How h@ndle protects creator payments
The oldest problem in sponsorships: the creator delivers, then spends weeks chasing an invoice, or never gets paid at all. h@ndle removes the chase by making the money move first. Here’s exactly how it works.
The deal lifecycle
- Both sides e-sign a contract
Deliverables, deadlines, and price are written into a contract in the Deal Room, split into milestones if the work is staged. This contract is what settles any later disagreement, so nothing important lives in DMs.
- The business funds the deal before work starts
The business’s payment method is charged for the full amount up front, and Stripe holds the money until release. The creator can see it’s already moved, not just promised, before lifting a finger.
- The creator delivers in the Deal Room
Files, links, and drafts are submitted against the milestone, so there’s a timestamped record of exactly what was delivered and when.
- Approval releases the payout, same day
When the business approves the work, the milestone is released and recorded right away. Release pays out money Stripe is already holding, so it can’t fail for lack of funds. On multi-milestone deals the full amount is charged at funding, each release is logged as it happens, and the held money is paid out to the creator when the final milestone releases.
Who holds the money?
Funded deals are held by Stripe, the same payments infrastructure behind millions of businesses, in a payments account pending release. Released money is the creator’s: once a payout is released, the brand can’t pull it back through h@ndle. Before release, funds can only move under the contract’s release, cancellation, and refund terms.
What it costs
Creators keep 100% of their quoted rate. h@ndle’s platform fee is charged to the business on top, and the all-in total is shown to the business before the deal is funded. There are no subscriptions and no paid placement on either side.
When something goes wrong
Either side can raise a dispute in the Deal Room. An open dispute pauses release of the whole deal, including the automatic release at the end of the review window, until it is resolved. h@ndle support reviews the signed contract and the delivery record and decides how the held money is released or returned.
Common questions
Who actually holds the money?
When a business funds a deal, the full amount is charged to the business’s payment method before any work starts and held by Stripe in a payments account pending release. It can only go where the contract says: to the creator when the work is approved, back to the business if the deal is cancelled, or split between them when the business cancels before delivery and the creator keeps the kill fee. Because the money is already held, release pays out funds that are already there, so a payout can’t bounce for lack of funds.
What happens if the brand goes silent?
On a single-payment deal, approval has a review window. If the business stops responding after delivery, the payment auto-releases to the creator when the window closes, so silence can’t be used to hold payment hostage. Auto-released payments may be held up to 7 days before the payout lands, as a final buffer for late objections. Milestone deals have no silent-business timer: each milestone releases when the business approves it, or when its own trigger is met.
Can a business claw back a released payout?
Not through h@ndle. Release is the final step of approval. Disputes on h@ndle have to be raised before release. An open dispute pauses release of the whole deal until it is resolved, and h@ndle support reviews the signed contract and the delivery record and decides. (As with any card payment, chargebacks through the business’s bank remain subject to card-network rules.)
What does payment protection cost the creator?
Nothing. The platform fee is charged to the business on top of the creator’s rate. Creators keep 100% of what they quote.