Payment arrangements and availability
This policy governs order funding, platform fees, freelancer settlement and returns of unused money. It must be read with the Terms and Conditions and Cancellation and Refund Policy.
Payment functions operate only where an active payment-provider arrangement permits the particular marketplace transaction. Before collecting money, the payment interface must identify the organisation providing the payment service, its role, relevant terms and privacy information, supported route and any material restrictions.
If an appropriate route is not available, the platform must not accept top-ups or represent an order as funded. We do not offer an independent bank account or general-purpose remittance service through these Terms.
References to a “balance”, “reserved budget” or “escrow” describe order-related records or a provider-supported conditional payment process. They do not, without the relevant provider documentation, represent that QUANTROQ is a bank, licensed payment institution, regulated escrow agent, trustee or provider of a deposit guarantee.
Money must not be routed through an ordinary Company account as a substitute for the required provider arrangement. The legal holder, protection of funds and release authority must be disclosed for the live payment service before funding.
Currency, price and fees
Orders are priced in EUR unless a supported transaction expressly displays another agreed currency before commitment. The standard platform fees are:
| Item | Charge |
| - | - |
| Client platform fee | None |
| Freelancer platform fee | 8% of gross work remuneration payable, deducted on release for payment |
| Posting, proposals and ordinary messaging | No separate platform charge |
| Included revision rounds | No additional platform fee |
The 8% platform deduction includes any VAT applicable to that fee. The freelancer remains responsible for correctly identifying taxes on the underlying work; the client must see the total work price and tax treatment before ordering. The fee base is the gross work remuneration payable under the order or settlement, before the platform deduction.
These policies impose no minimum order value linked to a fixed platform fee. Any operational payment-route limit must be disclosed before an offer is accepted and must not become an undisclosed additional charge.
Example: for a €500 total work price, the client pays €500. On full completion, the freelancer earns €500 gross, the platform deducts €40 (8%) and the freelancer receives €460.
We do not impose an additional undisclosed top-up or withdrawal fee. If a permitted third-party or currency-conversion charge will apply, the amount or calculation and responsible provider must be disclosed before the user chooses that route; it must not be introduced retroactively.
Funding and reserved budgets
Clients may use eligible card payments or SEPA transfers only when the relevant provider route is enabled. The payer must be authorised to use the instrument and must provide information reasonably required for verification.
Any top-up must be linked to the verified payer and supported provider account or transaction record. Available, reserved, disputed and refundable amounts must be distinguished. A pending authorisation or unsettled transfer must not be described as final available funding.
On a hire offer, the work price is reserved through the supported process; no separate client platform fee is added. The freelancer sees the gross work price, 8% deduction and expected net earnings before accepting.
If the offer is declined or expires without creating a work contract, the reservation is released without earning a platform fee. The client may leave a permitted available amount for a future order or request its return; consent to one option must not be assumed to exclude the other.
Users may not transfer balances to unrelated users, use top-ups to obtain cash from another payment instrument, buy and sell accounts, or route money through fictitious work.
When fees are earned
The 8% fee is deducted when earned work remuneration is released for payment following final express or valid automatic acceptance, or an authorised partial settlement. It is not charged when a project is posted, a proposal is sent or money is topped up.
The same remuneration is charged only once. No additional platform fee arises merely because work is revised, the order is resubmitted, a net balance is withdrawn or an existing entitlement is paid in several technical transfers.
For a partial settlement agreed by the parties or determined through the dispute process, the fee applies only to the gross work remuneration actually payable:
Platform fee = 8% × settled work remuneration, rounded to the nearest euro cent. Net freelancer earnings = settled remuneration − platform fee.
For example, if €250 of an original €500 order is payable, the fee is €20, the freelancer receives €230 and the client receives a €250 refund. No fee is charged on the refunded part of the work price.
If no work remuneration is payable, the platform fee is zero. If a settled order is subsequently refunded in whole or part, the corresponding fee must be reversed or adjusted so that the retained fee equals 8% of the final remuneration retained; the client refund must not be reduced by a fee charged to the freelancer. Statutory rights or a failure of our own platform service may require a larger refund.
Acceptance and payout timing
The Terms provide 72 hours to review each qualifying delivery, up to three included revision rounds and safeguards against automatic acceptance while a timely objection or dispute is pending.
We will process the freelancer payout within 1–3 business days after final express or valid automatic acceptance, provided the lawful eligibility requirements are met. We aim to complete verification and obtain valid payout details before the freelancer accepts the order, not use routine post-acceptance checks to extend the promised period.
Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales. Dates are measured in Europe/London time; the first business day is the next business day after acceptance, and the normal deadline is the end of the third business day.
A payout route must be selected and verified before release. Payment is to an eligible card or bank account in the freelancer’s own name, or its correctly verified contracting business’s name, as supported by the provider. A card accepted for a client payment is not automatically eligible to receive payouts.
Crediting an internal ledger alone is not an external payout. We will transmit a valid payout instruction through the selected route within the stated period and retain the payment reference; provider or beneficiary-bank processing may affect when funds become visible, and any known route-specific delay must be disclosed.
Internal queues, a later resale of work or arbitrary review do not restart the clock. We must notify the freelancer of failed or rejected payments and check their status before retrying to prevent duplicate transfers.
Exceptional restrictions
Specific legal prohibitions, a genuine fraud indication, a relevant unresolved dispute, invalid beneficiary details, or a provider restriction may prevent a particular payout. A restriction must be proportionate to the affected amount and risk, reviewed without undue delay, and explained with the required corrective steps and a review route unless disclosure is prohibited by law.
We will not impose a blanket indefinite hold on all earnings merely because one order is disputed. An account restriction does not itself make earned remuneration our property.
Where a lawful hold prevents the normal deadline, we will provide available status information and arrange payment promptly once the impediment is removed. We do not represent that this exceptional clause guarantees payment where payment is legally prohibited.
Unused balances, refunds and chargebacks
Clients may request return of unused, uncommitted funds through support. We will not require a new purchase or acceptance of store credit to release an eligible cash refund.
Returns normally go to the original payment method and payer; where that is impossible, we will verify a lawful same-beneficiary alternative. We may seek proportionate evidence of payment ownership but not unrelated credentials such as full card security codes.
Refund entitlements and deadlines are governed by the Cancellation and Refund Policy. Chargebacks are assessed on their evidence and applicable scheme rules; opening a chargeback is not by itself proof of fraud, but duplicate recovery is not permitted.
We will not automatically debit unrelated freelance earnings to cover every client dispute. Any proposed recovery must identify its contractual/legal basis, amount and underlying evidence and allow a response where lawful.
Records and support
Users should retain their order, delivery, acceptance and payment confirmations. We will distinguish work price, the freelancer’s 8% platform fee, tax information, adjustments, refunds and payout references in transaction records.
Contact [email protected] with the order number and a short description of any payment problem. Do not send passwords, one-time authentication codes or complete card details.