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# How to Make a Payment to a Freelancer on Twine

Once you've hired a freelancer on Twine and need to make a payment, follow these steps:

### 1. Ensure the Freelancer is Marked as Hired

Before any payment can be made, the freelancer must be officially hired for the project. If you haven’t marked the freelancer as hired yet, make sure to do so by clicking into the applicant and selecting **'move to hire'** OR if you are in your message board you can select '**Hire'** at the top of the chat window.
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_1bvi1mj.png =516xauto)
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_gkg35o.png =512xauto)



### 2. Make a Payment
Visit the job and go to the "Hired" tab. Click on your freelancer and then click the "Payments" tab
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_1os4sxr.png =993xauto)
From there click "Make New Payment" and you will be prompted to enter the required amount.![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_1ulxql5.png =463xauto)

Click "Pay" to continue. You will be taken to the checkout where any additional fees will be presented and you can then continue to add your payment details.![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_t11tkl.png =519xauto)
|| The Vault payment type is automatically selected, however if you wish to make payment immediately to the freelancer with a Direct payment you can uncheck the box.




### 3. Selecting Your Payment Type

Please read below for an explanation of the 2 different payment types:

| Option | **How it works** | **Best for** |
| ---- |
| **Vault Payment** | Funds are held securely by Twine and released when you're ready, either at a milestone or project completion. Auto-released after 90 days if not released manually. | Projects with clear milestones, or where you want added confidence before releasing funds. |
| **Direct Payment** | Payment is sent to the freelancer immediately, without being held in the vault. Typically takes up to 14 days to process. | Smaller tasks, ongoing work, or where you've already established trust with the freelancer. |

| Twine Vault payments offer security by holding funds until the project meets agreed milestones. This ensures you only release payment when you're satisfied with the work, while reassuring the freelancer that the payment is securely reserved for them.

See [Payment types:Vault, Direct & Bill](https://help.twine.net/en/article/payment-types-vault-direct-bill-r4kxxs/?bust=1774022545605) for more information

### 4. Managing Vaulted Payments

If you have vaulted a payment:

* Return to your hire by finding the freelancer in you 'hired' tab.
* Navigate to the payments tab
* Select 'Release from Vault' and the full amount in the vault will be released to the freelancer![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/3/a/8/c3a8aebab58b8800/image_flpy2f.png =727xauto)


||| Payments that are vaulted will be automatically released after 90 days if you do not manually release them before then.


### 4. Freelancer Bill Payments

If a freelancer raises a bill for you hire, you will see this wihtin your payments tab.

Click 'pay bill' and you will be take through the payment process. 

||| All bill payments are direct payments, meaning they are released to the freelancer right away

---

Whether you choose Vault Payment for added security or Direct Payment for an immediate payout, Twine makes it easy to manage payments to freelancers. Vault Payments give you peace of mind, holding the funds until the job meets your expectations.

If you encounter any issues during the payment process, feel free to contact [Twine Support.](https://www.twine.net/support)