How to end a contract on Belancer.

To end a contract, open it and choose End contract, then confirm. Unfunded work is dropped, a funded milestone that hasn't started is refunded to the client, and any submitted milestone must be decided first. After the contract ends, both sides leave a review.

Before you start

• Make sure any submitted milestone is approved (or reported) and any hourly timesheet is submitted.
• If you're ending early, tell the other side why in a message. It avoids misunderstandings.

Steps

1Open the contract

Go to Orders (or My contracts) and open the contract.

2Check what's open

Look at the milestones or weeks. A milestone shown as Submitted needs your decision first. See approve work or request changes.

3Choose End contract

In the contract's actions, choose End contract. The hint tells you "Unfunded work is dropped" (or "Nothing is funded yet, so nothing to settle").

4Confirm

On End this contract?, read the summary of what will happen to each milestone or week and choose End contract.

5Leave a review

The contract shows Ended on today's date. Both sides are asked for a review. See reviews.

What happens next

• Refunds for funded, unstarted work go to the client's Belancer Balance by default.
• For hourly contracts, the current week's hours are reviewed and paid as usual.
• The contract stays in Orders under ended contracts, with all messages and files.

Troubleshooting

• I can't end the contract. A milestone is submitted and waiting for a decision, or a problem report is open on it.
• We disagree about money. Use Report a problem on the milestone or week in question before ending. See report a problem.
• Monthly contract. Choose Give notice instead; it ends after 14 days.
• The other side disappeared. If a funded contract has no activity for 14 days, both sides get a notice; at 30 days support reviews it and may close it fairly.

Good to know

• Unfunded milestones cost nothing: ending a contract only moves money that was already funded and held as Payment Secured.
• Records stay: the contract, messages, files and invoices stay in your account after it ends, so you can always look back.

• Ending is not a dispute. It just closes the contract. It doesn't count against anyone on its own.
• Want more work later? Send the same freelancer a new offer any time.
• Agency contracts: the agency owner or manager can end on the agency's behalf.

Tip: End contracts as soon as the work is done. It keeps your Orders list clean and gets reviews in while details are fresh.

Note: A review is asked once per contract, not per milestone.