Step 4: Hiring & Payment
You've read Step 3: Reviewing Applicants & Public Questions and you're ready to choose a freelancer.
Hiring
To make the hire official you just need to click their profile within the job's management page and click the context menu, then click "Hire"
You'll be asked to make an optional upfront Vault payment via credit or debit card. This secures your freelancer and signals that the project is ready to begin. The funds are held safely by Twine, not released to the freelancer, until you choose to release them.
This is optional and you can still hire the freelancer if you wish to make payment at a later date.
Once this is done the freelancer will be moved into the "Hired" view.
Making a payment
Once you are ready to make payment to a freelancer, just visit the job page and go to the "Hired" tab. Click on your freelancer and then click the "Payments" tab.
From there click "Make New Payment" and you will be prompted to enter the required amount.
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.
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. |
If you deposited funds into the Twine Vault, just visit the job page and click on the hired freelancer to find the "Release funds" button once the project is complete!
Please note that partial releases cannot be made from the Twine Vault, if you are looking to make payments in a milestone format then it is best to only deposit the required amount for each milestone.
We strongly recommend outlining payment terms within the Twine messages between yourself 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.
Freelancer Bills
Freelancers can generate their own bills, if you choose to pay a bill it will be done as a Direct payment, meaning the funds will be sent to them immediately.
Payment Fees:
Posting a job on Twine is free. The Twine commission fee is added to the freelancer payments only when these payments are made through Twine.
The commission amount reduces the more you pay a freelancer and is set at the following rates:
- 10% on payments upto $10,000
- 5% on payments over $10,000
Related articles:
Payment types: Direct, Vault & Bill
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Updated on: 26/03/2026
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