How escrow works

Escrow is a hold on the client’s payment until the agreed work is approved. It protects both sides: you do not start unpaid, and the client does not release funds before delivery.

The four states you will see

State	What it means	Who acts next
Funding required	Offer accepted. Client has not paid the milestone yet.	Client, from Contracts
Funded / in escrow	Money is locked. Shown to you as pending escrow on Earnings.	You deliver and submit work
Submitted	Client is reviewing. They can approve or open a dispute.	Client (or auto-release clock)
Released / paid out	10% platform fee taken; 90% in your available wallet.	You, when you withdraw

Step by step

Offer. Rate, schedule, and payment rail are on the contract. Accepting locks those terms.
Client funds.
- Card: Stripe Checkout / embedded pay on the client Contracts page.
- USDC (Polygon): Client deposits into the Sovereign Escrow contract using the addresses and 6-decimal amount shown in their UI. Gas is paid in POL. Never send to an address from email or chat.
- ADA: Only if the offer uses Cardano. You must save a receive address starting with addr1 on Earnings.
You work and submit the milestone (notes, URL, or files as the contract asks).
Client decides. Approve releases funds. Dispute pauses payout for review. If they neither approve nor dispute, the backend can auto-progress after the review window (about seven days from submission — watch status and email).
Wallet credit. Gross × 90% becomes available. Withdraw from Earnings & payouts after payout setup and the method minimum ($10 bank/PayPal, $100 USDC, $1,250 SWIFT).

Disputes

Open disputes from the escrow detail page. Mediation applies to funds that actually moved through in-app rails. Off-platform payments are between you and the other party.

Do not start unpaid work

If the contract still says funding required, the milestone is not protected. Ask the client to fund from their Contracts screen, or contact support@weremoteit.com with the contract id.

Where to click

Talent: Escrows in the sidebar, then a milestone, or Earnings & payouts for balances.
Client: Contracts to fund, Escrows to approve or dispute.
Fees and withdrawal minimums: Payments & earnings.