If you decide to close your account with an agency, can you request/demand a payout - even if you haven't reached minimum target?

The amount of unclaimed royalty must be quite extraordinary I would imagine .... people that open accounts, upload, get bored and forget all about it .... people that die and leave no details for next of kin ....

I should imagine that many agencies maintain quite a healthy turnover simply from unclaimed royalties.

If you decide to close your account with an agency, can you request/demand a payout - even if you haven't reached minimum target?

You can on iStock. I'm sure others  here will be able to tell you about the other agencies.

It depends on the agency. Fotolia was very accommodating in paying out the balance. I think they charged a small fee. 123RF, on the other hand, didn't really seem to understand the concept of paying you until you hit the payout limit.

I'd say if you plan on leaving an agency, find out the rules first and plan accordingly to get all your money.