Terms of Service
Last updated: September 9, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Funny Money (the "Service"), operated by Funny Money ("we," "us"). By creating an account, subscribing, or registering a channel, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter a binding contract to subscribe or receive a payout. Creators registering a channel must be the verified owner of that channel. The Service is intended for use in the United States; if you're located elsewhere, you're responsible for complying with your local laws.
2. What Funny Money Does
Funny Money scans public comments on YouTube Shorts — not long-form video — from a roster of participating creators, and identifies one comment each month as "the funniest." Long-form YouTube videos are not scanned and are never eligible.
- If that comment's author is a verified, active Funny Money subscriber, they're eligible for that month's prize pool (Section 4).
- The creator whose Short produced the winning comment is separately eligible for a creator bonus (Section 5), whether or not the commenter is a subscriber.
"Funniest" is determined by our own automated scoring of public comment engagement and content. We don't guarantee the process is free of error, and our determination of that month's winning comment is final.
3. Accounts & Sign-In
You sign in with your Google account via Firebase Authentication. Verifying YouTube channel ownership (as a subscriber wanting prize eligibility, or as a creator registering a channel) requires granting Funny Money read-only access to your YouTube account (the youtube.readonly scope) — we use this only to confirm which channel is yours, and we never request or receive your Google password. See our Privacy Policy for the full detail on what we access and why.
You're responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for all activity under your account.
4. Subscription, Billing & Cancellation
- Funny Money is a $4.99/month recurring subscription, billed to the payment method you provide via Stripe.
- Your subscription automatically renews each month at the then-current price until you cancel.
- You can cancel anytime; cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period, and you keep access until then. We don't provide prorated refunds for partial months.
- Only an active subscriber at the time a comment is identified as that month's winner is eligible for the prize pool — canceling before the month's winner is determined forfeits that month's eligibility.
5. The Monthly Prize Pool
Each month, we calculate net subscription revenue (gross subscription revenue minus payment-processing fees) and set aside 50% of that net revenue as the month's prize pool, capped at $25,000.
- The prize pool is only paid out if that month's winning comment's author is a verified, active subscriber. We attempt to match the winning comment's actual author to a subscriber account via verified YouTube channel ownership — a self-reported display name alone is never sufficient to award a prize.
- If the winning comment's author cannot be matched to a verified active subscriber, the prize pool for that month is forfeited — it is not carried over, rolled over, or added to a future month's pool.
- Winners are paid manually by us, by the payment method we agree on, after verification. We may require you to provide tax information (Section 7) before releasing payment.
Funny Money reserves the right to adjust the prize pool percentage, the payout cap, or the eligibility rules described here for future months, with notice on this page.
6. The Creator Bonus Program
Registering a channel with Funny Money is free. If a registered creator's Short produces that month's winning comment, the creator is paid a bonus regardless of whether the commenter is a Funny Money subscriber. The bonus amount is a flat, published amount set by the number of Funny Money's active subscribers at the time (currently ranging from $10 to a cap of $25,000 as the subscriber base grows), not a percentage the creator can negotiate. Funny Money reserves the right to change this schedule for future months.
7. Tax Reporting
Payments to subscribers or creators may be reportable income. If your total payouts from Funny Money in a calendar year meet or exceed the applicable IRS threshold (currently $600), we may require you to complete a Form W-9 (or equivalent) before releasing further payment, and we'll issue the applicable tax form (e.g., Form 1099) as required by law. You're responsible for reporting and paying any taxes owed on amounts you receive.
8. Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to:
- Create multiple accounts to increase your chances of winning, or misrepresent your identity or channel ownership.
- Attempt to manipulate comment scores, engagement metrics, or the selection process through bots, purchased engagement, coordinated brigading, or similar means.
- Post or submit comments that are illegal, harassing, or infringe someone else's rights, in an attempt to win.
- Interfere with or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service.
We may disqualify a comment, withhold a payout, or terminate an account (Section 12) if we reasonably believe this section was violated.
9. Content & Intellectual Property
Comments scanned by Funny Money remain the property of whoever posted them on YouTube. By registering a channel, a creator grants Funny Money a non-exclusive license to display that channel's public Shorts, comments, and channel name/branding within the Service (e.g., in the monthly feed and the Featured Creators list) for as long as the channel is registered.
10. Third-Party Services
Funny Money relies on third-party services to operate, including Google/YouTube, Stripe, Railway, and Netlify. Your use of those services (e.g., making a payment through Stripe) is also governed by their own terms. We aren't responsible for outages or changes on their end.
11. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind. We don't guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that our determination of a monthly winner will be free of mistakes. We don't guarantee any particular prize pool or creator bonus amount — both depend on actual subscriber counts and revenue, which vary.
12. Limitation of Liability & Termination
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Funny Money isn't liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the 3 months before the claim arose. We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violating these Terms.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above; continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
14. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which Funny Money operates, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Contact willwalton73@gmail.com.