Payment types: Vault, Direct & Bill
The Twine payment system enables clients to make payments to experts and allows for multi-hire projects!
Once you have selected your expert, you can choose to make an upfront payment or you can hold off and make a payment when you are ready.
Please read below for an explanation of the 3 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. |
Bill | Raised by an expert, you have hired with details on what work they are billing for. Click 'pay bill', and this money will be released as a direct payment. | Ongoing work, allowing the expert to bill for work they have done, idea for long-term engagements |
We strongly recommend outlining payment terms within the Twine messages between you, and the freelancer. This allows us to step in should there be any issues. If terms change this also needs to be done within Twine messaging for the safety of all users.
You are welcome to communicate outside of the platform if you find this more convenient, but make sure that the final terms of the project are present in the Twine messages.
Note - It is recommended that you use Twine to make payments to protect both parties; however, this is not mandatory.
Looking for instructions on how to make a payment. See How to make a payment to a freelancer
Updated on: 26/03/2026
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