Some need hyphens when they are used as nouns. ... Nouns ending in -off have a hyphen (pay-off, turn-off, drop-off) but those ending in -out do not (payout, turnout, dropout, bailout).

Is it payout or paid out?

As nouns the difference between payout and pay

is that payout is an amount of money paid out while pay is money given in return for work; salary or wages.

How do you spell pay out?

an act or instance of paying, expending, or disbursing. money paid, expended, or disbursed, as a dividend or winning: He went to the betting window to collect his payout.