> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.higherfrequency.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Holding periods and disputes > When a creator drives a sale, the commission isn't paid straight away. When a creator drives a sale, the commission isn't paid straight away. It's **held** for a while. This page explains why, for how long, and what returns and payment disputes do to it. It's written for brands and creators alike. ## Why commission is held Shoppers can return orders, and banks can reverse payments weeks after a purchase. If commission were paid instantly, brands would pay for sales that later fell through, and creators would have money taken back. Holding the commission first means: * **brands** get commission back for sales that are refunded or charged back during the hold * **creators** can trust that money which reaches their balance is theirs While a commission is held, it's committed from the brand's budget but not yet released to the creator. It counts in the brand's **Budget Spent** figure, together with the Freeq Growth Network's platform fee for the sale. ## How long the hold is | Hold | Days | When it's used | | - | - | - | | Standard release | 30 | Most orders | | Extended review | 45 | Slightly unusual orders | | Hold tier 1 | 60 | Higher risk | | Hold tier 2 | 90 | Shopify rated the order medium risk, or other strong signals | | Hold tier 3 | 120 | Shopify rated the order high risk, or the strongest signals | > [!NOTE] > > **Today, normal holds are 30 days.** The longer holds are decided by risk checks that currently observe and record only. They apply once enforcement is switched on. A payment dispute (below) freezes a commission either way. See [Trust and fraud protection](https://docs.higherfrequency.io/how-it-works/trust-and-fraud.md). The hold starts when the sale is confirmed. A hold can be made longer if new risk information arrives, but never shorter. See [Trust and fraud protection](https://docs.higherfrequency.io/how-it-works/trust-and-fraud.md) for how the risk check works. Creators see each held commission, its hold label, the reason and its release date on the **Earnings** page. ## When the hold ends When the hold ends: 1. The commission is **released**. 2. A share may be set aside in the creator's **reserve** (see below). The rest moves into the creator's **Available to withdraw** balance automatically. 3. The sale is marked as settled in the permanent record. 4. The creator can withdraw whenever they like. See [Earnings and payouts](https://docs.higherfrequency.io/creators/earnings-and-payouts.md#withdraw-your-money). If a creator's payouts are paused, nothing is released until the pause is lifted. ## Returns and refunds | What happens | During the hold | After the hold | | - | - | - | | **Full refund** | The commission is cancelled. The money goes back to the brand's campaign budget, with the platform fee for that order. | The creator keeps the commission. The brand's budget isn't refunded, and the platform fee is kept. The refund counts against the creator's risk score. | | **Partial refund** | The commission is reduced in proportion to the refund. The difference goes back to the brand's budget, and the platform fee is reduced by the same share. | As above. | This applies to every campaign, single-product ones included. Refunding any item in the order, or its shipping, reduces the commission by the same share of the order value. Each refund is processed once only, even if Shopify sends the same message twice. ## Chargebacks and disputes A **chargeback** is when a shopper asks their bank to reverse a payment. The brand can challenge it. While the bank decides, it's called a **dispute**. | Stage | What happens to the commission | | - | - | | **Dispute opened** | The commission is **frozen**. It isn't released even if its hold ends. Creators see "Dispute hold" and "Held pending dispute". | | **Brand wins** | The freeze is lifted. The commission carries on as normal (unless another dispute on the order is still open). | | **Brand loses**, commission still held | The commission is cancelled and the money goes back to the brand's campaign budget, with the platform fee for that order. | | **Brand loses**, commission already released | The money is recovered from the creator's reserve (or from their FREEQ stake, if they claimed that reserve early). What's recovered goes back to the brand's budget. Only a shortfall beyond that isn't recovered. The platform fee is kept. | Each dispute outcome is applied exactly once. ## The reserve When a commission is released, a share of it may be set aside in a **reserve** for that creator and campaign. The reserve exists to cover chargebacks that arrive after the creator has already been paid. It has a cap, so it doesn't keep growing. **What creators see:** * Reserved money is included in **Total earnings** but not in **Available to withdraw**. * Creators who stake FREEQ can claim reserve money early from the **Staking** page. If a chargeback then hits that campaign, their stake can be taken. See [Staking FREEQ](https://docs.higherfrequency.io/creators/staking-freeq.md#claim-reserve-funds-early). ## What this means for each side **For brands** * Returns and lost disputes during the hold refund the commission, and the platform fee for that order, to your campaign budget. * A refund after the hold doesn't. A lost dispute after the hold is recovered from the creator's reserve or stake, as far as it covers. * Held commission is set aside, so you can see what's committed to creators. **For creators** * Expect money to become available about 30 days after a sale, sometimes longer. * A longer hold isn't an accusation. Check the **Why** column on your Earnings page. * Once a hold ends, a later refund doesn't take back the commission in your balance. A lost chargeback can be recovered from your reserve. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.