Freelancer Payments
The situation
Sarah is a freelance designer. Her client Alex wants a new brand identity and is willing to pay $2,000 USDC. They’ve never worked together before. Sarah wants assurance she’ll get paid. Alex wants assurance the work gets done before money leaves his wallet.
The solution
Alex creates a milestone escrow agreement on MyPact, splitting the project into two phases:
| Milestone | Amount | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Concepts | $800 USDC | Three logo concepts with brand color palette |
| 2. Final files | $1,200 USDC | Production-ready logo files, brand guidelines PDF |
Agreement settings:
- Type: Escrow with milestones
- Approval: 1-of-1 (Alex approves each milestone)
- Deadline: 30 days
- Cancel window: 72 hours (default)
- Network: Base (live mode)
How it plays out
Alex (payer):
- Signs in to MyPact, creates the agreement with two milestones
- Deposits the full $2,000 USDC — funds are locked in the smart contract
- Shares the agreement link with Sarah
Sarah (recipient):
- Opens the link, signs in, connects her wallet
- Reviews the terms — sees $2,000 USDC held in escrow, split across two milestones
- Starts working on the logo concepts
Milestone 1 — Concepts delivered:
- Sarah delivers three logo concepts
- Alex reviews and is happy — clicks Approve on Milestone 1
- $800 USDC releases to Sarah’s wallet instantly
Milestone 2 — Final files delivered:
- Sarah delivers production files and brand guidelines
- Alex approves Milestone 2
- Remaining $1,200 USDC releases to Sarah’s wallet
Why this works
- Sarah gets paid guarantee — funds are locked in escrow from day one. Alex can’t pull them back during the 72-hour lock window.
- Alex gets delivery guarantee — funds only release when he approves each milestone. If Sarah disappears, the deadline expires and Alex can cancel for a refund on unfinished milestones.
- Both get a paper trail — every approval and payment is recorded on-chain, verifiable by either party.
What if something goes wrong?
| Scenario | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sarah delivers concepts but Alex ghosts | After the 30-day deadline, Sarah can’t get remaining funds. But Milestone 1 (if approved) stays paid. |
| Alex isn’t satisfied with the concepts | He doesn’t approve Milestone 1. They discuss revisions. Funds stay safely in escrow. |
| Alex wants to cancel after Milestone 1 | Milestone 1 ($800) is already paid to Sarah. Remaining $1,200 refunds to Alex. |
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Ready to start? Follow our Pay Someone guide to create your first agreement, or try it in Test mode with free tokens first.