📢 Update — Early Access
Important: This post describes our planned escrow payment system. During early access, payments are arranged manually between clients and professionals via Wise, PayPal, bank transfer, or other agreed methods. Full Stripe-powered escrow protection is coming in a future platform upgrade.
The biggest fear on either side of a freelance transaction is the same: being let down. Clients worry about paying for work that never arrives. Professionals worry about delivering work they never get paid for.
Escrow solves both fears at the same time. It's not a complicated idea — it's just a trusted third party that holds money until both sides are satisfied. We built our entire payment system around it.
What escrow means, simply
Escrow is when a neutral party holds money on behalf of two people until a condition is met. In our case: the client's money is held by Stripe until the client approves the professional's work. Once approved, the money moves to the professional. If something goes wrong, neither party loses access to their money until the situation is resolved.
Think of it like a safe with two keys. The client puts the money in. The professional delivers the work. When both sides are ready, the safe opens.
How Intellix Hub escrow works, step by step
Client posts a job and sets deliverables
When posting a job, clients define the scope and break it into deliverables — discrete deliverables with defined outcomes and prices. For example: "Deliverable 1: Wireframes — $500. Deliverable 2: Final design — $1,500." Breaking work into deliverables creates clear checkpoints and limits risk on both sides.
Client funds the deliverable
Before work begins on a deliverable, the client deposits the agreed amount into escrow via Stripe. The professional sees that the funds are secured before they start. This is the moment the work begins — not when the contract is signed, but when the money is in.
Professional completes the work
The professional works on the deliverable and submits it through the platform when complete. They upload the deliverable, add any notes for the client, and formally mark the deliverable as submitted. The clock starts.
Client reviews and approves
The client has 7 business days to review the submission and either approve it, request revisions (within the agreed scope), or raise a dispute. Approving the deliverable triggers the release process. If the client requests revisions, the professional can address them and resubmit.
Payment released to professional
Once the client approves, Stripe initiates the payout. The 15% Intellix Hub platform fee is automatically deducted, and the remainder is transferred to the professional's connected Stripe account. Payout typically arrives within 2–7 business days depending on the professional's bank and location.
How Stripe Connect powers it all
We use Stripe Connect, Stripe's purpose-built marketplace payment solution. Stripe is trusted by millions of businesses globally, holds PCI-DSS Level 1 certification (the highest standard), and processes hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
When you add a payment method as a client, it goes directly to Stripe's servers — Intellix Hub never sees or stores your card details. When professionals set up for payouts, they connect a Stripe Express account that links to their bank. The funds move between Stripe accounts, through Stripe's infrastructure, with our platform acting as an authorised facilitator.
What happens if there's a dispute
If a client and professional can't agree — the work wasn't delivered as specified, the scope changed without agreement, or something else went wrong — either party can escalate to Intellix Hub.
Our disputes process works like this: both sides submit their account of what happened, including messages, deliverables, and the original contract terms. A member of the Intellix Hub trust team reviews the evidence and makes a determination. During this process, the escrowed funds are frozen — neither party can access them until a decision is made.
We don't always get it right. But having a structured process, a neutral reviewer, and a documented record of the contract and communication history dramatically reduces the chance of an unjust outcome for either party.
The protection in plain terms
For clients
Your money never reaches the professional until you approve the work. You can always get it back if the work isn't delivered and there's no approved deliverable.
For professionals
The money is already secured before you start. You're not chasing invoices. You're not waiting to see if the client pays. The funds are there.
Frequently asked questions
What if the client disappears after I submit my work?
If a client doesn't respond to a deliverable submission within 7 business days, Intellix Hub will initiate an automatic release review. If there is no dispute raised, the funds are released to the professional. We built this specifically because "client goes quiet" was one of the most common concerns we heard from professionals.
Can a client get a refund on escrowed funds?
If both parties agree to cancel a contract before any work has been completed and approved, the client can request a refund of the escrowed amount. Stripe processing fees are non-refundable. If there is a dispute, it goes through our mediation process.
What happens if the professional doesn't deliver?
If a professional misses a deliverable or delivers work that clearly doesn't meet the agreed scope, the client can raise a dispute. Intellix Hub reviews the contract terms, the deliverable, and the communication history to make a determination. The client's money is protected in escrow throughout this process.
How long does it take to receive my payout?
Once a deliverable is approved and the release is initiated, Stripe typically processes the payout to a connected bank account within 2–7 business days, depending on your bank and country. Stripe's processing time is outside our control. Make sure your Stripe account is fully set up before you start work.
Is my payment information safe?
Yes. Intellix Hub never stores your card number or bank details. All payment data is handled by Stripe under their PCI-DSS Level 1 certification — the highest standard in the payments industry. When you add a payment method, it goes directly to Stripe's servers, not ours.