How SmartPay works
The money moves before the work does. Here is exactly what happens at each stage, including what we do when something goes wrong.
If you are doing the work
The problem with freelancing in South Africa is rarely finding work. It is being paid for it afterwards. This sequence removes that risk.
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Step 1
Create a free profile
Name, skills, rate and a short bio. Five minutes. No card, and the free plan has no expiry.
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Step 2
Apply with a real proposal
Every gig shows its budget in rand up front. You bid what the work is worth to you — the client budget is a starting point, not a ceiling.
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Step 3
Client funds escrow
When your proposal is accepted, the full contract value moves into a ring-fenced account before you start. You can see it is funded before you write a line of code.
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Step 4
Do the work, submit it
Deliver through the platform so there is a timestamped record of what was submitted and when. That record is what settles a dispute if one happens.
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Step 5
Get paid
The client has seven days to approve or raise a dispute. On approval, funds reach your account within one business day. If they do nothing, funds release automatically.
If you are hiring
Escrow protects you too. Your money is not handed over on trust — it is released when you approve the delivery, and it comes back if the work never arrives.
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Step 1
Post the gig
Describe the work, set a budget in rand and a duration. Specific briefs get better proposals — vague ones get padded quotes.
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Step 2
Review proposals
You see each freelancer’s bid, their proposal and their rating from previous clients. Shortlist, ask questions, then accept one.
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Step 3
Fund escrow
You transfer the contract value into escrow. We hold it — the freelancer cannot draw it and neither can we. It is released on your approval.
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Step 4
Approve and release
Check the delivery against the brief. Approve and the freelancer is paid. Not right? Raise a dispute and the funds stay locked while it is reviewed.
What happens when there is a dispute
Escrow does not eliminate disagreement, it just stops the money disappearing during one. When either party raises a dispute, the funds lock — neither side can move them and neither can we.
Both parties then submit evidence through the platform: the original brief, what was delivered, and the message history. This is why we ask you to keep project communication on FairGig — a WhatsApp thread we cannot see is not evidence we can weigh.
A reviewer assesses the submission against the agreed scope and releases the funds in full to the freelancer, in part, or back to the client. Most disputes close within five business days. The outcome is final within the platform; nothing here removes either party's ordinary legal rights.
5 days
Typical dispute resolution
7 days
Client approval window
1 day
Payout after approval
Our response time promise
We reply to every support message within 4 business hours, and clients commit to answering gig applications within 48 hours.
Ready to try it?
Free to join, free to apply, and you only pay a fee on work you actually complete.