How Payments Work
OnTechCare uses a secure escrow payment system to protect both companies and technicians. Companies pay upfront when accepting a bid — but funds are held safely until the job is confirmed complete. Technicians are never paid before the work is done.
Company Accepts a Bid & Pays
When a company selects a technician's bid, they are prompted to pay the full job amount by credit card before the job is assigned. This includes the technician's bid plus the OnTechCare platform fee.
The card is charged securely through Stripe— your card details never touch OnTechCare's servers. Once the charge succeeds, the funds move immediately into OnTechCare's Stripe account, where they are held in escrow.
Example
Technician bids: $100.00
Platform fee (16%): $16.00
Company is charged: $116.00
Funds Are Held in Escrow
After payment is confirmed, the system records the transaction as held in escrow. The job is marked as assigned and all other bids are automatically declined.
The technician has no access to these fundsat this stage. They cannot request payment, trigger a release, or access the money in any way. The funds sit securely in OnTechCare's Stripe balance until the job is completed.
Technician Completes the Work
The technician performs the job. During this time the funds remain in escrow. The company and technician can communicate through the built-in messaging system. No payment moves until the company confirms the job is done.
Company Marks the Job Complete
When the work is finished, the company clicks Mark Complete and submits a mandatory star review of the technician. This is the only action that releases the payment — nothing else can trigger it.
The moment the company submits their review, the system automatically:
- Marks the job as completed
- Locates the escrowed payment for that job
- Instructs Stripe to transfer the technician's share to their connected account
- Records the exact release timestamp
Technician Receives Payment
Stripe transfers the technician's full bid amount to their connected Stripe account. OnTechCare retains the 16% platform fee. From their Stripe account, technicians receive payouts to their bank account on Stripe's standard schedule (typically 2 business days).
Example — continued
Technician receives: $100.00
OnTechCare retains: $16.00
What If Something Goes Wrong?
If the automatic transfer fails for any reason (such as a temporary issue with Stripe or the technician's account), the funds remain safely in escrow — they are never lost. OnTechCare's admin team is notified and can manually release the payment once the issue is resolved.
If a job is disputed or cancelled before completion, the escrowed funds can be reviewed and handled by the OnTechCare team. Companies should contact support before marking a job complete if there is an issue with the work performed.
Payment Status Summary
| Status | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Held in Escrow | Company has paid. Funds are secure. Job is in progress. |
| Released | Job complete. Technician has been paid. |
| Failed | Transfer error. Funds still held. Admin will resolve. |