Preparing for Above Board certification

1. Gather the documents

Company registry extract and an ownership chart naming beneficial owners
Your current creator contract template, and every variation still in force
A complete roster with a way to contact each creator
Three recent months of payout statements and invoices
Your chat disclosure policy and chatter pay records, if you use chatters
Age and ID verification records and consent forms
Studios: house rules, shift schedules and pay records

2. Fix the contract

Check your template against pillar 3. The usual fixes:

State the commission and whether it's on gross or net (3.1)
Minimum term of six months or less, notice of 60 days or less, no exit fee (3.2, 3.3)
Content licence ends with the contract; remove "perpetual" and "irrevocable" (3.4)
AI or digital-replica use only with separate written consent per use (3.7)
No fees to join, and no fines for missed targets (3.8, 3.9)

3. Fix account access

Move every creator to the platform's official manager or team access where it exists. Where it doesn't, keep a named list of staff with access and a log, and confirm each creator controls their own email, two-factor and payout details (pillar 2).

4. Reconcile your payouts

Pick three months and recalculate commission for every creator from platform data. If anything differs from the contract, fix it and pay back the difference before the audit (4.1).

5. Tell your creators

We'll contact creators directly. Tell them in advance that an independent auditor may reach out, that they can speak freely, and how to reach Above Board confidentially (10.1).

Common reasons audits fail