Updated 2026-08-13

Escrow explained for Australian SMEs

How marketplace escrow works when you hire a freelancer in Australia: fund, deliver, approve, release — and what it does not cover.

What escrow is

You pay the marketplace. Funds are held. The freelancer works. You approve. Funds release. If the work is not delivered to the funded brief, you do not click release.

What escrow is not

It is not a warranty that a grant will win, that SEO will rank #1, or that a scammer will refund you. It is a payment hold against a written scope.

Australian Consumer Law still matters for the platform’s own services. Read the terms and returns policy for platform fees and subscriptions.

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FAQs

When should I release funds?

When the funded deliverable is in your hands and matches the brief. Not when work “starts”, and not because you feel awkward.