Frequently asked questions

When a client accepts your proposal, the full gig value is transferred into a ring-fenced escrow account before you start work. The money sits there — the client cannot withdraw it and FairGig cannot spend it. When you submit the agreed deliverable and the client approves it, funds release to your account within one business day. If the client goes quiet, funds release automatically after the review window closes.

Free accounts pay a 10% service fee on completed gigs. FairGig+ accounts pay 5% and Enterprise pays 3%. There is no fee to create an account, browse gigs or submit proposals, and no monthly minimum on the free plan. The fee is deducted at release, so the amount quoted on a gig is the amount that goes into escrow.

FairGig is built for the South African market, so the rand is the platform currency and every contract is denominated in ZAR. You can switch the display currency using the converter in the site header if you are quoting an overseas client, but the contract, the escrow balance and the payout are always in rand. Converted figures are indicative and use a rate refreshed daily.

Clients on FairGig commit to responding to applications within 48 hours. If a client does not respond within that window, the gig is flagged in your dashboard and stops counting against your application limit. For support queries to the FairGig team, we reply within 4 business hours, Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00 SAST.

Yes. International clients can post gigs and pay into escrow, but the contract is still denominated in rand and you are paid out in rand to a South African bank account. This protects you from exchange-rate movement between the day you agree a price and the day you are paid, which is one of the most common ways freelancers lose money on cross-border work.

Ratings run both ways. After a gig closes, the client rates the freelancer and the freelancer rates the client, and neither rating is visible until both are submitted or the seven-day window expires. This stops retaliatory rating. Ratings cannot be removed by either party, and a client with a poor payment record cannot hide it by simply not rating anyone.

Escrow funds stay locked while a dispute is open — neither side can move them. Both parties submit evidence through the platform: the original brief, the delivered files, and the message history, which is why we ask you to keep project communication on FairGig. A reviewer assesses the submission against the agreed scope and releases funds in full, in part, or back to the client. Most disputes close within five business days.

FairGig is the platform — the marketplace itself, free to join and free to use. FairGig+ is the optional paid subscription on top of it. Everything that makes the platform work is on the free tier: SmartPay escrow, two-way ratings, a public profile and 10 proposals a month. FairGig+ cuts your service fee from 10% to 5%, removes the proposal limit, gives you featured placement in search and a six-hour head start on new gigs. Nothing is taken away from the free plan to sell the upgrade.

No. You can work as an individual sole proprietor. You will need a South African bank account in your own name for payouts and a valid SA ID or passport number for verification. You are responsible for your own tax affairs — FairGig does not deduct PAYE, and we provide an annual earnings summary you can hand to your accountant or use for your provisional tax return.

Free accounts can submit 10 proposals a month. FairGig+ and Enterprise accounts have no limit. Proposals to gigs where the client fails to respond within 48 hours are refunded to your monthly allowance, so a non-responsive client does not cost you an application.

We store the details you give us at signup, your profile content, your gig and message history, and the bank details needed to pay you. We process this under POPIA as the responsible party. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share your contact details with clients until you apply for their gig. You can request a copy of your data or ask for your account to be deleted at any time.