Payouts on Both Rails

Timing, mechanics, and edge cases for receiving campaign funds via Stripe and Solana after a successful BlockReel Fund campaign.

Payouts on Both Rails

When the money actually hits your account, and what can go wrong.

After a successful campaign closes, payouts begin. The mechanics differ between Stripe and Solana. This guide covers both, plus the edge cases that delay or block payouts.

Jump To

1. The payout timeline overview 2. Stripe payouts 3. Solana payouts 4. Holds and review periods 5. Failed pledges at capture 6. Holds and reserves 7. Splitting payouts among team members 8. Tax withholding 9. Currency conversion if needed 10. Common payout problems

The payout timeline overview

The high-level sequence after a successful campaign close:

1. T+0 hours (close): Campaign reaches the 80% threshold. Status changes to "Funded." Card pledge capture begins. 2. After close: Stripe attempts to charge card pledges; Solana pledges have already settled to the platform treasury. 3. T+1 to 7 days: Failed Stripe pledges identified. Backers asked to update payment methods. 4. T+1 to 14 days: Platform review period for high-risk campaigns (large goals, first-time creators, flagged campaigns). 5. After milestone approval: The first payout may be initiated, subject to payment provider availability. 6. After milestone approval: The first Solana tranche may be transferred to the creator wallet. 7. As production advances: The remaining stages are released as each one is proven, following the schedule matched to the project type.

| Project type | Payout schedule | Timeout | | --- | --- | --- | | Feature | 25% on success · 55% at start of principal photography · 20% at wrap | 180 days | | Short / music video | 60% on success · 40% at wrap | 90 days | | Documentary | 30% on success · 35% after first shoot block · 35% at rough cut | 180 days | | Post-production | 40% on success · 50% at picture lock · 10% at final master | 90 days | | Development | 50% on success · 50% on draft or deck delivered | 60 days | | Release & events | 50% on success · 50% on proof of spend or before the event | 60 days |

If a project goes silent past its timeout, backers get refunds.

Actual timing depends on milestone verification, administrator approval, and payment provider availability.

Stripe payouts

The Stripe rail uses Stripe Express accounts created during campaign setup.

Capture mechanics:

• At T+0 (campaign close), Stripe captures all authorized pledges in a batch
• Capture takes 1-24 hours depending on Stripe volume
• Failed captures (expired cards, insufficient funds, fraud flags) generate retry emails to backers
• After 7 days of failed retry, failed pledges are abandoned and campaign total adjusts

Payout mechanics:

• Funds land in your Stripe Express account balance after capture
• BlockReel initiates approved milestone payouts from the connected account to your linked bank
• New Stripe accounts have a 7-14 day initial hold on payouts. Established accounts (3+ months with clean activity) have shorter holds.
• Payouts arrive in your bank account within 2-5 business days of scheduling

First release: the on-success stage for your project type, after approval and payment provider availability.

The remaining stages are released as each one is proven, following the schedule matched to your project type, subject to review and provider holding limits.

Solana payouts

Solana pledges settle immediately to the platform treasury. Successful campaigns use the same stage schedule matched to the project type.

Release mechanics:

• A 5% platform fee is deducted from successful campaign funds
• After approval, an administrator initiates each transfer from the treasury to your designated payout wallet
• Tranches follow the stage schedule matched to the project type, each released after proof of the stage before
• Network fees may apply to on-chain transfers

Conversion to fiat:

• Once in your wallet, the funds are yours to manage
• To convert USDC or USDT to fiat: transfer to an exchange (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken), sell for USD/EUR/etc, withdraw to bank
• To convert SOL to fiat: same process, sell SOL on an exchange
• Exchange withdrawal to bank usually takes 1-3 business days

Timing: Each payout depends on its production milestone and approval. Bank conversion, if needed, is separate.

If you want to hold the funds in stablecoin or use them on-chain (paying contractors in USDC, holding for the production budget), no conversion is needed.

Holds and review periods

Some campaigns trigger a platform review period before payouts begin. Triggers include:

• First-time creator on the platform (especially for goals over $25,000)
• Goal achieved very quickly (under 24 hours, sometimes indicates inorganic pledging)
• Reports of suspicious activity during the campaign (backer complaints, payment anomalies)
• Campaigns flagged by Stripe risk review for additional verification

If your campaign is in review:

• You receive an email at campaign close explaining the review
• Review typically takes 3-10 business days
• We may request documentation: government ID, proof of address, project documentation, team verification
• Once cleared, payouts proceed normally

Reviews are a compliance step, not a punishment. Most reviews clear with no issues. If we ask for documentation, respond quickly to minimize delay.

Failed pledges at capture

When Stripe attempts to capture pledges at close, some percentage fail. Typical failure rate is 3-8%.

What happens:

• Backer receives email asking to update payment method
• 7-day window to update
• If updated within 7 days: pledge captures successfully, campaign total holds
• If not updated within 7 days: pledge canceled, campaign total adjusts downward

If a significant number of card pledges fail, the collected total may drop below the 80% success threshold. BlockReel reviews those campaigns case by case with affected backers.

Solana pledges do not fail at close because settlement happened at pledge time.

Holds and reserves

Payment providers may apply additional holds or reserves for certain risk profiles; the standard Fund schedule has no separate 10% reserve.

Any additional hold or reserve depends on the payment provider and is disclosed when applicable.

Reserves are unusual but not rare. If applied, you are notified at campaign close with the reserve percentage and release schedule.

Solana payouts are still subject to milestone approval and available treasury funds.

Splitting payouts among team members

If you need to split campaign funds among multiple team members (co-producers, key crew, deferred compensation), handle this off-platform. We pay the campaign owner (one Stripe account, one Solana wallet). The owner distributes from there.

Best practice: have a written profit-split agreement with all team members before campaign launch. The agreement specifies what percentage each person receives and when. After payout, transfer per the agreement and document the transfers for tax purposes.

For ongoing splits (e.g. a producer who receives 10% of all film revenue including the crowdfund), set up a recurring payment schedule and treat as standard contractor payments for tax purposes.

Tax withholding

We do not withhold taxes from payouts. The full amount (minus platform and processor fees) is sent to you. You are responsible for tax filings.

Stripe reports your gross to the IRS via Form 1099-K (US) if you exceed the threshold ($600 in 2026, subject to change). You receive a copy by January 31 of the following year. Canada equivalent: T4A.

Solana payouts have no platform-issued tax form. You self-report the USD value of pledges at receipt time as income on your tax return. See [Tax Considerations](/doc