5 reasons why every visual creator and artist should claim DACS Payback this year
DACS receives royalties from various collective licensing schemes for reuses of work that are difficult to individually track and then distributes them to visual creators through the Payback service.
1. It’s free to sign up
Every year we receive collective licensing revenue from various organisations such as CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) and ERA (Educational Recording Agency), which we distribute through DACS Payback. Joining is free and we only deduct 14% from your Payback royalties to cover our administrative costs. We’re one of a few organisations authorised to do this for you.
2. You’ve already done the work
Claiming your Payback royalties is easy, with the hard work already behind you. Collective licensing covers reuses that are difficult for you to track individually, saving creators from spending extra time and effort recouping their royalties. Claiming isn’t extra work for extra reward; it all occurs in the background, ensuring your work continues to be recognised financially, year after year. All creators need to do is sign up and fill in their details to join the annual distribution.
3. Your claim carries over every year
One of the advantages of Payback is its simplicity and continuity. If you’ve claimed before, DACS saves your details, including the published works you’ve entered, so you only need to update new information in future years via the Payback Portal. This means you can claim for the same published work every year—there’s no need to re-enter it annually. Just add your work once, keep your details current, and you’ll be set for future distributions. The only exception is with TV, where you must submit those claims each year.
4. It strengthens future support for visual creators
Collective licensing isn't just a mechanism for Payback today - it’s a long‑term safeguard for artists. As visual work is increasingly reused, shared and reproduced across digital, AI‑driven and global platforms, collective licensing could be used to ensure artists can continue to be compensated fairly. It’s a vital part of building a sustainable future for creative careers.
5. It recognises the ongoing worth of your work
Claiming Payback is more than just a financial transaction - it’s a statement of value. It shows that your work, regardless of when it was created – positively adds to our culture and society as a whole. This kind of contribution deserves fair compensation beyond the original commission or fee.
How to claim DACS Payback
Claiming Payback is a straightforward way for visual creators to ensure their work is valued and rewarded, year after year. To get started, follow the steps below and find out more about making your claim.
- Create a DACS Payback account and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Add your bank account details - keep these up to date.
- Submit your claim between January and April each year, detailing the use of your work(s).
- DACS pays the royalties into your bank account each Autumn.
- DACS saves the data you submit for you to use again on next year’s claim.
About the author
Chris Haynes is the Collective Licensing manager at DACS and is responsible for various Collective Licensing schemes, primarily Payback. He manages the Payback portal and relationships with Payback members including large picture libraries.
Read more:
- Find out more about collective licensing.
- Start your claim by signing up for free.
- Learn more about DACS Payback.
