Where does $1 go?
Every cost, itemized
Most marketplaces call the whole thing a “platform fee” and take 15–30% out of the worker’s pay. Town Works treats those as separate things, because they are: a payment rail cost neither of us controls, an optional community reserve, and Town Works’ own operating charge — which we target at a fraction of a percent.
| Component | What it is | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Underlying work | Goes to the worker, in full | — |
| Payment processing | Bank transfer ≈0.8%, capped at $5 · Card ≈2.9% + $0.30 | external rail |
| Community protection | Optional, ~1% (min $0.50) — funds a local reserve, not Town Works | opt-in |
| Town Works operations | Target ≤1.5% of commerce, minimum $0.15 | platform |
Try it
Change the amount, payment method, and protection to see exactly how a job’s cost stacks up — and how much of it reaches the worker directly.
3.19% of what the buyer pays goes to rails, protection, and Town Works combined — the rest reaches the worker directly.
- The worker receives
- $100.00
- Bank transfer processing
- $0.80
- Community protection
- $1.00
- The Town Works operating cost
- $1.50
The fee constitution
Town Works will seek to charge participants no more than the reasonable cost of operating transaction, identity, trust, safety, and community-protection infrastructure, plus reserves reasonably necessary for continuity and improvement.
Any increase above the published target requires board approval and public disclosure. Members vote on how the operating charge gets spent — see governance for what it does and doesn’t fund, and how that vote works.