Every GoWith booking passes through four payment states: charged, escrowed, released to balance, and paid out to the partner's bank. The time between the first and the last is typically 2-9 days depending on when the meet happens relative to the Monday payout cycle. Here is the full timeline with real timings.
State 1 — Charged (at booking)
The moment the booker taps Confirm & pay, their card or UPI is charged the full booking amount. The money leaves the booker's account immediately — PayU, our payment provider, settles it to the GoWith escrow account within seconds. The booking screen shows Payment secured as soon as the charge succeeds.
State 2 — Escrowed (0 - 2 hours after meet)
The money sits in the GoWith escrow balance from the moment of booking through 2 hours after the meet is marked complete by both parties. During this window the partner can see the amount under Pending in their Earnings screen but cannot withdraw it. The 2-hour hold is the dispute window: either party can raise a dispute inside this window and the escrow pauses pending moderation.
State 3 — Released to balance (2 hours after meet)
If no dispute is open 2 hours after both check-outs, the escrow releases the partner's share (booking total minus platform commission minus any applicable TDS) into the partner's in-app earnings balance. The partner can see it under Available in Earnings; from this point onward it is theirs.
Platform commission is 15% on scheduled bookings and 10% on instant. TDS applies when annual GoWith earnings exceed ₹20,000 — the platform withholds 1% under Section 194-O and issues Form 16A annually.
State 4 — Paid out (Monday following)
The weekly payout runs every Monday at 11 AM IST. It sweeps every partner's Available balance from the previous week into their verified bank account or UPI handle. Bank transfers land Monday evening to Tuesday morning depending on the receiving bank. UPI payouts land within the same payout window — typically Monday afternoon.
Example timeline for a Saturday evening booking: Charged Saturday 7 PM; released from escrow Saturday 9 PM; paid out the following Monday 11 AM; bank credit Monday evening. Total: ~2.5 days from meet completion to bank credit.
What happens in a dispute
If either party raises a dispute within the 2-hour window, the escrow freezes. GoWith moderators review the GPS check-in record, the chat log, the ratings, and any evidence attached. Typical resolution is 24-48 hours. Decisions: full refund to booker, full release to partner, or a split (common when a session ran shorter than booked but both parties agree the activity happened).
Common questions
Can I withdraw before Monday?
Not yet. On-demand payouts are on the roadmap for 2027. The current flow optimises for low transfer fees — a weekly bulk settlement is far cheaper per transaction than per-booking instant payouts.
What if the booker's card gets charged back?
Chargeback risk sits with GoWith, not with the partner. If a confirmed booking is later charged back by the booker's bank, we absorb it and keep the partner paid. The exception is confirmed fraud (meet never happened, GPS record shows no check-in) — in that specific case the partner's payout is reversed.
Can I see the exact breakdown on my earnings screen?
Yes. Each line item on Earnings → Pending or Available shows: gross booking amount, commission, TDS withheld, net to partner. The in-app CSV export under Earnings → Download is accepted by most Indian CAs for ITR filing.