How can we help you?

SquadEase helps you build an agile workforce from local talent with ease. We curate knowledge services freelancers within ~25 miles of your business. Start local, grow global, repeat often. You can be certain: 1) they know your market, 2) their portfolio is verifiable, and 3) they're an actual, living person. We're a product of Start Squad, based in Gainesville, FL.

Click the "Sign Up" button on our homepage and choose whether you're joining as a freelancer or a business. Fill in your basic information, verify your email address, and complete your profile. Freelancers will need to complete our training program before accessing the platform.

For Businesses: Yes! Posting projects and browsing freelancers is completely free. You only pay for the work you approve.

For Freelancers: Creating an account and completing training is free. An 8% platform fee is deducted from your project earnings when you get paid.

We match freelancers and businesses within approximately 25 miles of each other. We started in Gainesville, FL and are expanding to new regions through our Hub partnership program with community colleges via NACCE.

All freelancers must complete our onboarding training before accessing the platform. This includes modules on platform usage, client communication, project management, and professional standards. The training typically takes 1-2 hours and ensures all freelancers in our curated network meet our quality standards.

After completing training, your identity is verified through our Hub certification process:

• Add social media links to your profile (LinkedIn, GitHub, Twitter, portfolio site)
• Your Hub Manager reviews your online presence and credentials
• A short video call may be scheduled to confirm your identity
• Once verified, your Hub Manager certifies you on the platform

Certified freelancers receive a badge on their profile and tend to win more projects.

SquadEase deducts an 8% fee per project from your earnings upon project completion. This fee covers platform maintenance, payment processing, customer support, and marketing to bring you more clients. For example, if a project pays $1,000, you'll receive $920 after the platform fee.

Browse available projects and click "Submit Proposal" on any project that matches your skills. Write a compelling cover letter explaining why you're the best fit and provide your estimated timeline. You can use the AI Writing Assistant to help draft your cover letter — look for the "AI Assist" button. The project budget is set during the scoping process — you compete on quality, portfolio, and expertise, never on price. Clients review proposals and accept the best fit.

You may also receive direct assignments from clients you've worked with before. These skip the proposal process — you'll see a confirmation banner on the project page to accept or decline.

Hubs are local partner locations managed by Hub Owners. If you're assigned to a Hub, your Hub Owner provides additional support, networking opportunities, and local resources. Your Hub Owner receives an 8% commission from each of your project payments to support local operations and resources.

After creating a business account, click "Post a Project" from your dashboard. You can use our AI Project Assistant to help — just describe what you need in plain language and the AI will generate a structured project with title, description, category, and task breakdown. You can also start from a template or fill in the form manually.

If you already know which freelancer you want, select "For a Specific Freelancer" to assign them directly — no proposals needed. Posting is always free!

Review incoming proposals, check freelancer profiles (including reviews, skills, and portfolio), and message candidates with questions. You can shortlist your favorites and accept the best proposal when ready. All freelancers in our curated network have completed our training program — so you know they're actual, verifiable professionals.

Alternatively, use "For a Specific Freelancer" when posting to assign someone directly. If you've completed 3+ projects with a freelancer, you'll see a "Trusted Partner" badge and can fast-track the project by setting the budget yourself.

Escrow protects both you and the freelancer. When you accept a proposal, you fund the escrow with the agreed amount. The money is held securely until you approve the completed work. Once approved, the payment is released to the freelancer. This ensures freelancers get paid and you only pay for satisfactory work.

We love success stories! If you want to hire a freelancer as a full-time employee, there's a one-time direct hire fee of 5% of the average annual salary for that role. This fee supports the platform that helped you find your new team member. Contact us to arrange a direct hire.

Local freelancers offer several advantages:

• Same timezone for real-time communication
• No language or cultural barriers
• Option for in-person meetings
• Certified identity through our Hub verification process
• Supporting your local economy
• Easier legal and tax compliance

We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers through our secure payment processor, Stripe. All payment information is encrypted and never stored on our servers.

Freelancers are paid when the client approves completed work. For milestone-based projects, payment is released after each milestone is approved. Funds are transferred to your connected bank account within 2-5 business days after release.

If there's a disagreement about work quality or scope, try to resolve it directly through our messaging system. If needed, you can request a refund (as a client) or dispute resolution. Our support team reviews all disputes and makes fair decisions based on the project agreement and delivered work.

Clients can request a refund through the project page if work hasn't started or doesn't meet the agreed requirements. Refund requests are reviewed within 48 hours. Full or partial refunds may be issued based on the work completed and dispute circumstances.

Freelancers who earn $600 or more in a calendar year will receive a 1099-K form from our payment processor by January 31st of the following year. You're responsible for reporting all income and paying applicable taxes. We recommend consulting a tax professional.

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and enter your email address. You'll receive a password reset link valid for 1 hour. Click the link and create a new password. If you don't receive the email, check your spam folder or contact support.

You can request account deletion from your account settings. Note that you cannot delete your account if you have active projects or pending payments. After deletion, your personal data is removed within 30 days, though some transaction records may be retained for legal compliance.

Yes! We use industry-standard security measures including SSL/TLS encryption, secure password hashing (bcrypt), and secure payment processing through Stripe. We never sell your personal data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

The AI Project Assistant helps clients create well-structured project postings. When you click "Post a Project," you'll see a chat interface at the top of the form. Describe what you need in plain language, and the AI will ask a few follow-up questions, then generate a complete project — including title, description, category, tasks, and estimated hours. You can edit everything before submitting. The AI is powered by Claude (Anthropic) and is completely optional.

The AI Writing Assistant helps you write better content throughout the platform. Look for the "AI Assist" button near text areas. It can generate:

• Proposal cover letters — personalized to the project and your profile
• Professional bios — based on your skills and experience
• Portfolio descriptions — structured case studies
• Deliverable descriptions — based on task requirements
• Change request justifications — professional scope change explanations
• Scoping task breakdowns — for hub managers
• Support ticket descriptions — clearly structured problem reports

Always review and personalize AI-generated content before submitting.

The Wallet is your prepaid balance on SquadEase. You can add funds via Stripe (minimum $500 for general deposits, no minimum for project-specific payments). When you accept a proposal or assign a freelancer, escrow is automatically funded from your Wallet balance. If a project is cancelled, funds return to your Wallet as reusable credits — not back to Stripe. View your balance and transaction history from the Wallet page in your dashboard.

Every project has a Storage tab where you can upload and manage reference documents. You can upload files when creating a project and add more at any time during the project. Your freelancer can view and download these files but cannot modify or delete them. Accepted file types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, PNG, GIF (up to 10MB each). Note: freelancers submit completed work through the Deliverables system, not Storage.

Yes! When creating a project, select "For a Specific Freelancer" instead of "Open for Proposals." Search for a freelancer from your saved list or past project partners. The freelancer will be notified and can accept or decline the assignment.

If you've completed 3 or more projects together, you become a "Trusted Partner" pair. Trusted partners can set the budget directly and skip the scoping review — the project starts immediately.

Both freelancers and Hub Owners receive payments through Stripe Connect. Connect your bank account from the Earnings page in your dashboard (takes about 5 minutes). Once connected, payments are deposited automatically when milestones are approved — typically within 2-5 business days. If you haven't connected yet, payments are queued and transferred once you complete the setup.