DonutSMP 2% tax: what it means for /pay, /orders and /ah
On November 11, 2026, DonutSMP announced a 2% tax on every transaction on the server. It covers the auction house (/ah), buy orders (/orders) and /pay. Here's what changed, why the server did it, and what it means for how you make money.
What changed
- 2% on every transaction - the announcement names the Auction, Orders and pay.
- It applies to everyone. It isn't a fee for one feature, it's server-wide.
- Announced November 11, 2026 by DrDonut on the DonutSMP Discord.
Why DonutSMP added it
The reason given is inflation. Money on DonutSMP mostly enters the economy when the server pays players for items they sell. Over time that keeps adding more and more money, until the money already out there makes ordinary item farms not worth building.
A tax on every trade takes a little money back out each time it changes hands. The goal, in the server's words, is that item farms become "far more worth creating and using" again.
How it works with /pay
We checked /pay in game after the update. The sender pays the tax, on top of the amount. Paying someone $2M shows:
You paid ... $2M (+$40K tax)
So:
| You send | Tax (2%) | It costs you | They get |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100K | $2K | $102K | $100K |
| $2M | $40K | $2.04M | $2M |
| $50M | $1M | $51M | $50M |
| $1B | $20M | $1.02B | $1B |
Not enough for the tax? Nothing is sent. The tax has to fit in your balance too. We tested it: with $3,774,905 on the account, /pay of $3,750,000 was refused with
You don't have enough funds to do this
and no money moved - the balance stayed exactly the same. A $1,000 payment right after went through ("$ 1K (+$ 20 tax)") and took $1,020. So the most you can send is your balance divided by 1.02 - with $1M you can send about $980K.
/orders and the auction house
The announcement says the tax covers Orders and the Auction too. How it's split there - whether it comes off what the seller gets, or on top of what the buyer pays - isn't confirmed yet. We'll update this post once we've checked it in game.
Either way, the prices on this site are the order prices players set. Check the order book for an item and keep the 2% in mind when you work out a profit.
What it means for making money
- Small flips get squeezed. If you buy something and sell it again, a trade with only a couple of percent of margin can stop being worth it once 2% goes out on the way. Look for bigger gaps.
- Moving money around costs money. Paying an alt, a friend or a shop now costs 2% each time - don't shuffle money back and forth for no reason.
- Farming gets relatively better. Selling items you farmed brings new money in, and that's what the change is meant to reward.
- Do the maths on crafts and smelting. The money guides show what you get for each craft, smelt and trade from the live order prices - leave room for the 2%.
Quick answers
Is the tax on /sell too? /sell fills the buy orders in /orders, and the announcement includes Orders. We haven't confirmed yet exactly how it shows up on a /sell - we'll update this post.
Who pays the tax on /pay? The sender, on top of the amount. The other player gets exactly the amount you typed.
What if I can't cover the tax? The payment is refused with "You don't have enough funds to do this" and nothing is sent. Send at most your balance divided by 1.02.
Will the tax go away? Nothing in the announcement says it's temporary - it's presented as the fix for inflation.
Related: how /orders works on DonutSMP and the best money farms right now.
Prices in this post marked as links are live: they show the current top /orders buy order and open the item page.