Refund & Payment Policy

Transparency and fairness are at the core of the Ephiko ecosystem. Review our payment structures, escrow processes, and dispute protocols below.

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Fee Structure

Our distribution model ensures that creators are rewarded fairly while sustaining community growth and platform operations.

80% Winner Take
2-5% Rewards Pool

lock Escrow System

Upon posting a bounty, the Client's funds are immediately securely held in an un-hosted Escrow vault via our payment partners. This ensures that the capital is verifiably available for the prospective Winner before any work commences.

Funds remain locked during the active submission phase. The platform acts as a neutral arbiter; we do not have unilateral access to withdraw or redirect these funds except as strictly governed by this policy and final bounty resolution.

verified Winner Selection & Payout

Once a bounty deadline passes, the Client has a strict 14-day window to evaluate submissions and declare a Winner. Upon selection, the Escrow contract automatically triggers the release sequence.

  • check_circle The designated Winner receives exactly 80% of the total bounty pool directly to their linked payout method.
  • check_circle 2-5% (depending on bounty tier) is automatically distributed to the community rewards pool to incentivize continued platform engagement.
  • check_circle The remaining percentage is retained by Ephiko to cover Escrow operational costs and platform maintenance.

If a Client fails to select a winner within the 14-day window, the platform reserves the right to automatically distribute the funds equally among the top 3 highest-rated submissions to ensure creators are compensated for their labor.

gavel Dispute Resolution & Refunds

Refunds to Clients are exceptionally rare and are only processed under specific conditions to protect the integrity of the creator economy.

A full refund (minus payment processing fees) may only be granted if:

  • Zero submissions were received by the bounty deadline.
  • The platform determines, via internal audit, that all submissions were plagiarized, low-effort spam, or strictly violated our Terms of Service.

In the event of a dispute regarding submission quality where work *was* completed, the Client may open a mediation ticket. Ephiko administrators will review the original brief against the submissions. If the administrators side with the creator, the Escrow will be released to the creator. If they side with the Client, a partial or full refund may be issued.