If your project cannot be completed and you wish to request a refund of the balance that is still held in escrow, you can close the contract through the Mediation process.
Please note that Mediation is free of charge and available only to clients, while Arbitration has a USD 10 Workana service fee and is available to both clients and freelancers.
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1. The Mediation process is a mutual agreement negotiation between the parties and does not have any cost.
Before starting the process, make sure to:
- Recover access: Change or remove any passwords, credentials, or server access that you shared with the professional to complete the work.
- Have the delivered work: If you agreed to release a percentage of the funds for partial progress, make sure you have those files in your possession before starting the process. Once Mediation is completed, the project will be permanently canceled, and you will not be able to request any deliverables from the freelancer afterward.
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Go to the corresponding project, click on the three dots (
) button at the top right ("Actions"), and select Start mediation process.
- The system will show important warnings about your project status; read them and click to proceed.
- Complete the form by indicating the reason for cancellation and the percentage of funds you want to release to the freelancer.
- Note on percentage: Enter only the number. For example, write 0 if you believe you shouldn't pay anything, or 20 if you want to release 20% of the total escrow for the progress received.
- Response time: The freelancer has a deadline of 24 to 96 hours to accept your proposal, send a counterproposal, or request arbitration. If they do not respond within this limit, the system will consider the proposal as automatically accepted.
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Using Your Refunded Balance: Returned funds will be credited to your available balance under My Finances → Account Activity. You can use these funds for future projects or request a refund to your original payment method by clicking the Payout icon
.
- Service commission: Keep in mind that if the project is canceled through mediation or arbitration, the 4.5% Workana service fee is non-refundable.
Once the contract has been completed and the balance appears as available for a refund on your Finances page, you can request the refund.
If you are unable to submit the refund request by following these steps, you can contact our Support team through the Workana Contact Center.
You should select:
- “I’m a client”
- “I want a refund”
- “Other questions / Contact us”
The contact form will appear just below these options.