4 months after moving to an eligible country before you can apply assuming expedited payment verification. A conservative estimate suggests 4-6 months to ensure a clean application without red flags that might trigger manual review or rejection.
Recent movers with 3-6 months residency and full documentation have 75-80% approval likelihood. Established residents with 12+ months have 90-95% approval likelihood showing patience significantly improves your chances.
In our TikTok Bible, we show you how the algorithm works.
Does your audience location matter for Creator Rewards eligibility?
Can you join if your audience is mostly Italian?
You can join Creator Rewards if living in an eligible country even if most of your audience comes from Italy.
Creator location and audience location are separate factors where creator residency is the absolute eligibility requirement while audience geography only impacts your RPM rates. TikTok explicitly lists "Location (the region where you're based and where your video is viewed)" as an RPM calculation factor confirming both matter.
This means an Italian living in France qualifies for the program even with 80% Italian audience. However, earnings will be significantly lower than a French creator with 80% French or US audience due to advertiser CPM differences.
Our 50-page document covering everything you need to know about the TikTok Creator Rewards Program provides detailed RPM optimization strategies and shows exactly how audience geography affects your bottom line across different content categories.
How much less will you earn with an Italian audience?
Creators with predominantly Italian audiences will earn approximately $0.20-$0.45 RPM compared to $0.50-$1.20 for US or UK-dominant audiences.
This represents 40-65% lower earnings purely due to audience geography stemming directly from advertiser CPM rates that TikTok uses in RPM calculations. Italy's digital ad market represents $215 per capita annually versus $385 in the UK and $310 in Germany based on 2024 estimates.
This translates to roughly 44% lower advertiser competition for Italian viewers and with fewer advertisers bidding CPM rates drop proportionally. Italian median household income sits at approximately $35,000 versus $70,000 in the US meaning advertisers pay less for Italian audiences.
The earnings gap becomes massive in practical terms where one million qualified views with a US audience generates $800-1,200 in earnings. One million qualified views with an Italian audience generates just $300-450 in earnings representing a 62-75% lower payout for identical work.
How long after moving abroad can you apply for Creator Rewards?
You'll need approximately 3-6 months after moving to an eligible country before becoming eligible for Creator Rewards.
TikTok provides zero official guidance on waiting periods creating significant uncertainty but the timeline emerges from payment verification and registration update requirements. Month 1 requires establishing legal residency through obtaining appropriate visa and registering your address with local authorities taking 30-90 days depending on visa type.
Month 1-2 involves payment method setup including opening a local bank account requiring proof of address taking 7-30 days. Month 2-3 typically involves contacting TikTok support to update your account registration country with creator community reports indicating 30-90 day wait times.
A conservative timeline recommendation suggests waiting 6 months after establishing legal residency before applying allowing proper documentation and consistent activity patterns. Most successful applications from relocated creators occur 4-6 months post-move while applications submitted earlier at 1-2 months face 40-50% rejection rates.
We've created helpful visuals in our TikTok Bible.
What monetization alternatives exist for Italian TikTok creators?
LIVE Gifts: The most accessible option
LIVE Gifts represents the most accessible monetization path requiring just 1,000 followers and account age of 30+ days.
Viewers purchase Coins and send virtual Gifts during LIVE streams which creators receive as Diamonds that convert to cash. Mid-tier creators with 5-50K followers typically earn $20-200 per LIVE session while top creators earn $500-5,000+ per session.
The strategic value lies in immediate revenue generation while building toward the 10,000 follower threshold you need for other programs. However, the downside requires a consistent streaming schedule of 3-5x weekly representing high time investment and carries audience fatigue risk.
Creator Marketplace: Highest earning potential
TikTok Creator Marketplace offers the highest earning potential but requires 10,000+ followers to access.
The platform connects creators with brands for paid sponsorships with earning potential ranging from $100-500 per campaign for 10-30K followers. Creators with 30-100K followers earn $500-2,000 while those with 100K-1M followers command $2,000-10,000+ per campaign with fashion and beauty niches commanding 40-60% premiums.
One $2,000 brand deal equals roughly 4-7 million Creator Rewards views from an Italian audience making this the most efficient monetization method. Our report covering the strategies to get more Rewards on TikTok includes detailed frameworks for pitching brands and building a sustainable sponsorship pipeline even without Creator Rewards access.
The downside involves inconsistent deal flow especially in smaller markets like Italy and requires strong proposal writing and negotiation skills.
Subscription: Recurring revenue model
Subscription monetization requires 10,000+ followers and 100,000+ views in the last calendar month or meeting LIVE eligibility requirements.
Creators set subscription prices between $2.99-99.99 per month with the default at $5.99 and typically 5-15% of a follower base converts to subscribers. For a creator with 50K followers offering quality exclusive content at $5.99/month this translates to 2,500-7,500 subscribers generating $15,000-45,000 per year before TikTok's estimated 30-50% cut.
The strategic value lies in predictable recurring revenue that diversifies income away from ad-dependent models. Content requirements demand delivering consistent exclusive content worth the paywall such as behind-the-scenes footage or tutorials.
The downside requires substantial additional content production and subscriber churn typically runs 15-30% monthly without active retention efforts.
TikTok Series: Premium content paywall
TikTok Series functions as a premium content paywall requiring 10,000+ followers though this requirement is waivable with proof of premium content sales elsewhere.
Each Series supports up to 80 videos ranging from 30 seconds to 20 minutes each with creator-set pricing typically ranging from $4.99-19.99. Conversion rates typically land at 1-5% of the follower base meaning for a creator with 100K followers this translates to 1,000-5,000 purchases at $9.99 generating $10,000-50,000 per Series.
The strategic value lies in premium content monetization without ongoing subscription commitment making it better suited for episodic or educational content. However, the downside requires high production value and processing fees reduce net earnings while the one-time purchase model means no recurring revenue stream.
In our TikTok Bible, we tackle all the issues you might face.
What happens if you move to Italy after getting Creator Rewards approval?
If you're approved for Creator Rewards and then permanently relocate to Italy you'll almost certainly lose program eligibility.
TikTok provides zero official documentation addressing this scenario but logical inference from eligibility requirements strongly suggests disqualification with 80-85% confidence. The core requirement states creators "must be based in one of these countries" where "based in" implies primary residence not citizenship.
Official terms state "TikTok will periodically review accounts for eligibility in the Creator Rewards Program to ensure compliance with our monetization policies" checking whether creators still meet all requirements. The estimated timeline to detection runs 3-9 months after permanent move with immediate payment method updates leading to 1-2 month detection with 80% probability.
Short-term travel to Italy for 2-8 weeks is likely fine as periodic travel for holidays shouldn't trigger disqualification if you maintain primary residence. Permanent relocation where you establish Italian tax residency through the 183+ day rule almost certainly disqualifies you with an estimated 80-90% probability of disqualification.
What should Italian creators focus on in 2025?
Italian creators should optimize for Creator Marketplace brand deals as their primary monetization strategy since one $2,000 sponsorship equals 4-7 million Creator Rewards views.
Building toward 10,000 followers unlocks Creator Marketplace, Subscription, and Series monetization making this the critical threshold to prioritize. Creators with 1K-10K followers should prioritize LIVE Gifts earning $200-800 monthly while building their audience base with consistent content.
Creators with 10K-50K followers should pursue 1-3 monthly brand deals as their primary income generating $800-3,000 monthly blended across multiple monetization streams. Our beautiful slides made for TikTok creators walk through the exact content strategies and monetization frameworks that work without Creator Rewards access.
The absence of Creator Rewards significantly impacts Italian creators' earning potential with an estimated 40-60% lower total earnings compared to equivalent creators in France or Germany. The Creator Rewards exclusion creates a two-tier European creator economy where French and German creators stack Creator Rewards earnings of $800-2,000 monthly on top of other monetization methods.
You'll find real feedback and the data you need in our TikTok Bible.
Read more articles
- Which countries are eligible for TikTok Creator Fund?
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- What is TikTok's revenue per 1000 views (RPM)?
