Payments & Refunds

Pilot payments run on Stripe Connect in test mode only. No real money can move — the code refuses live Stripe keys — and live payments are not enabled unless we explicitly say so. Do not run real paid work through the platform during the pilot.

BountySmith uses a funded-bounty workflow: a studio funds a bounty up front, the payment is held under platform management while work happens, and it is released to the creator when the studio approves (or when a dispute resolves that way). A delivered submission that the studio takes no action on auto-approves after 7 days.

This is a funded bounty with a held payment and platform-managed release — not a bank-separated or legally regulated escrow account. Stripe does not provide escrow, and BountySmith is not a licensed escrow service.

If a funded bounty is cancelled or refunded before release, the platform fee is returned to the studio, but the payment-processing fee is non-refundable — the refund is what the studio paid minus that processing fee. A funded bounty that gets no applicants and passes its deadline (plus a short grace period) may be closed and refunded automatically on the same terms; no creator payout is sent and the final files stay locked.

While a payment is funded and held — after work is delivered and before approval — either party can open a dispute. An admin reviews it and resolves it by releasing to the creator, refunding the studio (minus the non-refundable processing fee), or dismissing it so work resumes. See Disputes & Payments for how each outcome works.

BountySmith runs the funded-bounty workflow and reviews disputes in good faith, but we do not promise any particular refund or payout, or that either side will be satisfied. Refund and release decisions depend on the payment's state and the rules described here: a released payment cannot be clawed back, approval is final, and a non-refundable processing fee always applies. An admin resolves a dispute from the evidence available — there is no guarantee every dispute can be resolved perfectly.

The protections here — held payments, the locked vault, admin-reviewed disputes — only apply to work funded and delivered through BountySmith. Arranging payment or delivery off-platform to avoid review, fees, or protected deliverables removes those protections and breaks the Acceptable Use Policy.

A card dispute (chargeback) goes through Stripe and the cardholder's bank under card-network rules. That process is separate from BountySmith's dispute process, and we don't control its outcome.

Payment or refund questions: support@bountysmith.com — or the support page.