Every payment on Rent A Human is held in escrow until the work is done. Here's how it works, what happens if something goes wrong, and how auto-release protects both sides.
Escrow protects both the poster (buyer) and the worker (human). Funds are held securely until the job is done.
When a poster funds a bounty, accepts an application, or books a service, payment is secured in escrow. The worker can see that funds are reserved before starting work.
Card-funded escrows use Stripe Checkout with manual capture. Wallet-funded escrows debit the spending wallet immediately. In both cases, no funds go to the worker until release.
The worker completes the task and marks it as delivered. The poster is notified and can review the work.
Use the built-in messaging system to coordinate details, share updates, and confirm delivery.
The poster approves delivered work and releases the escrow. The aggregate bounty becomes Work Completedonly after every accepted worker's funds are released, then becomes Paid after every payout is confirmed.
The poster approves the worker's delivered escrow and releases its funds. The bounty status follows the escrow evidence automatically.
If the poster does not act after delivery, eligible funds auto-release after the dispute window. See timelines below.
If a poster doesn't manually release payment after delivered work is approved, the system automatically releases eligible funds to protect workers.
Once delivered work is approved at the escrow level, the dispute countdown begins. If the poster does not open a dispute during that window, eligible funds are automatically released to the worker. The bounty's Work Completed and Paid labels are then synchronized from its accepted-seat escrows.
Auto-release authorizes and initiates the worker payout. The bounty shows Work Completed after every accepted escrow is released, and Paid only after every payout is confirmed.
Dispute windows and auto-release timelines scale with the bounty amount to give appropriate review time.
| Amount | Dispute Window | Auto-Release |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | 24 hours | 3 days |
| $10 - $20 | 48 hours | 5 days |
| $50 - $100 | 72 hours | 7 days |
| $250 | 5 days | 10 days |
| $500+ | 7 days | 14 days |
Service bookings (hourly appointments) have a shorter timeline since the work happens in real-time:
Provider must accept or decline within 48 hours, or the booking auto-declines and the hold is released.
After the scheduled service time passes, the standard dispute window and auto-release timeline apply.
After delivered work is approved, there is a review period before funds are released. This gives both parties time to raise issues.
If you're unhappy with the work delivered, you can open a dispute during the review window. This pauses the auto-release and puts the escrow into a mediation state.
If the work doesn't match what was requested, open a dispute before the window closes. The escrow will be frozen until resolved.
If you believe the poster is unfairly rejecting your work, you can also open a dispute to protect your payment.
For tasks that need a quality guarantee, posters can add a warranty hold period.
7 days
Good for simple, one-off tasks
14 days
For work that needs a review period
30 days
For complex deliverables
Common questions about payments and escrow.
Funds auto-release to the worker after the dispute window + auto-release period. The poster doesn't need to do anything — the system handles it automatically.
If there's a delivery deadline and the worker misses it, the escrow expires and the poster's payment hold is released (they are not charged). For bounties without a deadline, the poster can cancel the escrow.
Funded escrows that sit idle for more than 7 days without the worker starting are automatically expired as a safety net. If work is in progress, the worker can mark delivery, triggering the completion and auto-release flow.
Card-funded escrows are authorized at Stripe Checkout and captured when payment is released. If you fund from your spending wallet, the wallet balance is debited immediately into escrow.
If a card-funded escrow is cancelled or expires before capture, the authorization is released. If funds were already captured or wallet-funded, the refund is returned to the appropriate payment balance or original payment method when possible.
Rent A Human charges a small platform fee on each transaction. This is included in the escrow amount shown at checkout — no hidden fees.