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.
"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.
"Payment Config Lock" means the automatic setting that freezes certain league financial settings. For Strict enforcement leagues, Payment Config Lock is always enabled and freezes settings after the second unique league member has made a deposit. For Lenient enforcement leagues, Payment Config Lock is not enabled — settings lock at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season.
"Friend Payment" means a deposit made by one league member on behalf of another league member, where permitted by the Commissioner's league configuration.
"League Dues Wallet" means the dedicated wallet within the Sleeper platform where SleeperSafe deposits, refunds, and payouts are held.
Deposits and Payments
Eligible Funds. All SleeperSafe deposits must be new funds deposited via ACH 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. There are no fees for SleeperSafe deposits.
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 Payments. The Dues Amount is set by the Commissioner. The Dues Amount cannot be decreased after the first deposit has been made, but may be increased by the Commissioner. For Strict enforcement leagues, the Dues Amount is fully locked after the second unique league member's deposit. For Lenient enforcement leagues, the Dues Amount is locked at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season.
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 has enabled Friend Payments, you may pay the Dues Amount on behalf of another league member, provided that you have first paid your own Dues Amount in full. The recipient of a Friend Payment must complete identity verification before withdrawing any winnings. Friend Payments are not available in Strict enforcement leagues. In Lenient enforcement leagues, the Commissioner may enable or disable Friend Payments at any time during setup.
Payment Deadline. The Commissioner sets the payment deadline. For Strict enforcement leagues, the deadline must be set before or up until the draft start time. For Lenient leagues, the deadline is capped at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season. In Lenient leagues, the deadline triggers payment reminders only and does not lock any settings or trigger enforcement. Settings in Lenient leagues lock at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season.
Enforcement
Enforcement Levels. The Commissioner selects one of the following enforcement levels:
Strict. The league draft cannot take place until the Dues Pot is completely filled. If the Dues Pot is full, the Commissioner may start the draft at any time, including before the payment deadline. If the Dues Pot is not full by the deadline, all deposits are refunded. All payment configuration settings lock after the second unique deposit. Late payments are not accepted. Friend Payments are not available.
Lenient. No enforcement actions are taken. Late payments are always accepted. SleeperSafe serves as tracking and reminders only. Settings lock at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season.
Trust Level. Leagues are designated as either "Friends & Family" or "People You Don't Know." Friends & Family leagues use Lenient enforcement. People You Don't Know leagues use Strict enforcement. The trust level selection locks when the Commissioner activates SleeperSafe by making their deposit.
Payment Config Lock. Payment Config Lock is automatically determined by the enforcement level and is not a separate setting. For Strict enforcement leagues, Payment Config Lock is always enabled and freezes the Dues Amount, enforcement rules, payout structure, and bonus payouts after the second unique league member has made a deposit. For Lenient enforcement leagues, these settings lock at the start of the first NFL game of that league's season.
Member Removal. Members who have made any deposit cannot be removed from the league. For Strict enforcement leagues, league size is also locked after the second unique league member's 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, you may contact our support team to request a refund. Our support team will investigate and work with the league to determine whether the 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. You may contact our support team, who will work with the Commissioner and the league to determine a resolution.
In all cases, our support team 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 veto window, the payout processes automatically. If the veto threshold is met, the Commissioner may edit and re-propose the payout, which resets the veto 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 by the Commissioner 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. For end-of-season payouts, edit permissions depend on the enforcement level: Strict leagues may only reassign winners to existing payout slots, while Lenient leagues may reassign winners, change amounts, and add or remove payout slots.
Payout Types. SleeperSafe supports the following payout types: end-of-season standings (playoff results), regular season winner, regular season most points, and weekly highest scorer bonuses. Weekly bonus payouts are subject to separate veto windows each week. End-of-season payouts, including regular season awards, are bundled into a single proposal after playoffs conclude.
Tie-Breaking. In the event of a tie for a bonus payout (weekly most points, regular season most points, or regular season winner), the bonus is split between tied teams in whole dollar amounts. Any extra dollar resulting from rounding is awarded to the higher-ranked team.
Dues Pot Shortfall. For Lenient leagues, if the Dues Pot is not completely filled, all payouts (weekly bonuses and end-of-season) are paused until the Dues Pot is full. Weekly bonus polls continue to be generated and voted on during the season. If the Dues Pot fills mid-season, all previously approved payouts will process. If the Dues Pot is never fully funded by end of season, queued weekly bonus payouts are cancelled due to insufficient funds. The system will propose an end-of-season payout and immediately reject it, allowing the Commissioner to propose a revised payout structure based on the available Dues Pot balance, subject to the veto process. Strict leagues cannot have a Dues Pot shortfall, as the Dues Pot must be full before the draft.
Whole Dollars. All SleeperSafe amounts — including Dues Amounts, payouts, and bonus splits — are in whole US dollars only. No cents.
Refunds
Individual Refunds. You may request a refund by contacting our support team through the in-app support channel. Our support team will investigate the request and work with the Commissioner and league to determine whether the refund is appropriate. The league may reject an individual refund request. Our support team reserves the right to make the final determination on refund eligibility.
After the Draft (Strict). No individual refunds are available. You may request a refund for your league by contacting our support team through the in-app support channel.
After the Draft (Lenient). If a refund is approved, your team may be locked by the Commissioner. The Commissioner may unlock your team 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.
Leagues Dues Wallet & Withdrawals
Separate Wallet. League Dues funds are held in a dedicated League Dues 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) for use in other Sleeper products. Refunded deposits may not be transferred and must remain in the League Dues Wallet until withdrawn. Funds from other Sleeper wallets (DFS, Predictions, etc.) 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 our support team 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 (including 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.