Escrow means the client's money leaves their account when a milestone is funded, but does not reach the expert until the work is approved. Researchor holds it in between.
Why it exists
Without it, one side always goes first and carries all the risk. Escrow removes the question for both.
Who can move it
Nobody unilaterally. Funded, unapproved money releases only on client approval, on auto-release at the end of the review window, or on a dispute decision. Raising a dispute freezes it entirely.
What it is not
Escrow is not an assessment of quality and not an insurance policy. It holds money against a decision a human makes. It gives a client leverage to get work fixed. It does not fix the work.
Funds held in escrow are not Researchor's money and are not used for our operating expenses.
Status: this part of Researchor is built in the interface but is not yet connected to live systems. The steps below describe how it will work. We will update this article when it goes live.