Payment Protection Terms

1. What payment protection is (and is not)

Payment protection means the brand pays the deal amount and the service fee to MusePact before work starts. MusePact holds that money as our own funds under a contractual hold, review and refund mechanism, and separately hires the creator as our independent contractor. Payment protection is not a licensed or regulated escrow arrangement, not an escrow account or escrow agent, not a bank account, not a deposit-taking service, not money transmission, and not a trust or fiduciary arrangement. MusePact is not a bank; Payment Protection is a contractual service feature, not a deposit or a regulated escrow account. Protected funds do not earn interest for either party and cannot be withdrawn as a stored balance by brands.

2. Funding

• The brand funds the total shown at checkout: the agreed creator amount plus the MusePact service fee and any taxes required in the brand's jurisdiction.
• Card payments are considered funded once the payment provider confirms settlement. Bank transfers are considered funded once the money is received and matched to the invoice reference. Quoting the reference is the payer's responsibility.
• Work should not begin before the deal room shows the status Funded. Work performed before funding is at the creator's own risk.

3. Holding and release

• MusePact credits the creator's internal MusePact balance when the brand approves the submitted deliverables, when the review window expires (auto-approval), or when a dispute decision instructs it to do so. That balance is an accounting entitlement — a record of what MusePact owes the creator under its contractor agreement with the creator — not a bank deposit, not client funds, and not brand money transferred to the creator. The creator's claim to that amount is against MusePact only, not against the brand.
• Auto-approval: after the creator submits deliverables, the brand has 5 calendar days to approve or request revisions. We send reminders on day 3 and 24 hours before expiry. If no action is taken, the submission is treated as approved and MusePact credits the creator's balance accordingly.
• Requesting revisions pauses the review window. A new 5-day window starts on each new submission. Revisions must stay within the scope of the signed contract.

4. Fees

MusePact charges a service fee, applied only to completed deals. Each party sees only its own fee in the deal room before confirming. The creator's fee is deducted before the credit is recorded, so the creator's balance reflects the net amount owed. Payment-provider, currency-conversion and bank fees charged by third parties are not part of the MusePact fee and may be deducted by those providers.

5. Cancellation and disputes

• Before the creator submits any deliverable, both parties may agree to cancel; the protected amount is returned to the brand under our Refund Policy.
• After submission, either party may open a dispute in the deal room. Both sides may upload evidence. MusePact reviews the contract, briefs, deal-room messages and deliverables and issues a decision that may release the funds in full, refund in full, or split them.
• Our decision determines how the held funds are distributed and, where relevant, how much MusePact credits to the creator's balance. It does not create a direct claim between the brand and the creator, and it does not prevent either party from pursuing other legal remedies.

6. Payouts and tax documentation

• Creators request payout of their MusePact balance to a saved payout account (bank transfer or equivalent, including Wise). Payouts are contractor payments processed manually by our finance team, usually within 5 business days of a request.
• A short payout declaration is mandatory before the first payout. It is a self-certification, not a government form: legal name, country of residence, address and signature. A local tax identification number is optional for creators outside the United States; US persons must supply a W-9 taxpayer ID. Payout requests are blocked until this declaration is on file.
• Creators are independent contractors and are solely responsible for reporting and paying their own income taxes and social contributions. We may withhold amounts or file information returns where required by law.
• A minimum withdrawal amount applies and is shown in your wallet. Payouts are sent only to an account in the creator's own name; third-party payouts are not supported.

7. Off-platform payments

Payment protection, contracts and dispute resolution apply only to deals funded on MusePact. Arranging payment outside the platform after being introduced here breaches our Terms, voids all protection, and may result in account suspension.

8. Compliance

We may pause funding, release or payout where required to complete identity, sanctions or anti-money-laundering checks, where a payment is suspected to be fraudulent, or where a chargeback or reversal is pending. We will inform the affected parties unless prohibited by law.

9. Contact

Questions about a specific protected payment: open a support ticket from your dashboard or write to support@musepact.com.