How to release a milestone payment on Tutorac

When you’re satisfied with what the tutor delivered for a milestone, you click Release Payment to move the money out of escrow to them. It’s a one-click action, but it’s also irreversible — once released, the money is gone from your refund-able balance. Here’s how to do it confidently and what to check first.

When to release

Release a milestone payment when:

The tutor has finished the scope of that milestone (completion percentage is at 100%).
You’ve reviewed what was delivered — sessions attended, assignments graded, code working, etc.
You’re comfortable that the next milestone’s scope is clear (so releasing this one doesn’t feel like you’ve closed off a discussion).

You don’t have to release the moment a milestone hits 100% — you can take a day or two to review. There’s no penalty for waiting a reasonable amount of time. But sitting on a completed milestone for weeks isn’t fair to the tutor and can be flagged.

How to release a payment

Go to Trainings > My Training Batches and open the batch.
Click the Payment tab in the secondary nav.
Find the milestone you want to release. It should show Payment Status: Funded and the completion percentage at 100% (or close to it — it’s your call when to release).
Click the Release Payment button on that milestone’s card.
Confirm in the dialog that asks “Are you sure you want to release this payment?”

That’s it — the release is instant from your side. The tutor sees the funds reflected in their payout balance within a few minutes.

What happens after you release

The milestone’s Payment Status flips from Funded to Released.
The amount (minus Tutorac’s service fee, deducted on the tutor’s side) moves to the tutor’s payout balance.
The next milestone in the batch (if any) becomes the active milestone — the tutor can start work, and you may need to fund it if you hadn’t funded all milestones upfront.
A receipt is emailed to you with the milestone reference, amount, and date.
The action is permanent — you cannot reverse a release on your own. (Tutorac Support can intervene only in cases of fraud or clear misrepresentation by the tutor.)

Pre-release checklist

Before clicking Release Payment, take 60 seconds to confirm:

All sessions or deliverables for this milestone are actually done.
Any homework, code, or materials the tutor was supposed to share are in the batch’s Drive or Messages.
Recordings (if your tutor records sessions) are accessible.
You don’t have an open dispute about quality or scope for this milestone.
You’re fine with the next milestone’s scope and have funded it (or plan to).

When NOT to release

You have open quality concerns. Raise them on Messages first. If unresolved, you can cancel the batch — once you release, you forfeit refund eligibility on that milestone.
The tutor is asking you to release before completing the milestone. That defeats the entire escrow protection — politely decline and release once the work is actually done.
The completion percentage is below 100% and there’s no agreement to close the milestone short. Wait for completion or formally adjust scope.
You’re considering cancelling. Don’t release first — see how to cancel a hire or batch instead.

FAQs

Can I release a partial amount of a milestone?

No — release is all-or-nothing for a given milestone. If you want to pay for only part of the work, ask the tutor to revise the milestone scope/amount and resubmit it (or split it into two milestones).

What if I forget to release after the tutor finishes?

The tutor can request release on Messages. If you don’t respond for a long time after the milestone is at 100%, Tutorac may auto-release it after a notice period — that’s the dormant-learner side of the dormancy policy. See dormancy policy.

Can I get a released payment back if the tutor was actually bad?

Generally no — that’s the design of the escrow system. The window to challenge quality is before you release. If you released and then discovered something serious (e.g., the tutor lied about credentials, content was plagiarised), contact Support; they may intervene in clear-cut cases.

Last updated: 29 May 2026