Welcome to the JDI Central (“JDI Central”). Before you proceed with your signup, please carefully read and understand the following terms and conditions (“Terms”). By signing up as an user on the JDI Central, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to comply with these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not proceed with the signup process.

1. For Employer

JDI Central is free to sign up, post a project/job, receive referral credits, review the freelancer’s portfolio after their application has been selected and interview the shortlisted freelancers.

1.1. Fees and charges:

A 12% service fee will be applied to each payment request per freelancer. 

The transaction fee will be borne by the party initiating the transfer, whether it is the Employer or JDI Central.

1.2. Job Deposit Policy:

Deposits secure the freelancer’s time and help ensure project continuity for both parties.

To protect project momentum and ensure fairness for both employers and freelancers, JDI Central requires an upfront deposit before each engagement begins. Deposits are based on project scope and workload, and are applied toward future payments.

1.2.1. Short-Term Engagements (Less Than 1 Month)

If a short project exceeds 30 hours, we’ll request a top-up deposit based on the standard calculation (see formula below).

1.2.2. Longer-term Engagement (1 Month or More)

For example, a freelancer at $20/hour working part-time would require a $1,760 deposit (see formula below).

How We Calculate Monthly Freelance Fee

To keep things transparent and consistent, we calculate monthly compensation using this formula:

Full-Month Freelance Fee = Hourly Rate × 8 × 22

Half-Month Freelance Fee = Hourly Rate × 4 × 22

How the Deposit Works

• Secure & Escrowed: Held by JDI Central and applied toward the first invoice(s).
• Refundable or Roll-Forward: If work hasn’t started, unused deposits are refundable or can be credited to future work.
• Late Payment Protection: If payment is overdue by more than 7 days, the freelancer may pause work. After 14 days, the deposit will be released to cover unpaid time.
• Maintenance of Financial Coverage for Evolving Projects: To ensure uninterrupted service and maintain adequate financial coverage, any expansion of a job or project’s scope – including increased hourly-based or monthly-based engagements or the engagement of additional freelancers – will require a corresponding adjustment to the Employer’s initial deposit. JDI Central will determine this adjustment based on the revised scope of work, as outlined in item 2.1 above.

If you need help calculating your project’s deposit, just book a call with our Talent Manager or contact us at contact@jdicentral.com — we’ll walk you through it in minutes

1.3.  Project Upfront Payments (For Fixed-Priced Projects)

At JDI Central, a Project refers to a scoped engagement with clearly defined deliverables, timelines, and milestones. To ensure fairness, accountability, and continuous progress, all projects are supported by an upfront payment structure and a secure escrow system managed by JDI Central.

1.3.1. Project with total budget < $100 USD 

100% of the total project budget is required upfront before the project begins. This ensures commitment from both parties and allows the Freelancer to start work immediately.

Upon completion of the project and approval of deliverables by the Employer, the full amount will be released to the Freelancer by JDI Central.

1.3.2. Project with total budget ≥ $100 USD

For the project with a total budget of ≥ $100 USD, there will be 2 stages of payment:

• Stage 1: Initial Prepayment

50% of the total project budget must be transferred upfront to activate the project. This payment is used to secure freelancer resources and initiate work. The transfer is normally expected within 7 days of project confirmation.

• Stage 2: Remaining Payment

After 50% of the project scope has been completed and the Employer has approved the corresponding deliverables, the remaining 50% of the project budget must be transferred to JDI Central. This ensures continuity and completion of the remaining work.

All payments are held securely by JDI Central and will be disbursed to the freelancer upon verified progress and Employer approval, following the agreed milestones.

1.4. Payment Term

The payment request from a freelancer or software agency should be approved and transferred to JDI Central within 3 working days. 

Any delay of the payment request approval will affect the job/project’s progress. 

1.5. Refunds to the Employer:

• The deposit is tied to each specific job and can be refunded upon the Employer’s request, once the collaboration with the assigned Freelancer is completed.
• If the Employer does not wish to use the deposit for the final payment or to engage another freelancer, the full deposit amount for that job will be refunded. The refund will be processed within three (3) working days from the date of request.
• Refunds apply only for jobs (hourly/monthly-based engagements), and not projects. The upfront payment made for fixed-price projects will be used by JDI Central to make payments directly to Freelancer/Software Agency on your behalf, and are non-refundable once disbursed.

2. For Freelancer OR Software Agency

JDI Central is free to sign up, create a profile, select skills of projects you are interested in, upload a portfolio, receive project notifications, apply on projects, and discuss project details with the Employer.

2.1. Fees and Charges

For the service, a fee of 10% per payment requested will be charged.

Transaction terms:

• Local Bank Account (USD): Transaction fee is 60 USD fixed
• Local Bank Account (VND): Free of charge for transaction fee
• Exchange rate: Subject to JDI’s finance policy

(The fee is deducted from your earnings when you receive the payment from the Employer. You can see your fees on payment request history)

2.2. Payment Term

Freelancers or Software Agencies must submit their payment requests at the end of each month.

The payment amount will be agreed upon by both the Freelancer/Agency and the Employer and will be paid within 15 days of the following month from the Employer’s approval day.

2.2.1. For the Job-based engagement, payment will be paid within 7 working days of the following month from the Employer’s approval day.

2.2.2. For the Project-based engagement, there will be 3 stages of payment:

• First Payment: 50% of the total package will be paid within 14 days after the payment is approved by the Employer, upon completion of the first 50% of the project by the Freelancer or Software Agency.
• Second Payment: 40% of the total package will be released upon the completion of the remaining 50% of the project by the Freelancer or Software Agency.
• Final Payment: The remaining 10% of the total package will be released within 14 days after the payment is approved by the Employer upon the final completion of the project by the Freelancer or Software Agency.