FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Flikker, Stripe and project payouts
Plain-language answers about how Flikker works, who it is for and how money flows through Stripe as delayed payouts per funded step.
This page answers the most common questions about how Flikker works, who it is for and how money flows through Stripe. If you want independent statistics and sources on unpaid and late invoices, you can also read our research page on unpaid invoices.
Money & risk
Who actually holds the money when my client pays?
Funds are held by Stripe as delayed payouts per funded step. When your client pays by card, Stripe charges their card and keeps the money mapped to your connected account and the steps in the project. Flikker never holds client funds itself. The product orchestrates contracts, steps, evidence and the approve-then-payout timing.
Is Flikker an escrow service or a bank?
No. Flikker is not escrow and not a bank. It is software around contracts, funded steps, documentation and payout timing. We do not hold deposits, run our own wallets or pool client money. Stripe is the regulated payment provider and card processor. Flikker tells Stripe when a funded step has been approved so Stripe can release the payout.
What happens if a client never approves a funded step?
Both sides still see the same contract, acceptance criteria and attached proof in Flikker. In practice you remind the client, talk to them and refer back to the contract. Stripe continues to hold the funds as delayed payouts for that step. Depending on card network rules and Stripe terms, the client may be able to dispute or request a refund, and you handle that under your contract. Flikker cannot force a client to click approve, but the structure makes ghosting much harder and gives you an audit trail if you need to escalate.
I am tired of chasing unpaid invoices. How does Flikker actually help?
Flikker is built to remove the classic pattern where you do all the work, send an invoice and then wait. Instead you break the project into small steps that your client funds up front by card through Stripe. Stripe charges their card and holds the money as delayed payouts per funded step. You never work far beyond what has already been funded, and every approval inside Flikker is a clear moment where you can defend what was delivered with attached proof. Unpaid and very late invoices do not disappear completely, but the default outcome shifts from “client never paid me” to “card dispute with evidence” and normal payout timing from Stripe and your bank.
Can my client get their money back if something goes wrong?
Card payments always follow card network and Stripe rules. In Flikker, a client can request changes before approving, or you can agree on a partial refund or cancellation directly and process that through Stripe. If there is a serious dispute, they may raise a chargeback with their bank. Flikker keeps a clear log of what was funded, what was delivered and what was approved so there is evidence on both sides.
When do I actually receive the money in my bank account?
When a client funds a step, Stripe charges their card and marks the amount as a delayed payout to your connected account. When they approve that step in Flikker, we tell Stripe to release the payout. The actual time until you see money in your bank depends on your Stripe payout schedule, country and bank. First payouts often take a little longer while Stripe verifies your account, later payouts are usually a few business days. On Free we expect a short delay after approval before funds land, on Pro and Business we aim to configure Stripe for faster payouts where it is supported. You are waiting on Stripe and your bank, not on whether a client will ever pay an invoice.
Do I still need to send invoices, or are Stripe receipts enough?
Flikker does not replace your legal or tax obligations. Every card payment generates a Stripe receipt for your client and a clear record of what was funded and approved inside Flikker. Many solo operators and small teams use Stripe exports as part of their bookkeeping. If your country or accountant expects formal invoices from your accounting system, you can keep doing that exactly as today: create an invoice that matches the funded steps and mark it as paid when Stripe pays out. Flikker is the structure and evidence layer around the work and payouts, not a full accounting system.
Product & workflow
Is Flikker a marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr?
No. Flikker is not a marketplace and does not sell visibility, credits or leads. We do not list you next to strangers or run open bidding. Flikker is a project tool for relationships you already have: you bring your own clients from email, LinkedIn, referrals, agencies or existing contracts, and we give you the rails around that relationship – contract, funded steps, evidence and approve-then-payout timing. You own the client and the reputation. We only charge a small platform fee when a step is actually funded, never to “get a chance” at a job.
Do my clients need to create an account?
No random sign ups. You invite clients by a private link. They see a short info page and the contract, then choose one or more steps to fund by card. After payment they get their own simple portal where they see the same contract, funded steps, files and approvals. They do not need to learn a complex dashboard.
Can I use Flikker if I already have my own contract and scope?
Yes. You can mirror your existing contract into Flikker structure, or treat Flikker as the operational contract for scope, steps and payouts. The important part is that each funded step has clear “done” criteria and an amount both sides agree on.
Can I use Flikker for retainers or ongoing work?
Yes, as long as you can express the work in steps. Many teams use monthly or quarterly steps, for example “Month 1 retainer”, “Month 2 retainer”, or concrete deliverable blocks. Each funded step still has one amount and “done” criteria, even if it is part of a longer relationship.
Who Flikker is for
Who is Flikker built for?
Flikker is built for people and teams who run client projects and hate unpaid or very late invoices. That includes freelancers, consultants, studios and agencies, as well as professional services like lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers and trades. If you can break your work into steps and you want clients to fund each step before you do the work, Flikker is for you.
Can I use Flikker if I work through agencies or as a subcontractor?
Yes. You can create a project with the agency or main contractor as your client and still run the steps and payouts through Flikker. Who you invite is up to you. The structure is the same: contract, funded steps, proof and approval driven payout.
Do I own my client relationships when I use Flikker?
Yes. Flikker is built for people who want to own their client relationships. We do not market to your clients, sell their contact details or put them into a shared marketplace. They are your clients. Flikker is the structure around your projects – contracts, funded steps, files and approvals – not a place where we rent clients out to many providers.
Fees, Stripe and availability
What are Flikker fees?
Flikker fee is a transparent platform fee per funded step between 30 and 999 970 USD. On the Free plan the fee is 4.5 percent per funded step. On Pro it is 2.5 percent per funded step. Business accounts can get custom terms in the 1.0 to 2.0 percent range depending on volume. The fee only applies when a step is actually funded.
Do you sell credits or boosted visibility?
No. Flikker does not sell credits, boosted visibility or chances to win jobs. You never pay to apply for work or to be listed. You bring your own clients and only pay a platform fee when a step is actually funded and money moves through Stripe.
What about Stripe card, invoice and bank transfer fees?
Stripe charges its own processing fees for card payments, invoices and bank transfers where supported. Those fees are separate from Flikker platform fees and go directly to Stripe. We never blend card or banking fees into our fee line. In every project we aim to make it clear which part is Flikker fee and which part is Stripe fee.
Do I need a Stripe account to receive payouts?
Yes. To get paid you connect your own Stripe account through Stripe Connect during onboarding. Stripe runs standard know your customer checks on you or your business and your bank account before enabling payouts. Flikker cannot move money to you unless Stripe has approved your connected account for payouts. Your clients do not need a Stripe account. They just pay by card, invoice or bank transfer where Stripe supports it.
What is the minimum and maximum step size, and why?
The minimum funded step amount in Flikker is 30 dollars. This keeps payouts meaningful after fees and avoids spammy micro transactions. The maximum step size is 999 970 dollars because of Stripe platform limits and our Client Protect add-on. In practice, most projects use much smaller steps, but those limits keep the structure healthy for both sides.
Which countries and currencies are supported?
Flikker relies on Stripe Connect, so availability follows where Stripe supports Connect accounts and client payments. We focus first on the most common markets for online client work. When you start onboarding we will tell you if we can connect your country and currency today. If Stripe does not yet support your setup, you will not be able to complete the payout connection.
Ready to try Flikker on a real project?
The best way to understand Flikker is to run one real client project through it. Start with a small, low risk project and see how it feels when the client funds each step up front and Stripe only releases payouts after approval.
You can start for free and upgrade later if you need more volume or faster payouts.
Want to see the overview again? Go back to the Flikker homepage.
Pick one real client project, apply the structure from this guide and then move that project into funded steps inside Flikker. Your client sees a clear explanation, you see which steps are funded and Stripe keeps the money on hold until each step is approved.
The Flikker resources section is for anyone who runs client projects and worries about getting paid on time or paying safely. That includes freelancers, studios, agencies, consultants, professional services firms and also the clients on the other side. Many people who land here have searched for things like unpaid invoices, late client payments, how to structure projects so I actually get paid, how to pay freelancers safely, or how to move trusted clients off marketplaces into my own pipeline.
Some readers are just starting out and are scared of getting burned on their first freelance clients. Others are experienced but exhausted from chasing overdue invoices, underpriced retainers and scope creep. Some are desperate for one large invoice to be paid, others are simply busy or a bit lazy around admin and want a simple structure that makes payment and delivery move together automatically. On the client side, people look for better ways to pay freelancers and agencies without wiring the full project amount up front or relying on vague, end of project invoices.
Flikker is software for project based work, built on top of Stripe Connect. It is not a marketplace, not a bank and not an escrow service. Instead of sending one big final invoice and hoping it gets paid, you break the project into small steps. Each step has one amount and clear "done" criteria. Upcoming steps are funded by card through Stripe; Stripe holds those funds as delayed payouts per step until approval or refund. Flikker never holds client money. It coordinates the contract, the list of steps, the attached files and links, the approval clicks and the payout timing per step.
Across the different guides in this section we answer questions like: why unpaid and late invoices are so common, what to do when a client does not pay the final invoice, how to design steps and acceptance criteria so both sides feel safe, how Stripe based funding and delayed payouts compare to classic invoice after delivery flows, and how to outgrow public marketplaces by moving trusted clients into your own funded step structure. The short version is that Flikker makes client projects safer by tying work and money to many small funded steps instead of one big all or nothing payment at the end.
Flikker is built for global use in the countries where Stripe operates. Whether you work with clients in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia or Oceania, the pattern is the same. You set up a project as a series of named steps, your client funds those steps by card in their local currency, Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds as delayed payouts per step until approval or refund, and Flikker keeps the structure and audit trail around that flow.
It is designed for solo freelancers, small studios and larger teams in design, development, marketing, product, content, consulting, legal, accounting, architecture, creative services, coaching, training and trades. Any role where you deliver work in projects and want a predictable way for work and money to move together can use the same pattern of funded steps, attached evidence and clear approval events.
Whether you invoice in USD, EUR, GBP, NOK, SEK, DKK, CAD, AUD or other Stripe supported currencies, the principle stays the same. Instead of carrying the risk of one large unpaid invoice at the end of a project, you move to many smaller funded steps where each approval triggers a payout event that can be traced and defended. Flikker uses Stripe Connect for the money movement while it focuses on contracts, structure, evidence and timing so that projects feel safer for both sides.
Many people search for help with unpaid client work and unpaid invoices using phrases like my client did not pay me, my client never paid the final invoice, I am sick of not getting paid for my work, what can I use so I actually get paid every time, what to do about unpaid client work, how can I always get paid on time, and how to get paid faster for project based work. This FAQ page explains how Flikker works as a tool and platform that changes the structure: contracts, funded steps and Stripe card payments held as delayed payouts until each step is approved so you never work more than what has already been funded.
The questions on this page focus on safety and speed to cash for client projects: who holds the money, how delayed payouts through Stripe work, what happens if a client never clicks approve, how refunds and chargebacks are handled, how Flikker platform fees are kept separate from Stripe card fees, and how moving from invoice after delivery to funded steps up front makes unpaid client work rare instead of normal.