Escrow-backed milestone payments

Your money.
Kept.

Clients fund the full project upfront into escrow. You deliver per milestone. Money releases on approval. No chasing. No chargebacks. No leverage lost.

Avg. annual loss per freelancer
$ 0

Scope creep, ghosted invoices, and late payments. Every year.

The reality
0

of freelancers experience scope creep regularly. Only 1% successfully bill for all out-of-scope work.

0

of freelancers have invoices paid late. 21% experience late payments more often than on-time.

$ 0

clawed back via chargebacks on completed work. Platforms provide zero seller protection.

How it works

Escrow-backed milestones.
Four steps. Zero trust required.

01

Define scope & milestones

Set deliverables, revision limits, and payment amounts per milestone. The contract is the system.

02

Client funds full amount

Money goes to Escrow.com — not us, not you. Secured by a licensed escrow service. Client can’t pull it back.

03

Deliver & get approved

Upload files per milestone. Client reviews and approves. Funds release instantly to your account.

04

Dispute? Escrow resolves it.

Not a 50/50 split. Not $350 arbitration. A licensed third party evaluates and decides. Files stay locked until it’s resolved.

The difference
Without Kept
× Send files over email. Hope they pay.
× "Just one more thing" becomes 23 hours unpaid.
× Client ghosts. No leverage. No recourse.
× Platform takes 20%, then sides with the client.
× Chargeback 540 days later. Money vanishes.
With Kept
Files locked until payment confirms.
Scope defined. Extras require a change order.
Full project funded in escrow before work starts.
0.89–3.25% escrow fee. No platform lock-in.
Dispute? Licensed escrow service resolves it.
This week on Reddit

Real posts. Real losses. Posted in the last 72 hours.

“I built the project and only got $50 advance. The client is saying he can’t afford the rest.”

r/webdev · 185 upvotes · 187 comments

Top comment (860 upvotes): “50% upfront 50% on delivery. Period.”

“$6,400 clawed back via chargeback. No warning. Upwork provides zero protection for fixed-price.”

r/Upwork · 14 upvotes · 38 comments

“Made $54K on Fiverr. Paid $12K+ in fees. No seller protection. A client can leave a negative review on a fully refunded order.”

r/Fiverr · 78 upvotes · 53 comments
The math
Avg. annual loss (scope creep + ghosting) -$12,000
Kept subscription $228/yr
Escrow fees (~2% on $50K revenue) ~$1,000/yr
Net savings +$10,772/yr

Compare: Fiverr takes 20% on $50K = $10,000/yr in fees alone. Upwork takes 10% + chargebacks + $350 arbitration.

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