Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and [Company Legal Name], a company incorporated in India ("IndiaFreelancers.com", "we", "us", or "our"), governing your access to and use of the website located at indiafreelancers.com, including all related subdomains, mobile-optimised views, and services (collectively, the "Platform"). By creating an account, browsing job listings, submitting a proposal, posting a job, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated here by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. Who we are and what the Platform does

IndiaFreelancers.com is an online marketplace that connects independent professionals ("Freelancers") with individuals and businesses seeking freelance services ("Clients"). We provide the tools to post work, submit proposals, message, negotiate offers, track milestones, and process payments for completed work through our third-party payment processor. We are not a party to, and do not become a party to, any contract for services formed between a Client and a Freelancer. We are not an employer, staffing agency, or recruitment agency, and no employer-employee, partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship is created between IndiaFreelancers.com and any user, or between a Client and a Freelancer, by virtue of using the Platform.

3. Eligibility and account registration

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a legally binding contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (or the equivalent law of your jurisdiction) to create an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep that information up to date. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account, whether or not you authorised it, except to the extent caused by our failure to meet our security obligations under these Terms. Notify us immediately at [support email] if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. We reserve the right to refuse registration, or to suspend or terminate an account, at our discretion for violations of these Terms, suspected fraud, or as otherwise described in Section 15.

4. Client and Freelancer responsibilities

Clients are solely responsible for the accuracy of job postings, for the legality of the work requested, for timely review of proposals and submitted milestones, and for funding milestones in accordance with the payment terms they agree to with a Freelancer. Freelancers are solely responsible for the accuracy of their profile, portfolio, and proposals; for the quality, legality, and timely delivery of the work they agree to perform; and for their own tax, GST, and regulatory compliance as an independent contractor. Both parties are responsible for the content of any messages, files, and materials they exchange through the Platform and for complying with all applicable laws in connection with their use of the Platform and any resulting engagement.

5. Job postings, proposals and contracts between users

Any agreement reached between a Client and a Freelancer regarding the scope, price, timeline, or deliverables of a job (an "Engagement") is a contract solely between those two users. We provide the milestone, messaging, and offer tools described in Section 7 to help structure and document that Engagement, but we do not review, verify, or guarantee the terms, scope, quality, or legality of any Engagement, job posting, proposal, or deliverable. You are solely responsible for evaluating who you choose to work with.

6. Fees

Creating an account, building a profile, posting jobs, and submitting proposals are free. When a Client funds a milestone for a completed Engagement, we deduct a service fee from the amount paid to the Freelancer before the balance is transferred to the Freelancer's connected payout account. As of the effective date above, the standard freelancer service fee is 10% of the gross milestone amount, and there is no additional marketplace fee charged to Clients. Fee rates are versioned and may change prospectively; any change will apply only to milestones funded after the change takes effect and will never be applied retroactively to a milestone that has already been funded. Current rates are also published on our Pricing page, which does not override this section in the event of a conflict — these Terms control.

7. Payments, escrow-style milestone funding, and Stripe

All payments on the Platform are processed by Stripe, Inc. and its applicable Indian payment entity ("Stripe"), a third-party payment processor. We never collect or store your full card number, CVV, or bank account credentials — that information is transmitted directly to Stripe through Stripe's own secure interface. Your use of Stripe's payment services is also subject to the Stripe Services Agreement and Stripe's own privacy practices.

When a Client funds a milestone, the funds are authorised and held via a Stripe PaymentIntent until the Client approves the Freelancer's submitted work, at which point the net amount (gross milestone amount less the service fee described in Section 6) is transferred to the Freelancer. This structure is designed to give both parties confidence that funds are committed before work begins and are only released after the Client confirms the deliverable — it is not a licensed escrow account, trust account, or banking product, and IndiaFreelancers.com is not a bank or licensed payment institution. Funds held pending milestone approval remain subject to Stripe's processing timelines and any holds, reserves, or risk reviews Stripe applies.

Freelancers must complete Stripe Connect onboarding, including any identity verification Stripe requires, before they can receive payouts. We are not responsible for delays or refusals caused by Stripe's own verification, compliance, or risk processes.

8. Refunds, cancellations and non-delivery

Because each Engagement is an agreement between a Client and a Freelancer, refund and cancellation terms for a specific milestone should be agreed between the parties directly wherever possible. If a Client and Freelancer cannot agree, either party may raise the matter as described in Section 9. Where a milestone has been funded but work has not begun, or where a Freelancer agrees a refund is warranted, we will facilitate a refund through Stripe to the Client's original payment method, subject to Stripe's own processing timelines. Once a milestone has been approved and released to a Freelancer, it is treated as final and is not eligible for a Platform-facilitated refund except where required by applicable law or where we determine, at our discretion, that fraud or a material breach of these Terms occurred.

9. Disputes between users

If a Client and Freelancer disagree about whether submitted work satisfies a milestone, they should first attempt to resolve it directly using the "Request changes" and messaging tools on the Platform. If they cannot reach agreement, either party may contact us at [support email] with the contract and milestone details. We may, at our discretion, review the available record (messages, submitted files, milestone history) and make a determination about releasing or refunding a disputed milestone, but we are not obligated to mediate, arbitrate, or resolve every dispute, and any decision we make about a disputed milestone is not a legal judgment and does not waive either party's right to pursue other remedies available to them under law.

10. Reviews and feedback

After an Engagement is marked complete, both parties may leave a review of one another. Reviews are double-blind and are only published once both parties have submitted a review or a defined waiting period has elapsed, whichever comes first, so that reviews reflect genuine experience rather than retaliation. Reviews must be honest, based on direct experience with the reviewed party, and must not contain unlawful, defamatory, or harassing content. We may remove a review that violates this section or our content policies, and a reviewed party may post a single public response to a review.

11. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to: circumvent the Platform's payment system by arranging to pay or be paid outside the Platform for an Engagement initiated on the Platform; post false, misleading, or fraudulent information in a profile, job posting, or proposal; harass, threaten, or discriminate against another user; upload content that infringes another party's intellectual property or violates applicable law; attempt to gain unauthorised access to another account or to the Platform's systems; use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access the Platform without our prior written consent; or use the Platform for any unlawful purpose, including money laundering or financing of illegal activity. We may investigate suspected violations and take action including content removal, warning, suspension, or termination, and may report unlawful activity to appropriate authorities.

12. Intellectual property

The Platform, including its design, text, graphics, logos, and software, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Except as required to use the Platform for its intended purpose, you may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from the Platform without our prior written consent. As between a Client and a Freelancer, ownership of work product delivered as part of an Engagement is governed by their own agreement; absent an agreement to the contrary, we recommend Clients and Freelancers document IP ownership and licensing terms explicitly before work begins, as we do not adjudicate IP ownership disputes between users.

13. Content you submit

You retain ownership of the content you submit to the Platform (profile information, portfolio items, job postings, proposals, messages, and reviews). By submitting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, and display that content solely as necessary to operate, maintain, and improve the Platform, and to comply with law. You represent that you have the necessary rights to submit the content you post and that it does not infringe any third party's rights.

14. Third-party services

The Platform relies on third-party service providers, including Stripe for payment processing and Stripe Connect for freelancer payouts, our hosting provider, and our transactional email provider. Your use of features that rely on these providers is also subject to their own terms and policies. We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, or availability of third-party services we do not control.

15. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Platform and request account closure at any time by contacting us. We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent or unlawful activity, or created risk or possible legal exposure for us, other users, or the Platform. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 6 through 10 (as applied to Engagements already in progress), 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 19 — will survive termination of your account.

16. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any Freelancer's work, or any Client's payment, will meet your expectations. We do not verify the identity, background, qualifications, or licensing of every user beyond what is described on our Trust & Safety page, and you are responsible for exercising your own judgment before entering into an Engagement.

17. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, IndiaFreelancers.com and its officers, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunity, arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform or any Engagement between a Client and a Freelancer, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will not exceed the greater of (a) the total fees you paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) ₹5,000. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law.

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless IndiaFreelancers.com and its officers, employees, and agents from any claim, demand, loss, or damages, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Platform, your violation of applicable law, or your Engagement with another user, except to the extent caused by our own breach of these Terms or violation of applicable law.

19. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of India, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Subject to applicable consumer-protection law, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform that cannot be resolved informally will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [City, State], India. [If you intend to use arbitration instead of court litigation, replace this paragraph with an arbitration clause naming the seat, rules, and administering institution, prepared with counsel.]

20. Grievance officer

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder, the contact details of our Grievance Officer are:

[Grievance Officer Name]
IndiaFreelancers.com
[Registered address]
Email: [grievance officer email]
The Grievance Officer will acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and seek to resolve them within the timelines prescribed by applicable law.

21. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the effective date above and, where required by law, provide additional notice. Continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

22. Contact us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@indiafreelancers.com or via our contact page.