Secure Milestone Payments (Stripe-Held)
Funds are held by Stripe and released based on agreed milestone conditions — giving both buyers and freelancers clarity and protection.
Stripe-processed and Stripe-held
Milestone-based payment protection
Defined release conditions
How Milestone Payments Work
A clear four-step process from creation to release.
Milestone Created
The buyer defines scope and milestone amount within the contract.
Milestone Funded
Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds securely under Stripe's regulatory framework.
Work Delivered
The freelancer submits deliverables for review.
Release or Review
If approved, funds are released to the freelancer. If there's a disagreement, Indeelancer initiates a structured review process before funds are released.
Important Clarification
Indeelancer does not act as an escrow or trust service and does not take custody of client funds.
Stripe processes payments and holds milestone funds. Indeelancer facilitates workflow, notifications, and dispute resolution procedures.
Why This Model Works
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about payment security on Indeelancer.
Payments operate through secure milestone payments. Stripe processes payments and holds milestone funds until release conditions are met. Indeelancer facilitates the workflow and dispute process but does not act as an escrow or trust service.
Funds are released only after the milestone is approved, or after a clearly defined review period if no action is taken. You can request revisions or raise a dispute within this period. This ensures developers can begin work with payment security while you retain the ability to review deliverables.
If no action is taken within the defined review period, the milestone may be treated as approved and milestone funds may be released to the developer. This prevents projects from stalling while still giving you time to review deliverables. Reminder notifications are shown clearly in your dashboard.
No. Funds are held by Stripe and are inaccessible to the developer until the milestone is approved or the review period expires. They can see that funds are committed (which signals your seriousness as a buyer), but they cannot withdraw them.
We accept credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers through Stripe. All payment data is handled directly by Stripe—we never see or store your full card details on our servers.
No hidden fees. Buyers pay a 5% platform fee on funded milestone amounts. Developers pay a 5% success fee on released payments. Indeelancer absorbs standard payment processing costs — no additional processing fees are charged to buyers or freelancers. See our full pricing breakdown.
Ready to hire with milestone-based payment protection?
Post your project brief and work with vetted developers knowing every payment is processed and held by Stripe through our milestone payment process.