Section 5.4: Producer Billing and Payments

This guide details how producers, producers, and organization owners configure payment options, fund project milestones, and manage payment holds.

1. Setting Up Payment Methods

To pay freelancer invoices or allocate budgets for project work packages, you must link a valid payment source to your organization.

How to Add a Card or Bank Account:

1. Navigate to Settings > Billing (or click the Financials tab on your project sidebar and select Payment Methods).
2. Click Add Payment Method.
3. In the secure Stripe Checkout window, choose one of the following options:
   • Credit/Debit Card: Enter your card number, expiration date, and CVV code. Supported cards include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
   • Bank Account (ACH): (US Only) Log in securely via your bank provider to authorize direct transfers. Bank transfers are free but take 3–5 business days to clear.
4. Click Save Method. This card or bank account will be marked as your organization's primary funding source.

2. Milestone Payments & Funding Flow

ABRAM uses a milestone-based funding flow to protect both producers and freelancers.

Chronological Funding Stages:

1. Milestone Scoping: During project creation, the producer and freelancer agree to a set of work packages and milestones (e.g., "Pre-Production: 25%", "Final Edit: 75%").
2. Payment Authorization: When the project starts, ABRAM requests a payment authorization for the first upcoming milestone.
3. Delivery & Approval: The freelancer submits their deliverables. Once the producer reviews and approves the work package, they click Approve & Release in the project dashboard.
4. Capture & Transfer: Stripe immediately captures the authorized funds, deducts the platform processing fee, and routes the remainder to the freelancer's connected bank account.

3. Payment Authorization Holds (7-Day Limit)

Credit card authorizations have a strict 7-day expiration limit set by card networks. If your project milestone takes longer than 7 days to complete, the hold will naturally expire.

How ABRAM Handles Hold Expirations:

• No Automatic Refresh: Card authorization holds cannot be silently or automatically refreshed by the system.
• Hold Expiry Alerts: The platform automatically monitors pending holds. Starting at Day 5 and Day 6, managers receive warnings and critical dashboard alerts prompting them to capture or release the hold.
• Auto-Release: If no action is taken, the hold expires naturally on Day 7. The funds are automatically released back to the producer's card, and the invoice status is marked as expired.
• Hold Release: If a project is cancelled or a milestone is rejected by the producer before day 7, the authorization hold is released immediately. The funds are returned to the producer's available balance.