Sleeper’s league dues feature allows commissioners to collect and manage league payments directly within the app ("SleeperSafe"). This page outlines how the feature operates, along with the rules and obligations that govern its use. By utilizing SleeperSafe, you agree to these terms, so please review them carefully before proceeding. Please note that certain eligibility and other restrictions apply - please see our General Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before participating.
Definitions
Please note the following definitions:
"Commissioner" means the league member who has been designated as the administrator of a league and who is responsible for configuring SleeperSafe settings, including but not limited to entry fees, enforcement levels, payout structures, and payment deadlines.
"Public League" / "Private League" — the two SleeperSafe league types, chosen by the Commissioner at setup.
Private leagues are suggested for friends and family.
Public leagues are suggested for people you don't know.
The type determines how settings lock and how payments are enforced (see Enforcement). Before activating, the Commissioner can switch freely between Public and Private; the choice locks the moment the Commissioner activates SleeperSafe by making their deposit.
"Dues Amount" means the monetary amount each league member is required to deposit to participate in a league with SleeperSafe enabled, as configured by the Commissioner.
"Dues Pot" means the total pooled funds collected from all league member deposits for a given league season.
"Payout Proposal" means a distribution of funds from the Dues Pot to one or more league members, as proposed by the system or Commissioner, subject to the veto process described herein.
"Veto" means the mechanism by which league members may reject a Payout Proposal during the designated veto window.
"Settings Lock" — the point at which a league's payment-related settings freeze so they can't be changed once money is committed. The main one is the payout structure (how the Dues Pot is divided among winners); it also covers the Dues Amount (entry fee), bonus payouts, league size, and playoff settings (which determine end-of-season payouts). It does not affect scoring or general league settings — those stay editable, and any changes are shown to the league. When the lock takes effect depends on league type:
Public leagues: payout amounts lock when the Commissioner activates SleeperSafe; the Dues Amount, payout structure, league size, and playoff settings lock after the second unique member deposits.
Private leagues: these settings lock at the payment deadline.
"Friend Payment" paying the Dues Amount on behalf of another league member (paying dues for a friend), where the Commissioner allows it.
"League Dues Wallet" means the dedicated wallet within the Sleeper platform where SleeperSafe deposits, refunds, and payouts are held.
Deposits and Payments
Eligible Funds. SleeperSafe deposits must be new funds added via a supported payment method, or refunded SleeperSafe funds already in your League Dues Wallet. You may not transfer existing funds from any other Sleeper wallet (including DFS or Predictions) to satisfy a SleeperSafe deposit. Bank transfer (AeroPay) has 0% fees; other payment methods may have a processing fee, shown before you pay.
Who Can Deposit. Only the primary roster owner assigned to a team may deposit for SleeperSafe. Co-owners and co-commissioners without a roster may not deposit.
Deposit Limits. Certain limits on deposit amounts may apply. Sleeper reserves the right to set and modify deposit limits at any time.
Entry Fee (Dues Amount). The Dues Amount is set by the Commissioner. It may be increased after deposits have started, and may be decreased only down to the highest amount any member has already deposited (never below). In Public leagues, the Dues Amount fully locks after the second unique member's deposit. In Private leagues, it locks at the payment deadline.
Partial Payments. If the Dues Amount increases after you have already made a deposit, you will be required to pay the difference.
Friend Payments. If the Commissioner allows it, you may pay the Dues Amount on behalf of another league member — after you have paid your own Dues Amount in full. The recipient must complete identity verification before withdrawing any winnings. Covering a leaguemate is not available in Public leagues. In Private leagues, the Commissioner may enable or disable it during setup.
Payment Deadline. The Commissioner sets the payment deadline. In Public leagues it must be set before or up to the draft start time. In Private leagues it defaults to the first game of Week 1 and cannot be set later than that (it can be set earlier); it triggers payment reminders, and the payment-related settings (payout structure, Dues Amount, bonus payouts, league size, and playoff settings) lock at the deadline. A passed deadline cannot be moved in a Public league; in a Private league the deadline can be moved forward only, up to the first game of Week 1.
Enforcement
Public Leagues. The league draft cannot take place until the Dues Pot is completely filled. If the pot is full, the Commissioner may start the draft at any time, including before the payment deadline. If the pot is not full by the deadline, all deposits are refunded. Payout amounts lock when SleeperSafe is activated; the Dues Amount, payout structure, and league size lock after the second unique deposit. Late payments are not accepted. Covering a leaguemate is not available.
Private Leagues. No enforcement actions are taken and late payments are always accepted — SleeperSafe serves as tracking and reminders. Settings lock at the payment deadline.
League Type Lock. The Commissioner chooses Public or Private at setup; the choice locks when they activate SleeperSafe by making their deposit.
Member Removal. Members who have made any deposit cannot be removed. In Public leagues, league size also locks after the second unique deposit. Unpaid members may be removed before the draft. After the draft, no members may be removed.
League Departure.
If you have not paid, you may leave at any time.
If you have paid and wish to leave before the season starts, contact support to request a refund; support will work with the league to determine whether a refund is appropriate. The league and/or Sleeper may reject an individual refund request.
If you leave after the season has started, your deposit remains in the Dues Pot; you will not receive an automatic refund. Contact support and we will work with the Commissioner and league on a resolution.
In all cases, support reserves the right to make the final determination on refund eligibility.
Payouts
Payout Process. Payouts are proposed by the system based on league standings or weekly results. Each Payout Proposal is subject to a veto window (24, 48, or 72 hours, as configured by the Commissioner). If the veto threshold is not met during the window, the payout processes automatically. If the threshold is met, the Commissioner may edit and re-propose, which resets the window.
Veto Voting. Each team has one (1) veto vote, exercisable only by the main roster owner. Co-owners may not veto. Non-response is treated as no veto. The Commissioner may vote on their own proposals. The veto threshold is configurable by the Commissioner (majority or all members).
Commissioner Edits. The Commissioner may edit a Payout Proposal at any time, including before a veto is cast; any edit rejects the existing proposal and creates a new one with a fresh veto window. For weekly bonus payouts, the Commissioner may only change which team receives the payout, not the amount — in both Public and Private leagues. For end-of-season payouts: in Public leagues the Commissioner may only reassign winners to existing payout slots; in Private leagues the Commissioner may reassign winners, change amounts, and add or remove payout slots.
Payout Types. SleeperSafe supports: end-of-season standings (playoff results), regular season winner, regular season most points, and weekly highest-scorer bonuses. Regular season most points is based on regular-season scoring only (playoff scoring does not count). Weekly bonus payouts have separate veto windows each week; end-of-season payouts, including regular season awards, are bundled into a single proposal after playoffs conclude.
Tie-Breaking. If two or more teams tie for a bonus (weekly most points, regular season most points, or regular season winner), the combined prize for the tied positions is split as evenly as possible in whole dollars. Every tied team receives the same base amount; any leftover dollars are distributed one dollar each to tied teams chosen at random (because tied teams scored identically, there is no ranking between them). If the prize is smaller than the number of tied teams, some tied teams may receive $0 (for example, a $3 prize split four ways pays three teams $1 and one team $0). A Commissioner may reassign winners through the payout proposal to resolve a tie differently.
Dues Pot Shortfall.
In Private leagues, if the Dues Pot is not completely filled, all payouts (weekly bonuses and end-of-season) are paused until it is full. Weekly bonus polls continue to be generated and voted on during the season. If the pot fills mid-season, previously approved payouts process. If the pot is never fully funded by end of season, queued weekly bonus payouts are cancelled for insufficient funds, and the system will propose an end-of-season payout and immediately reject it, allowing the Commissioner to propose a revised structure based on the available balance (subject to the veto process).
Public leagues should not have a shortfall, since the pot must be full before the draft. If one does occur — for example, a deposit is later returned or charged back — the league should contact support for a resolution. Support may, at its discretion, refund the league, but that is not always the outcome.
Whole Dollars. All SleeperSafe amounts — including Dues Amounts, payouts, and bonus splits — are in whole US dollars only. No cents.
Refunds
Individual Refunds. Request a refund by contacting support through the in-app support channel. Support will investigate and work with the Commissioner and league to determine whether the refund is appropriate. The league may reject an individual refund request. Support reserves the right to make the final determination.
After the payment deadline (Public). No individual refunds are available. You may request a refund for your league by contacting our support team through the in-app support channel. Support will investigate and work with the Commissioner and league to determine whether the refund is appropriate.
After the payment deadline (Private). If a refund is approved, your team may be locked by the Commissioner (who may unlock it at their discretion). The Commissioner will need to propose a revised payout structure based on the remaining balance.
Refund Destination. All refunds are deposited to your League Dues Wallet. Refunded funds may be used for SleeperSafe deposits in other leagues or withdrawn. Refunded funds may not be transferred to other Sleeper wallets (DFS, Predictions, etc.).
Full League Refund. You may request a refund for your league at any time by contacting our support team through the in-app support channel. Support will investigate and work with the Commissioner and league to determine whether the refund is appropriate.
Returned Payments (ACH Returns)
If a bank deposit is later returned (an ACH return), the returned amount is removed from the Dues Pot and your team is marked unpaid. To recover the funds, you must resolve the returned payment directly with Aeropay. If it is resolved, Aeropay retains a 25% fee and the remaining 75% is returned to your Sleeper wallet; once that 75% posts, you can pay your league dues again. If the return is not resolved with Aeropay, no funds are returned. The 25% retained by Aeropay is not credited toward your dues.
Disabling, Re-enabling, or Reverting to the Dues Tracker
Disabling. A Commissioner may disable SleeperSafe as long as no money has moved — i.e., no member (including the Commissioner) has deposited. Disabling clears the current SleeperSafe configuration; settings are not retained.
Once payments exist. After any deposit has been made, SleeperSafe can no longer be disabled.
Re-enabling. A Commissioner may re-enable SleeperSafe before the season locks. Re-enabling starts from a fresh configuration.
Reverting to the Dues Tracker (no payments). If you'd rather not collect real-money dues through SleeperSafe, you can revert to the manual Dues Tracker — a tracking-only tool for dues you collect outside of Sleeper (no payments needed). You can access it via the Help button in SleeperSafe settings.
Leagues Dues Wallet & Withdrawals
Separate Wallet. League Dues funds are held in a dedicated Fantasy Wallet.
Withdrawals. You may withdraw funds won from SleeperSafe leagues at any time, subject to applicable withdrawal limits and identity verification requirements.
Transfers. Only SleeperSafe payout winnings may be transferred to other Sleeper wallets (such as DFS or Predictions). Refunded deposits may not be transferred and must remain in the League Dues Wallet until withdrawn. Funds from other Sleeper wallets may not be transferred into the League Dues Wallet.
Withdrawal Limits. Withdrawal limits may apply at the time of withdrawal. Sleeper reserves the right to modify withdrawal limits at any time.
Banned Users
Temporary Ban. If you receive a temporary ban, your SleeperSafe funds are not affected. You remain part of your league and are eligible for payouts. You are locked from login, chat, and gameplay for the duration of the ban.
Permanent Ban — Before Draft. If you receive a permanent ban before the draft, your deposit will be refunded.
Permanent Ban — After Draft. IF YOU RECEIVE A PERMANENT BAN AFTER THE DRAFT, YOUR DEPOSIT REMAINS IN THE LEAGUE DUES POT. IF YOU ARE OWED A PAYOUT AT THE END OF THE SEASON, THE COMMISSIONER MAY REDISTRIBUTE THOSE FUNDS.
Permanent bans are made in the sole discretion of Sleeper. Please review the General Terms of Use for examples of user behavior that could result in a platform ban.
Commissioner Responsibilities & Limitations
The Commissioner is responsible for configuring SleeperSafe settings, managing payout proposals, and cooperating with support on refund requests. The Commissioner may assign themselves to payout slots; all such assignments are subject to the veto process. All Commissioner actions pertaining to SleeperSafe (scoring changes, bracket changes, payout proposals, and edits) are publicly posted in the league chat and logged for review.
Any SleeperSafe league member or members may contact our customer support team regarding the replacement and/or removal of a Commissioner.
Sleeper is not responsible for any of Commissioner's actions, decisions, and/or inactions. Disputes between league members and the Commissioner should be resolved through the veto process, the commissioner replacement process, or by contacting our support team.
League Disputes & Support
If a dispute arises regarding payouts, refunds, or league administration, league members should first attempt to resolve the issue through the in-app veto process. If the veto process does not resolve the issue, league members may contact our support team through the in-app support channel.
Our support team may, at its sole discretion, intervene in disputes, issue full league refunds, submit payout proposals, adjust transactions, and/or take any other action it deems necessary.
Sleeper does not guarantee any specific outcome in disputes between league members.
Additional Rules
If Sleeper encounters a bug, technical error, or other platform issue affecting SleeperSafe, Sleeper reserves the right to delay payouts until the issue is resolved. Sleeper reserves the right to refund all league members and dissolve the league's SleeperSafe configuration should it determine in its sole discretion no other option is warranted.
SLEEPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, CANCEL, AND/OR IN ANY WAY MODIFY SLEEPERSAFE AND/OR THESE RULES WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE.