Your money is safe with protected transactions
Every payment on TaskVault is held securely and released to the tradesman only when you're satisfied with the work. No upfront cash handed over, no chasing refunds.
1. You pay into protected holding
Whether you book a fixed-price package instantly or accept a custom quote, your card is charged the exact price shown — no extra fees. Funds are authorised and held securely the moment you pay. The seller does not receive anything yet.
2. Location and timing are agreed upfront
Before you pay, you share the job location and your preferred dates. The seller confirms a time that works, or proposes an alternative for you to approve — so everyone knows what's happening and when, before any work begins.
3. Seller delivers the work
The tradesman starts the job knowing the money is already secured. They upload progress photos and mark the order as delivered when complete.
4. You approve & funds are released
Once you confirm the work meets the agreed scope, we release the payout to the seller. If you take no action, funds auto-release after the review window.
If something's wrong
Before you approve: raise a dispute and funds stay locked until our team reviews evidence from both sides and issues a decision. After completion: if a problem shows up shortly after the job is done, you can report a quality issue within 48 hours. Since payment has already been released by this point, we mediate directly with the seller to help make it right, rather than pausing funds.
Refunds & cancellations
If an order is cancelled before work begins, or refunded following a dispute, your payment is returned to your original payment method.
Frequently asked
- Who holds the money?
- Funds sit with our regulated payments partner — not with the tradesman, and not with TaskVault's operating account.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing extra. You pay exactly the price shown — booking and browsing are completely free. Sellers pay a 7.5% platform commission on completed orders.
- When does the seller get paid?
- After you approve delivery, or automatically once the review window closes without a dispute.
- Can I get a refund?
- If the work isn't right, raise a dispute before approving — your payment stays held while our team reviews the details from both sides. If the job wasn't delivered as agreed, you're refunded. If you simply don't respond, payment automatically releases to the seller after the review window, since they've done the work.
- What if the seller doesn't confirm a time?
- If a seller doesn't respond to your booking within 48 hours, it's automatically cancelled and your payment hold is released — no charge.