The remaining project balance is due immediately upon completion of production and approval of preview materials, strictly before final assets, credentials, or live deployments are released. Handover schedules, repository transfers, and production launches will not commence until Operations & Client Services confirms that funds have cleared in full.
The settlement and handover sequence
Every project follows an exact operational path between initial delivery and final release:
1. Production review and sign-off: The Creative or Technology department delivers draft assets, watermarked previews, or staging site builds for your final review. 2. Formal approval: You submit written sign-off confirming that the scope of work outlined in the agreed quote or package specification has been fulfilled. 3. Final invoice issuance: Operations & Client Services reconciles any adjustments, applied referral discounts (typically 10-30% confirmed in writing on your quote), or authorised additions, then issues the final balance invoice. 4. Remittance: You settle the invoice using bank transfer or approved card payment mechanisms. 5. Payment clearance: Operations & Client Services verifies receipt of cleared funds in the studio account. 6. Asset release: Technology or Creative releases unwatermarked deliverables, transfers repository ownership, delivers live credentials, or conducts the live deployment.
Departmental responsibilities
- Creative and Technology departments: Responsible for ensuring all deliverables meet technical and artistic specifications, hosting staging previews, and preparing the final transfer bundle. These teams cannot release live credentials, raw source files, or deploy to production servers until cleared balance confirmation is issued by Operations.
- Operations & Client Services: Responsible for verifying that all project scope items are fulfilled, reviewing billing records, issuing the balancing invoice, monitoring banking receipts, and issuing internal handover clearance. All billing questions are managed through this department via the Ask Xylo chat.
- The client: Responsible for conducting thorough testing during the review window, providing explicit written sign-off, and arranging timely remittance via their accounts department.
What the client must supply
To prevent handover delays, you must provide the following before the final invoice is processed:
- Written confirmation of acceptance for the final milestone or preview.
- Updated corporate invoicing details, including legal company name, registered address, and VAT number where applicable.
- Proof of payment or remittance advice from your banking provider if an urgent handover window is approaching.
- Confirmation of recipient accounts or hosting environments ready to receive file packages, domain connections, or software repositories.
Timings and payment clearance
Invoices are issued and reconciled during working hours: Monday to Thursday, 09:00-17:00 GMT.
Direct bank transfers typically clear within two to four hours on UK banking days, though international wire transfers can require three to five business days. Production launches, file deliveries, and live migrations are scheduled only after funds show as settled. For queries submitted via the Ask Xylo chat regarding invoices or payment reconciliation, the standard first reply target is 24 hours.
Failure cases and delayed settlement
- Unpaid invoices: If the final balance remains unsettled past the due date, production staging environments remain locked, work pauses, and no live deployment occurs. Studio resource allocations expire, meaning any delayed deployment will be rescheduled according to subsequent studio availability.
- Disputed items: If you identify an issue with the preview, submit precise feedback immediately through Ask Xylo before invoice generation. Sign-off should not be given until deliverables align with the agreed brief.
- Deposits are non-refundable once your production slot is held. Before work begins, sums not yet earned are refunded pro rata; after work begins, completed work and booked time are charged. Defects are fixed free of charge within the acceptance window. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page of the main site. Non-payment of the final balance terminates the agreement, forfeits the deposit, and revokes all licences to use draft, preview, or staging materials. Any exception to this policy remains at the studio's sole discretion.
- Third-party launch deadlines: The studio does not fast-track unverified payments to accommodate external launch events. Payment clearance must occur during normal working hours prior to release.
Final balance checklist
- [ ] Review staging link, preview export, or completed prototype thoroughly.
- [ ] Submit formal written sign-off confirming scope completion.
- [ ] Receive balancing invoice from Operations & Client Services.
- [ ] Remit balance, ensuring any written referral discount (10-30%) is correctly reflected.
- [ ] Upload remittance advice via Ask Xylo if transfer is made close to a cut-off time.
- [ ] Receive transfer bundle, code repository access, or live deployment notification upon clearance.