How Handle protects creator payments
The oldest problem in sponsorships: the creator delivers, then spends weeks chasing an invoice — or never gets paid at all. Handle 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?
Stripe. Funded deals sit with Stripe — the same payments infrastructure behind millions of businesses — not in the brand’s account and not in Handle’s. Released money is the creator’s: once a payout is released, the brand can’t pull it back through Handle. Before release, funds can only go back to the brand under the contract’s cancellation and refund terms — never to Handle.
What it costs
Creators keep 100% of their quoted rate. Handle’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
Disputes are settled by the contract both sides signed — milestone by milestone, with the delivery record as evidence. Because release is staged, a disagreement over one deliverable never freezes money already earned on the others.
Common questions
Who actually holds the money?
Stripe. When a business funds a deal, the full amount is charged to the business’s payment method before any work starts and Stripe holds the money — it isn’t Handle’s to spend, and it can only go two places: to the creator when the work is approved, or back to the business if the deal is cancelled under the contract. Because the money is already held, release is just Stripe paying out funds it holds — a payout can’t bounce for lack of funds.
What happens if the brand goes silent?
Approval has a review window. If the business stops responding after delivery, the milestone auto-releases to the creator when the window closes — silence can’t be used to hold payment hostage.
Can a business claw back a released payout?
Not through Handle. Release is the final step of approval — disputes on Handle have to be raised before release, and they’re settled by the contract both sides e-signed, milestone by milestone, with evidence on file. (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.