Payment Terms, Funding, Release & Dispute Policy

SafeBilled uses a Stripe Connect-based payment flow or a substantially similar processor-supported multi-party payment structure selected by SafeBilled.

Homeowners fund approved project amounts, milestones, or change orders using an approved payment method through their SafeBilled account. SafeBilled may require role-specific onboarding, verification, project acceptance, or payment-method steps before a funding event or release request can proceed.

Contractors must complete Stripe-hosted payout setup before receiving payouts through SafeBilled. Stripe may require identity, business, tax, and bank account information before payouts are enabled.

Funds are released pursuant to the project documents, homeowner approval instructions, this policy, and applicable processor rules.

SafeBilled is not a bank, trust company, insurer, licensed escrow provider, licensed money transmitter, or fiduciary to project participants.

References to funding, protected funds, approval, or release describe the processor-supported payment flow and SafeBilled project release controls, not a legal escrow relationship.

A project may include milestone funding, change-order funding, final payment, or other funding events shown in the project flow.

Each funding event should identify the amount, milestone or purpose, completion criteria, and any release conditions required by the project agreement or change order.

Approved payment methods may include card payments and ACH or bank payments, subject to processor availability, verification, and risk controls. ACH transactions may take time to clear or settle.

Homeowner payment screens should disclose applicable homeowner-side fees before payment authorization, including any Bank Payment Fee, Payment Processing Fee, and Project Protection Fee.

The Bank Payment Fee applies to bank transfer funding when configured. The Payment Processing Fee applies to card funding when configured. The Project Protection Fee covers SafeBilled's project protection workflow, milestone approvals, release documentation, and homeowner support.

The SafeBilled Project Fee is the contractor-side value fee and is deducted from funded contractor payouts unless the project flow clearly states otherwise. Contractors do not make a separate payment to SafeBilled for this fee.

As a default rule, release is initiated by the homeowner through the platform after review of the applicable milestone, invoice, completion request, or funded change order.

SafeBilled may initiate a release, reversal, or related payment instruction without fresh homeowner approval only in narrow circumstances, including to comply with law, court order, card-network rules, processor requirements, fraud-prevention requirements, sanctions or compliance restrictions, or to correct a duplicate payment, misapplied allocation, or other clear processing error supported by platform and processor records.

Recognized disputes may include alleged non-performance, defective performance, delay, scope disagreement, pricing disagreement, unauthorized payment, fraud, or other materially documented concerns relating to the funded milestone or payment request.

A report that a contractor requested off-platform payment, attempted to move a change order outside SafeBilled, or otherwise sought to circumvent platform controls may also be treated as a recognized dispute or integrity event.

When a recognized dispute is opened before release, SafeBilled may pause the disputed release, request documents, separate disputed and undisputed amounts where supported, recommend negotiation, invite mediation, or take other reasonable administrative steps consistent with this policy and processor rules.

Once funds have been released, SafeBilled cannot guarantee recovery of funds.

A post-release complaint may still be reported to SafeBilled, and SafeBilled may request documents, freeze future payouts where permitted, support a refund workflow, support a processor claim, or exercise contractual offset or clawback rights against a contractor where the agreements permit.

Before a funding instruction is submitted to the payment processor, a homeowner may request cancellation.

SafeBilled may deny or limit the request if the transaction is already in process, the request is incomplete, or the project documents make the amount immediately payable.

After funding has been processed but before release, cancellation is not automatic. SafeBilled may approve, deny, or condition a reversal based on the project documents, contractor reliance, processor limits, risk, and fairness of the circumstances.

If a chargeback, ACH return, reversal, or other negative balance event occurs after contractor payout and relates to contractor conduct, scope, performance, delay, misrepresentation, refund obligation, or project dispute, the contractor remains financially responsible for the resulting amount and related fees to the extent permitted by law.

SafeBilled may offset such amounts against future payouts, hold reserves, reverse transfers where processor tools allow it, or require reimbursement after notice.

SafeBilled governs only the amounts, releases, change orders, and related records that remain on-platform.

If a project is split between on-platform and off-platform payments, SafeBilled may limit its records, support, release controls, and dispute handling to the on-platform portion.

Intentional off-platform movement may be treated as a platform-integrity issue under the applicable user agreements.

Payment, dispute, and release notices may be sent to info@safebilled.com.