Freelance Contracts and Payments: What to Check Before You Start

Ask any freelancer about their worst professional experience and you'll hear a variation of the same story: "I did the work and never got paid."

Ask any client, and you'll hear the flip side: "I paid upfront and the work was never delivered."

Both sides have legitimate concerns. Written terms and clear payment status help you understand what has been agreed, what has been funded and what still needs attention.

Keep the agreement and payment status together

A written agreement helps both sides review the scope, price, timing and cancellation terms. Payment protection depends on the payment method and the contract's funding and release status. Here is what to check on OneJob:

1. Create the agreement

The hirer creates a digital contract right in the conversation: scope of work, fixed price or hourly rate, timeline and milestones, and the terms — cancellation policy, revision limits, the details people usually "remember differently" later.

2. Review and accept

Review the terms and accept the agreement in the app. Acceptance records agreement to the terms; it does not by itself prove that money has been collected or transferred to the person doing the work.

3. Check how this contract is funded

Eligible card-funded contracts can authorize and collect funds through the platform. An existing card authorization may be collected when the recipient accepts; contracts created by the person doing the work may require the payer to complete payment after acceptance. Direct or external payments are handled outside OneJob and are not held or guaranteed by OneJob. Free promo contracts have no card funds to hold. Check the payment status before starting work.

4. Confirm the work in the app

Each party marks the work complete in the app. A QR code used to open a hiring flow is not evidence that work occurred at a particular place or time.

5. Check the release result

For eligible card-funded contracts, both parties' completion confirmations start the release process. A successful transfer also requires the recipient's payout setup to be enabled, an amount payable after fees, and successful processing by the payment provider. Release may remain pending or fail; a completed job is not proof of a successful transfer. Direct or external payments and free promo contracts do not use this card-release process.

What this changes in practice

• For freelancers — confirm that payment has actually been collected on an eligible card-funded contract, and check the release status after completion. Acceptance alone is not proof of funding.
• For clients — review the terms and payment method before paying. Direct payments do not have OneJob-held funds or a OneJob payment guarantee.
• For both — keep written terms, completion confirmations and payment status together so you can see what is agreed and what still needs attention. Your credibility score is separate from a payment guarantee.

Before you start

Agree on scope, price and cancellation terms, choose the payment method deliberately, and check funding and release status. A contract record and a completed job do not guarantee payment. See how contracts work on OneJob →