TradeDeckMilestone escrow, in plain terms.
Escrow is coming soon — posting jobs, applying and messaging are live now.
Money for a stage of work is held until that stage is done and approved. Homeowners stop prepaying strangers; crews stop chasing final payments. Same mechanism, both problems.
The draw schedule
A draw schedule splits the contract value into milestones, each carrying a percentage of the total. TradeDeck enforces that the percentages add up to exactly 100% before the job can post. That check exists because the single most common payment dispute in construction is a final balance the two sides remember differently.
A framing job might look like this:
| Milestone | % | Released when |
|---|---|---|
| Materials on site | 30% | Delivery photos approved |
| Walls up and plumb | 40% | Owner walkthrough |
| Roof structure complete | 20% | Owner or inspector sign-off |
| Close-out and site clean | 10% | Final approval |
The cycle, one milestone at a time
Fund
The owner funds the milestone through Stripe. The money leaves their control but does not reach the crew — it is held against that draw.
Build
The crew works the stage knowing the funds for it are confirmed, not promised.
Evidence
The crew submits jobsite photos against the draw, which timestamps what was done and when it was claimed.
Release
The owner (or the named inspector) approves, and escrow releases to the worker's connected Stripe account.
Why this is fairer than a deposit
A deposit moves all the risk to one party the instant it clears. Escrow splits it. The owner's exposure is capped at the stage they approved; the crew's exposure is capped at the stage they are currently building, and only while the funds for it already exist.
When a milestone is disputed, funds stay in escrow. They do not snap back to the owner, which is the detail that stops "I'll approve it next week" from being a free option.
TradeDeck is not a bank. Escrow runs through Stripe and payouts go to the worker's own connected Stripe account. TradeDeck never takes custody of the funds.
Common questions
Does TradeDeck hold my money?
No. Escrow is handled through Stripe. TradeDeck never takes custody of the funds itself.
What is a draw schedule?
A split of the contract value into milestones, each with a percentage. The percentages must total 100% before the job can post, so there is no ambiguity about the final payment.
Can the percentages be uneven?
Yes. A common shape is a larger first draw to cover materials and a smaller retention-style final draw at close-out.
Who approves a draw?
The job owner by default. A draw can also name an inspector as the verifier where a third-party sign-off is more appropriate.
What happens to escrow if a job is abandoned?
Unreleased draws stay in escrow. Only milestones that were actually approved have been paid out.