How to hire a freelancer and fund the first milestone.

To hire, open the proposal you chose and select Hire. Belancer builds an offer from the proposal; review and edit the terms, then fund the first milestone (or the first week for hourly work) and choose Send offer. The freelancer accepts to start the contract, proposes changes, or declines, in which case your money comes back.

Before you start

• You've compared proposals and picked one. See review proposals and shortlist.
• Your payment method for your currency is ready.
• If you act for a company, switch Acting as to the company.

Steps

1Choose Hire

On the proposal, choose Hire. You see "You'll review the terms, then fund milestone 1" for fixed-price work.

2Review the terms

On Send an offer, check the title, scope and type. For fixed price, review each milestone's deliverable, amount and due date. Use Add a milestone or edit amounts. For hourly work, check the rate and weekly limit.

3Set the expiry

The offer is open for 7 days by default. You can change it.

4Fund and send

Choose Send offer. At checkout, choose Paying as and your payment method, and pay for the first milestone (or week). The money is held as Payment Secured.

5Wait for the freelancer

The contract shows Waiting for the freelancer. They can:

• Accept the contract: the contract starts and they begin work.
• Propose changes: you see the changes side by side. Choose Accept & fund, edit and send back, or decline.
• Decline: your money is refunded.

What happens next

Once accepted, the contract page shows Your next step. The freelancer works on the funded milestone and submits it; you approve or ask for changes. Then you fund the next milestone. See fund a milestone and approve work or request changes.

Troubleshooting

• "Payment wasn't completed." Nothing was taken; the offer is saved for 24 hours. Try again.
• "Offer expired." Your money was refunded. Send a new offer if you still want to hire.
• "Your role in this company can't pay for it." Ask your company owner, admin or finance person, or switch to your personal account.
• Spend request pending. Your company approver must approve first. See company spend limits.
• "No self-hiring." You can't hire yourself, your own agency or your company's agency.

Good to know

• IP assignment: if your project has this add-on, the freelancer signs it when accepting.
• Other proposers see Not selected once you hire, unless you hire more than one person.
• Monthly hires fund the first month in advance, where available.

Tip: Keep the first milestone small and clear. It's a low-risk way to start working together.

Important: Fund and pay only through Belancer. If a freelancer asks for an advance by bKash or bank, report it.