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Approval is the moment you confirm that a worker or submitter has delivered what was promised. For Contracts, you approve each milestone individually as work progresses. For Bounties, selecting a winner approves their submission. Either way, approval is what triggers payment — so review delivered work carefully before you confirm.
1

Receive notification that work is ready for review

For Contracts: Your worker submits a milestone for review when they’ve completed the deliverables for that stage. You’ll be notified that the milestone is ready.For Bounties: When your submission window closes (or when you decide to review), you’ll evaluate all entries and select the winner(s). Selecting a winner is the approval action.Open the relevant Contract or Bounty to begin your review.
2

Review the delivered work against deliverables

For Contracts: Compare what was submitted against the milestone deliverables you defined in your posting. Go line by line if needed. Ask yourself:
  • Is every deliverable accounted for?
  • Does the quality meet the standard implied by the scope and budget?
  • Are there any outstanding items or gaps?
For Bounties: Review the winning submission against your judging criteria. Confirm the submission meets all requirements before approving.
If work is incomplete or doesn’t meet the milestone deliverables, do not approve. Instead, communicate clearly with the worker about what’s missing or needs to be addressed. Approval should reflect genuine completion — once you approve, payment proceeds.
3

Request revisions if needed (Contracts)

If a Contract milestone needs changes before it meets the deliverables, communicate that directly with your worker. Describe specifically what needs to be revised and what “done” looks like.The worker can update and resubmit the milestone for your review. Repeat the review step once they do.
Be specific when requesting revisions. “The mobile layout breaks below 375px — please fix” is actionable. “It’s not quite right” is not. Clear feedback leads to faster resolution.
4

Approve the milestone or winning submission

When you’re satisfied the work meets the deliverables or judging criteria, confirm your approval.
  • Contracts: Approve the milestone. Payment for that milestone is triggered, and the next milestone becomes active (if there are more remaining).
  • Bounties: Select and approve the winning submission(s). Payment is awarded to each winner.
  • Campaigns: Approve qualifying submissions as they come in. Each approved submission earns the fixed reward immediately.
Once you approve, payment proceeds. See Paying Talent for details on how payment is issued.
5

Continue through remaining milestones (Contracts)

For multi-milestone Contracts, repeat the review and approval process for each subsequent milestone as your worker submits them. The Contract is complete when all milestones have been approved and paid.
Approval is final for each milestone or submission. Review carefully — once you confirm approval, payment is triggered and the action cannot be undone. If you have doubts, request revisions first.