Automating the collection of federation levies
To help federations manage their business models seamlessly, Liveheats has introduced Automated Federation Levies - a tool that automatically collects and tracks federation “head taxes” across all sanctioned memberships and events.
What is a Federation levy?
A Federation Levy (also known as a head tax) is a small fee - either a fixed amount or percentage - applied to each registration processed by a club or event organiser affiliated with a federation, on Liveheats.
Federations use levies to fund the services they provide to their members, such as insurance and liability coverage, brand and sanctioning rights, rankings and qualification pathways, access to national championships, event management software, and standardised rules and playbooks.
Liveheats now automates this process, allowing federations to apply and collect levies on event registrations run by affiliated organisations. The levy is automatically deducted, tracked, and reported in the federation’s dashboard, ensuring transparent and accurate payments with no manual reconciliation required.
For example, a national body might apply an 8.25% levy on every event registration processed by its affiliated organisers, as described below:
How to automate federation levies with Liveheats
Once set up by the Liveheats team, federation levies work automatically across all affiliated organisations.
- Federation setup
- Your Liveheats account manager will create the levy under your federation account (for example, IFSA 2025–26 Head Tax).
- Choose whether the levy applies to events, memberships, or both. Set the levy as a percentage of the total registration price (e.g. 8.25%) or fixed amount.
- Optional - set any conditions or rules (e.g. $19 for under 12, or $29 for adults), or any exceptions (e.g. social memberships excluded)
- Automatic application to affiliated organisations
- After setup, the levy is automatically applied to all affiliated clubs and event organisers - including both existing and newly created events or series
- Athlete registration
- When an athlete registers for an event or membership, the funds are automatically separated from the total amount
- Tracking and reporting
Each payment includes a distinct “Federation levy” line item. Federation admins can request reports for
- Total levies collected (by currency)
- Per-club/child organisation breakdowns
- Payout history and outstanding balance
- Payouts
- Liveheats will collect the funds and issue regular payouts to the federation's bank account in the correct currency.
Common questions for federation levies with Liveheats
Can I apply a fixed fee instead of a percentage?
Yes, you can use percentage or fixed levies.
Can levies apply to memberships as well as events?
Yes, you can collect levies on events and or memberships in your federation.
Will levies apply to paid extras like Hoodies/Tickets solve with the registration?
No, paid optional extras are exempt from the levy.
Can we exempt social members from paying the levy?
Yes, you can set rules on specific options/divisions to be levy-exempt.
Do organisers or athletes need to do anything?
No. Once the levy is configured, it applies automatically to all affiliated organisations and appears on registration receipts.
How often are payouts made to federations?
Liveheats manages regular manual payouts to ensure all funds are reconciled and delivered promptly.
Updated on: 28/11/2025
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