NFT "Royalties" on OpenSea Are Often Optional. Here Is What That Means.

A collection page may show a creator percentage. That number is easy to read as a guaranteed cut of every later sale. On OpenSea, it often is not.

OpenSea's 2026 help pages call these payments creator earnings, sometimes labeled royalties on other sites. They are either optional or enforced, depending on how the collection's contract was set up.

Optional vs. enforced, in OpenSea's words

OpenSea's How do I set creator earnings on OpenSea page, dated January 20, 2026, says optional earnings mean creators can specify a preferred percentage in collection settings, but the NFT owner ultimately chooses whether to pay that amount when selling. Enforced earnings mean the percentage is paid out when items from that collection sell on OpenSea.

Only collection owners can set creator earnings. Sellers listing an item can turn creator earnings on when they create a listing or accept an offer. For collections where earnings are enforced, OpenSea says that toggle is automatically On and greyed out.

Which contracts can enforce payment

The same page splits collections by contract type:

• OpenSea Studio collections created after April 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. PT: earnings can be enforced.
• Custom contracts compatible with ERC721-C or ERC1155-C: earnings can be enforced.
• OpenSea Studio collections created before that April 2, 2024 timestamp: earnings are optional.
• Non-upgradeable custom contracts that are not C-compatible: earnings are optional.

OpenSea says upgradeable ERC721 and ERC1155 contracts can be upgraded to the C standard. If a Studio collection was deployed before the cutoff, or the custom contract cannot be upgraded, the page says you cannot retroactively enforce creator earnings. You can still set a preferred optional percentage.

The maximum creator earnings percentage you can set on OpenSea is 10%. Enforcement uses compatibility with ERC721-C through Seaport v1.6. If you do not implement that method, any earnings in the collection settings stay optional.

The trade-off if earnings are enforced

OpenSea's FAQ on that page asks whether enforcement limits where NFTs can be bought and sold. It says that if you enforce creator earnings this way, sales will only be supported on OpenSea and other marketplaces powered by LimitBreak's Payment Processor, which currently includes Magic Eden. Enforcing earnings on other marketplaces requires those sites' own steps.

OpenSea also describes an "earnings matching" policy. If a creator's percentage on OpenSea is higher than on other marketplaces, OpenSea may match the lower figure. The example on the page is 5% on OpenSea and 3% elsewhere, with OpenSea possibly changing to 3%.

Collection owners can later click Remove Enforcement in Studio and approve the request in a wallet. That turns enforced earnings back off on OpenSea.

How this sits next to OpenSea's own fees

A separate page, What fees do I pay on OpenSea, dated May 12, 2026, repeats the optional-or-enforced split. It says OpenSea typically charges a 1% fee for selling NFTs, included in the price shown to buyers, a 10% fee for minting an NFT in a primary drop, and 0% for Swaps, though third-party provider fees may still apply. Private listings typically carry a 0% OpenSea fee. Prices are subject to change. OpenSea says it never has custody or control of wallet assets.

That fees page also says Deals transactions will not include creator earnings. Gas fees are paid to blockchain validators, not to OpenSea.

What these pages do not settle

OpenSea is describing its own product. A preferred percentage is not a legal copyright royalty, and it is not a promise of income. Other marketplaces can treat creator payments differently. The help pages do not say how many collections are optional versus enforced, and they do not forecast future fee changes.

LimitBreak's Payment Processor "currently includes Magic Eden" is OpenSea's wording as of the January 20, 2026 page. That list can change. Earnings matching is described as a policy OpenSea may apply, not as a rule that always fires.

What to watch next

If you create or sell on OpenSea, read the Creator Earnings tab for that collection and the listing toggle before you assume a cut will be paid. If you buy, the item price you pay can include creator earnings when they are enforced or when the seller includes them. Watch OpenSea's own help pages for later fee or enforcement changes. This article does not predict royalty income or rank collections.

Sources

1. OpenSea Help Center, "How do I set creator earnings on OpenSea," January 20, 2026: https://support.opensea.io/en/articles/8867026-how-do-i-set-creator-earnings-on-opensea
2. OpenSea Help Center, "What fees do I pay on OpenSea," May 12, 2026: https://support.opensea.io/en/articles/8867091-what-fees-do-i-pay-on-opensea

Disclosure: This article describes OpenSea help pages about OpenSea's own product, which the company can change. Optional creator earnings are not guaranteed income, and enforcing them can limit where items sell. OpenSea fees and matching policies are not a forecast. The featured image is a generated illustration, not a screenshot of OpenSea or a payout record. This article is not financial, legal, or investment advice. AI-assisted research and writing. Cited sources, not AI alone, support the claims.