How payments work
How a milestone moves from agreed, to funded, to evidenced, to approved, plus a straight account of where your money sits at each step and what protections do and do not apply.
Held until you approve
Nothing reaches your builder before then
Released only on your approval
No timers, no auto-release
One milestone at a time
Agreed and evidenced stage by stage
The flow
Step 1 · Homeowner
You pay only for the next stage of work, never the whole job up front. Card or bank payment is taken by Stripe, our payment processor.
Step 2 · Homeowner pays, we hold
Your card is charged and Track My Build holds the money. Nothing reaches your builder until you approve the work.
Step 3 · Builder
Your builder marks the milestone complete and uploads photo evidence, certificates and delivery proof to the project's document store.
Step 4 · Homeowner
Nothing is released without your approval. If the work isn't right, you raise a dispute instead and the milestone stays unreleased while it is reviewed.
Step 5 · Transferred to the builder
On approval the money is transferred to your builder and both parties get a receipt. The builder’s Track My Build fee (1%, or 0.75% on Premium, capped) and the card processing cost are deducted from the builder's payout and shown on their receipt.
Step 1 · Homeowner
You pay only for the next stage of work, never the whole job up front. Card or bank payment is taken by Stripe, our payment processor.
Step 2 · Homeowner pays, we hold
Your card is charged and Track My Build holds the money. Nothing reaches your builder until you approve the work.
Step 3 · Builder
Your builder marks the milestone complete and uploads photo evidence, certificates and delivery proof to the project's document store.
Step 4 · Homeowner
Nothing is released without your approval. If the work isn't right, you raise a dispute instead and the milestone stays unreleased while it is reviewed.
Step 5 · Transferred to the builder
On approval the money is transferred to your builder and both parties get a receipt. The builder’s Track My Build fee (1%, or 0.75% on Premium, capped) and the card processing cost are deducted from the builder's payout and shown on their receipt.
What each stage means
Before you fund
Milestone agreed but not yet funded
No money has moved
Milestone funded
Card charged, money held by Track My Build
Charged and held
Work in progress
Builder uploads evidence and documents
Still held
Awaiting your approval
Evidence submitted, waiting on you
Still held
In dispute
Milestone stays unreleased while reviewed
Still held
Approved and released
Money transferred to the builder
Sent to your builder
Being straight with you
Read the detail on our Trust & Security page, including our exact FCA position and Stripe's firm reference number.
When you fund a milestone
Your card payment is processed by Stripe. It does not go into Track My Build's business bank account. It is held in Track My Build's Stripe balance and is only transferred to your builder's Stripe account when you approve and release the milestone.
Track My Build holds this money in its own account with Stripe. It is not held in a separate client account, it is not safeguarded, and it is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. We are not a bank and we are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
You can ask for the money back at any time before you approve the milestone. Refunds are handled by Track My Build and recorded on your project. Read the full terms.
Straight answers
A milestone is only released after you press approve. There is no timer and no automatic release. Until you approve, the money is held by Track My Build and you can ask for it back at any time.
Set up your project, invite your builder, and fund only the stage of work in front of you.
