Fees

1. Scope

This Fees schedule forms part of the Terms of Service between you and [Aligner, Inc.], a Delaware corporation (Aligner, we, us). It sets out what Aligner charges for the Service and when.

Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

2. Service fee

When a team funds a request, it pays a Service Fee equal to 9% of the compensation it funds. The Service Fee is added on top of compensation. It is never deducted from what a contributor receives.

The Service Fee is reserved in the request's Escrow Vault when the team funds it, and is paid from the vault to Aligner only when compensation is paid to a contributor. The vault never lets it exceed the fee rate on what was paid. It is shown before you confirm funding.

Example: a team funds a request with 1,000 USDC of compensation. It locks 1,000 USDC in the request's vault plus the Service Fee reserve on top. On approval the contributor receives the full 1,000 USDC and the reserve becomes the Service Fee.

3. Milestone requests

A milestone request has two to four stages. Each stage is funded, reviewed and paid separately.

Every stage is funded up front. The Service Fee for a stage is reserved with it, calculated on that stage's compensation only, and charged when that stage is paid.

4. When the fee is refunded

The Service Fee follows the compensation it was charged on:

• If compensation is refunded before work starts, the Service Fee on that compensation is refunded pro rata.
• Once compensation has been released to a contributor, the Service Fee on it is not refunded.
• If a dispute ends in a split, the Service Fee on the portion released to the contributor is kept and the Service Fee on the portion refunded to the team is returned.

A Service Fee reserve that is not charged is refunded with the compensation, to where the request was first funded from. See Refunds and Cancellation for when refunds apply.

5. Network fees

Solana network fees are not Aligner fees. They are paid to the network by whoever sends a transaction.

The sender pays network fees for deposits to a Deposit Address. Funding from a Balance, releases and refunds carry no network fee for you; Aligner pays them, and pays network fees for withdrawals.

Paying from a wallet straight into a request's Escrow Vault is a transaction your wallet sends: it pays the network fee, and a small deposit for the vault's accounts that Solana requires. That deposit comes back to the same wallet when the vault closes.

6. Taxes

The Service Fee is exclusive of value added tax, goods and services tax, sales tax and similar taxes. Where such taxes apply, they are added to the Service Fee and shown before you confirm.

For business customers in the European Union, the Service Fee is supplied business-to-business. Where the reverse-charge mechanism applies, you account for value added tax in your own Member State and we will not charge it.

You are responsible for providing accurate tax and billing details. Taxes on compensation are dealt with in Escrow and Payments.

7. Changes to fees

We may change the Service Fee or introduce new fees. We will give at least 15 days notice by email and in the Service before a change takes effect.

A change never applies to a request, or a milestone stage, that was funded before the change took effect.

8. Contact

Questions about fees can be sent to [legal@aligner.network].

Version history

1. Version 1.0 (draft)[Publication date]First draft for counsel review.