Introducing Contra Payments

Introducing Contra Payments

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What is Contra Payments

Contra Payments powers how money moves on Contra, from clients and buyers paying for work and services or digital products to independent creatives receiving and withdrawing earnings. Contra is your all-in-one tool to pay, settle funds, and make payouts.

How to bring existing clients to Contra

Contra makes it seamless to invite your existing clients to manage projects on Contra. All you need is your clients name and email and we handle the rest. We've built a frictionless onboarding flow for existing clients so that you feel confident migrating them to a new platform.

Why creatives prefer managing their existing client work on Contra:

• 100% commission free

• As you earn, your reputation and visibility on the platform increases

• Flexible payments (escrow, milestone, invoice billing, payment links, and more)

• Create a single system to manage all client work (deliverables, transaction history, chat, etc.)

Here are a few ways to bring clients to Contra:

• Send a project invite →

• Send a one-off invoice →

• Send a direct message →

• Invite anyone to your network →

Working with clients who aren’t on Contra yet? You can invite clients through any of these flows. When you invite a new client to Contra, they’ll either see a guest payment flow (if they’re invited to make a payment) or a lightweight client onboarding flow where we simply collect their name and company affiliation (if applicable).

How creatives get paid on Contra

Contra offers multiple ways to get paid depending on what you’re selling and how you work:

One-off invoices

• Bill clients for completed or ongoing work

• Guest checkout supported, client do not need to sign up or sign in to pay

• Credit card, ACH, and SEPA supported

Payment links

• Shareable checkout links with one-time or subscription payment options

• Guest checkout supported, client do not need to sign up or sign in to pay

• Credit card, ACH, and SEPA supported

Digital products

• Sell templates, AI workflows, AI prompt, subscription, or any product you offer digitally

• Contra acts as the merchant of record. We handle tax calculation, collection, and remittance

• Credit card, Apple pay, Google pay, and CashApp supported

Projects

• Structured client engagements with built in contracts (standard and localized contracts)

• Supports escrow, milestones, or invoice billing projects

• Includes dispute assistance powered by Contra

• Credit card, ACH, and SEPA supported

Sending invoices on Contra

What is an invoice?
An invoice is a payment request sent directly to a client for work completed or services provided. Invoices are best suited for ad-hoc work where you want to bill a client without creating a full project or contract, however you still want some level of structure.
Create an invoice on Contra →

Creating a one-off invoice
When creating a one-off invoice, you will need to input:

• Your clients first name, name name, and email

• Your invoice line item(s), quantity, and rate

• Optional item: inclusive tax, net payment terms, custom invoice number, due date, and memo

Once sent, the client receives an email with a checkout link where they can complete payment. Invoices can be sent to both existing Contra clients and external clients.

Understanding invoice statuses
Your invoices will go through the following statuses:

• Unpaid → The invoice was created but has not been paid by the client

• Unpaid processing → The client initiated a bank payment that is still processing

• Past due → The invoice has not been paid and the due date has passed

• Paid → The invoice was successfully paid

• Refunded → The invoice was paid and then later refunded

Only paid invoices result in funds being deposited to your Contra balance.

Payment links on Contra

What is a payment link?
A payment link is a shareable checkout link that lets clients complete a payment without creating a project or a one off invoice. Payment links are designed for fast, flexible payments and can be shared anywhere on the internet. With each payment link and invoice is generated upon payment.

Creating a payment link
When creating a payment link, you will need to:

• Give your payment link a title

• Outline a brief description of what the payment link is for

• Set your price (one time of subscription based)

• Add pricing tiers (optional)

Create a payment link on Contra →

One-time payment links
Collect a single payment from one or multiple clients.

Subscription payment links
Collect payments automatically on a recurring basis. You can view and manage your payment link subscriptions from your payment link summary page.

How to edit payment links
At any time while a payment link is active, you can edit it. Updates are applied in real time, so clients will always see the most up-to-date information.

Deactivating a payment link
You can deactivate a payment link at any time. When someone who previously had access to the link visits it, they’ll see a deactivated payment link screen.

After a payment link is paid
Once a payment link is paid, the funds are deposited directly into the Independent’s wallet. If the payment was made via ACH or SEPA, the funds must settle before they’re released.Once a payment link is paid, you will be notified via email and in app notification. Funds will go directly to your Contra wallet. You may see funds in a pending state, which means your client paid via ACH or SEPA and those funds are waiting to settle with the bank.

Digital products on Contra

What is a digital product?
A digital product is a repeatable offering sold on Contra, such as:

• Templates or files

• AI prompt packs or AI workflows

• Digital downloads

• Subscriptions

• Anything that can be delivered digitally

Create a digital product on Contra →

How are digital products delivered?
Digital products are delivered to the buyer directly through Contra. Once a buyer enters their payment details and clicks “pay” we will land them on a success screen where they can access their product (files, links, etc.). Sellers have full control over what this page looks like and can update it on the fly. Buyers are also sent an email with a link to their product for future access.

Creating your first product
When creating your first product, you define:

• Product name

• Your visuals (what the buyer sees first, up to 6 visuals)

• Product description (rich text)

• Checkout page text (refund policy, demo video, etc.)

• Product tags (help us categorize your in the marketplace)

• Set your price (one time of subscription based)

• Add pricing tiers (optional)

• Set your delivery content (what the buyer receives post-purchase)

Creating a free product
Create a free product by simply setting you price at $0.00. Free products can be used for:

• Lead generation

• Sharing resources

• Getting recognized

• Promoting and upselling to paid offerings

Creating a subscription product
Create a subscription product by selecting “subscription” and setting your payment frequency. Subscription products allow you to:

• Charge customers on a recurring basis

• Manage ongoing access to products

• Monetize memberships or courses

Updating an existing product
You can update an existing product at anytime, by select edit from your profile or the product page. You can also update delivery content on the fly so that past buyers always have up to date versions of your product. This is a great way to re-engage past buyers.

Contra as the merchant of record (MOR)
For all digital product sales, Contra act as the merchant of record and is responsible for:

• Processing payments

• Collecting and remitting applicable taxes

• Handling disputes and chargebacks

If you have questions about Contra’s role as merchant of record, contact hello@contra.com.

Managing paid projects on Contra

What is a project on Contra?
A project is a structured agreement between a client and an Independent that defines:

• Scope of work

• Payment structure

• Timeline

Projects are designed for work where you want clear deliverables, payment structure including escrow payments, and dispute assistance if issues arise.
Create a project on Contra →

Choosing the right project type

One-time fixed (Escrow)
Best for new relationships where the project scope is fixed

• Client pays the total project fee upfront

• If there is an upfront amount set, this is released immediately

• Funds are held securely

• Funds are released once work is approved

One-time hourly (Escrow)
Best for new relationships where the project scope is based on a hourly commitment

• Client pays the total project fee upfront (max hours times the rate)

• Funds are held securely

• Fund are released once hours are submitted and approved

• If the hours submitted as less than the max hours, the client is refunded the difference

Milestones (Escrow)
Best for larger projects that can be delivered in phases with the added protection of escrow

• Client pays each milestone in full before kicking off

• Each milestone is funded and released separately

• Funds are held securely

• Fund are released once a milestone is submitted and approved

Fixed invoice billing
Best for established relationship with ongoing work

• Invoices are automatically generated on a fixed cadence (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly)

• Clients are notified on the invoice date and prompted to pay

Hourly invoice billing
Best for established relationship with ongoing work based on an hourly commitment

• Independents submit hours on an ongoing basis, which generates a payable invoice

• Clients are notified when hours are submitted and prompted to pay

Contract options
Contra offers three contract options:

• Contra contract template (default) → Best for standard freelance projects

• Locally-compliant contracts → Best for international or region-specific project work

• Custom PDF contract → Best if you have your own contract with your own terms

For Contra contract templates and locally compliant contracts, we pre-populate agreements with the project details entered during creation and capture e-signatures. For custom contracts, clients or Independents can upload their own PDF, and Contra will append the specific payment terms and e-signatures to the contract.

Cancelling a project
As part of our commitment to the Contra community, we offer dispute resolution assistance as outlined in our contract. Below is an overview of how the process works:

Contra's 14-day dispute assistance period
Once you submit a dispute, Contra’s Support team will reach out by email and begin the 14-day dispute assistance period. During this time, we’ll help facilitate a mutual agreement between both parties over email. Once both parties agree, we can process refunds as needed and cancel the project. To expedite the process, please let the Support team know your preferred resolution and respond to emails in a timely manner. Most disputes are resolved within this timeframe.

After Contra's dispute assistance period
If you’re unable to reach a mutual agreement before the 14-day dispute assistance period ends, we ask that you contact the other party directly to try to resolve the issue.

Things that can help come to a resolution:

• Be clear and specific about your concerns.

• Remain calm and professional.

• Offer constructive solutions that work for both parties.

If you still can’t reach an agreement, you may choose to pursue arbitration or court action through an independent third party. When a dispute is raised, the funds in question are held in escrow for three months to allow time for an agreement to be reached or for an independent third party to provide a resolution.

Can Contra make the final decision for my dispute?
No. We cannot decide your resolution for you, we can only help facilitate a mutual agreement.

What if we decide to continue the project?
Just let us know and we can resume your project!

What happens once my 14-day assistance period ends?
After this period ends, both parties need to communicate directly or seek third party arbitration to find a mutual agreement that can be shared with Contra before the 3-month waiting period is over.

Can I get my upfront payment refunded?
Upfront payments and payments that have already been transferred out of a Contra wallet are not eligible for refunds since these funds are no longer in our possession. If a freelancer decides to issue a refund for any upfront payments, this refund will need to be handled outside of Contra.

Can Contra process my refund immediately?
We cannot process any refunds until there is a mutual agreement between both parties.

What if one party is unresponsive or a bad actor?
Please share this with us so we can investigate further and take action against their account if needed.

Project refunds
In the event of a dispute, both the freelancer and the Client have the option to reach a mutual agreement to issue a refund to the Client when necessary. As part of dispute assistance, Contra Support will help facilitate the refund. Refunds outside of a project dispute can also be facilitated by Contra Support, just reach out at hello@contra.com. Please note that we always contact the other party to confirm the refund request and resolution before moving forward.

Check out our guide to dispute assistance →

Our commitment to fee transparency

As a platform we always have been, and always will be, committed to being 100% commission free. The fees we charge for transacting on the platform are there to enable our team to continue to build and scale the best payments platform in the world.

As part of this launch, we have updated the way we charge platform fees and also added a new tier to Contra Pro: Contra Max, to give you the opportunity to waive all fees.

We're committed to building the best platform for creatives to get paid. That means being clear about any fees with you and anyone paying you. Here's a full breakdown so you can understand how fees work at Contra.

Where it was

When we launched projects and invoices ~3 years ago, we included a $29 contract fee. This fee was charged regardless of the amount you were being paid with exceptions for Contra Pro users.

Why we changed it

• Fees should scale based on how much you’re earning. Charging $29 for a $100 invoice results in a 29% fee, and that didn't sit right with us. We want to ensure that you’re keeping more of what you have earned.

• Support for more ways to get paid. In addition to projects and invoices, we now support getting paid through payment links, subscriptions, and digital products. We wanted to ensure that our payment fees scaled with this in a fair way.

• Commitment to 100% commission-free. We are, and always will be, 100% commission-free.

• New incentives for Pro and Max members. As a Contra Pro or Max member, your clients pay discounted or no fees. This gives clients more reason to hire Pro or Max members that they discover on Contra, adding more value to your membership.
  
  

How fees work today on Contra

• Fees scale based on payment amount

• Upgrading to Pro reduces the fees that all of your clients pay (not just invited clients)

  • As a Pro member, your clients will pay 50% of platform fees

  • As a Max member, your clients will pay $0 in fees

Check out Contra Pro and Max pricing →

Client processing fees

Processing fees are calculated by our payment processing. This is not charged by Contra.

Credit card
All clients with a valid credit or debit card are subject to 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge for domestic cards
+ 0.5% for manually entered cards
+ 1.5% for international cards
+ 1% if currency conversion is required
On $1,000, clients pay a ~$30 fee.
Supported credit cards include:
- American Express
- China UnionPay (CUP)
- Discover & Diners
- Japan Credit Bureau (JCB)
- Mastercard
- Visa

ACH (Automated clearing house)
0.8% capped at $5.00 per successful charge On $1000, clients pay a $5.00 fee.Request access only. Client must request access to use ACH. Our payments team will review your account to determine your eligibility. Clients will be notified via email if they are eligible or not.

SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area)
0.5% + 30¢ capped at $6.00 per successful charge. The total amount reflects a 1% currency conversion fee. On $1,000, clients pay a $6 fee. Request access only. Client must reach out to hello@contra.com to request access. Our payments team will review your account to determine your eligibility. Clients will be notified via email if they are eligible or not.

Payout fees

Processor fees
These are fees charged by the payment processor, not Contra - this includes Stripe, Airwallex, PayPal, Payoneer, and Coinbase. Payment processor fees are always passed on to the Independent and are visible at the time of withdrawal. The amount charged varies based on factors such as the payout account type, location, and destination currency.

Currency conversion fees
On Contra, funds are always paid in USD. This means that anytime an Independent makes a payout to a non-USD account, the payment processor automatically converts the funds from USD to the user’s local currency. These fees are charged by the payment processor, not Contra.

Getting paid via local bank payouts
Local bank transfers are subject to processor and currency conversion fees.

See processor fees below:

SWIFT is also a supported payout method with fees ranging from US $15–25+ per payout.

See a breakdown of currency conversion fees below:

Getting paid via PayPal
PayPal charges 2% when withdrawing funds from Contra to a linked PayPal account.

Getting paid via Payoneer
Payoneer charges a $3 + a 1-2% fee when withdrawing funds from Contra to a linked Payoneer account. In some country locations, Payoneer charges a flat fee up to $15 → see the full list here.

Getting paid via Coinbase
Crypto payouts powered by Coinbase are subject to a 2% payout fee.

Payouts on Contra

Supported payout methods
Contra supports global payouts.

Transit timelines
Contra supports two payout options: Standard payouts are subject to a 4-day safety-clearance period in addition to the provider timeline. To access your funds sooner, choose the faster payout option. Faster payouts gives you the option to access your earnings before the 4-day safety-clearance period is complete.

Settlement timelines
When a client pays via ACH or SEPA, funds only become available to withdraw once the funds settle. For ACH, funds take 3-5 business days to settle and SEPA takes

Learn more about failed payouts on Contra

Learn more about taxes and compliance on Contra

Learn more about bonuses on Contra

Help us shape what's next

Our community is everything to us. Contra has always been shaped by the creatives who use it, and this launch is no different. If you have questions, ideas, or feedback, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out anytime at hello@contra.com.

Let’s build the next $1B for creatives together.