Refunds & Cancellations
Escrow protects both sides. Here's exactly when money is held, released, or refunded on indie.ugc.
1. How escrow works
When a brand accepts creators on a brief, the full amount — creator rates plus a flat platform fee — is charged and held in escrow by Razorpay. Money is not released to a creator until the brand approves that creator's delivery, or until our review team resolves a dispute.
2. Before a creator is accepted
A brand can edit or close a brief before accepting any creator at no cost, because no charge has been made yet. Creators can withdraw an application any time before it is accepted.
3. After acceptance — delivery and revisions
Once accepted, a creator produces and delivers the content. Every brief includes one free revision with time-stamped comments; additional revisions may be configured per brief. When the brand approves the delivery, the creator's payout is released in INR, typically within 24 hours.
4. When a brand is refunded
- Creator ghosts or fails to deliver — if a creator does not deliver within the brief's timeline, the brand is refunded that creator's amount after our review.
- Delivery genuinely doesn't match the brief — if, after the included revision, the content still fails to meet the agreed brief, the dispute goes to our human review queue, which may order a full or partial refund.
- Cancellation by mutual agreement — if both sides agree to cancel before delivery, the held creator amount is refunded to the brand.
5. When a creator is paid anyway
If a creator delivers content that meets the brief and the brand fails to review it within the review window, the delivery may be auto-approved and the payout released, so creators are not left unpaid for completed work.
6. Platform fee
The flat platform fee covers running the marketplace and escrow. It is non-refundable once creators are accepted, except where a brief is cancelled entirely due to platform error or where a refund is required by law.
7. Timelines
Approved payouts are released to creators in INR within about 24 hours. Refunds to brands are initiated within a few business days of resolution and are subject to Razorpay and your bank's processing times.
8. How to raise a refund or dispute
Use the brief's controls to reject a delivery or request changes, or email hello@indieugc.com with the brief details. Our team reviews disputes case by case; our decision on the release or refund of escrowed funds is final for the purposes of the platform.