Milestones tie payments to outcomes. Instead of paying on a schedule, you pay when a specific deliverable is completed and accepted. This page covers setting up milestones and approving them.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shorpay.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
When to Use Milestones
Milestones work well for:- Project-based contractor engagements
- Design sprints, product launches, or research projects
- Engagements where you want to reduce risk by paying incrementally
- Freelancers who prefer to work against clear deliverables
- Ongoing retainers or fractional roles
- Hourly consulting where scope shifts frequently
- Employee relationships (use salary instead)
Creating a Milestone Contract
Milestones are set up when you first add the contractor:Pick Milestone as the Compensation Type
In the worker add flow, choose Milestone as the compensation.
Define Each Milestone
For each milestone, add:
- A clear title and description
- The deliverable that must be completed
- The amount paid on completion
- An optional target date
Milestone Statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | Milestone is defined but work hasn’t started |
| Submitted | Contractor has submitted the deliverable for review |
| In review | You’re reviewing the submission |
| Approved | You’ve accepted the deliverable; payment is queued |
| Completed | Milestone is done |
| Paid | Payment has landed with the contractor |
| Rejected | Deliverable was rejected; the contractor can resubmit |
Reviewing and Approving a Milestone
Contractor Submits
When work is done, your contractor opens the milestone and clicks Submit for review. They can attach deliverables (files, links, notes).
Approve or Reject
- Approve: the milestone moves to completed, and payment is queued.
- Reject: send it back with feedback. The contractor can revise and resubmit.
Adding Milestones Mid-Contract
If scope expands, you can add new milestones to a live contract. Open the worker’s profile, click Amend contract, and add the new milestones. Both parties sign the amendment.Partial Payments and Holdbacks
For large milestones, some teams pay a percentage upfront and the rest on completion. You can structure this as two milestones (e.g., “Phase 1: 30% upfront” and “Phase 2: 70% on delivery”) rather than using a single milestone with a partial payment.Next Steps
Hiring Contractors
The full contractor onboarding flow.
One-Off Payments
For payments outside milestones.