Terms of service

These terms govern your use of PayMyTeacher (the "Service", "we", "us"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to them. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. What the Service does

PayMyTeacher lets supporters set aside part of their income, on a recurring schedule or as a one-time payment, as gifts to individual teachers they choose. We collect payments through Stripe and pass each teacher's share to that teacher's own Stripe Express account. We are a platform that facilitates personal gifts between individuals; we are not a charity, a bank, a payroll provider or a party to the gift itself.

2. Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding agreement to use the Service. Keep your password confidential and tell us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without permission. You are responsible for activity under your account. Provide accurate information and keep it up to date. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms.

3. Gifts are voluntary personal gifts

Every payment you make through the Service is a voluntary personal gift to the individual teacher(s) you select. Gifts are not charitable donations, are not made to any school or district, and are not tax-deductible. You receive nothing in exchange for a gift, and a teacher is under no obligation to you because of one. Teachers are responsible for any taxes on gifts they receive. We do not provide tax, legal or financial advice.

4. Fees

We charge a platform fee of 1% of each gift. Payment processing fees charged by Stripe also apply; by default the supporter covers them in addition to the gift, and a supporter may choose instead to have them deducted from the gift. The full breakdown is shown before every charge and on every receipt. Fee rates may change; changes apply to charges made after the change and are shown on the Service.

5. Recurring charges and cancellation

When you activate a plan you authorize us, through Stripe, to charge your chosen payment method on each scheduled payday for the amount your plan specifies (a flat amount, or a percentage of the paycheck amount you entered) until you pause or cancel. You may change, pause or cancel your plan at any time from your dashboard; changes take effect from the next scheduled charge. Charges already completed are not reversed by cancelling. If a charge fails we may retry it and will pause the plan after repeated failures.

6. Teacher verification and eligibility

To receive gifts, a teacher must claim the profile, verify their identity and teaching role by a method we accept, and complete Stripe's onboarding, including any identity and tax information Stripe requires. We may approve, reject or revoke verification at our discretion, and may remove profiles we believe are inaccurate or fraudulent. Creating or claiming a profile for someone you are not is prohibited.

7. Unclaimed gifts: holds and reassignment

Gifts allocated to a teacher who has not yet been verified and connected a payout account are collected and held. We attempt to invite the teacher when we have contact details. Held gifts are released when the teacher completes verification and onboarding. If a teacher remains unclaimed for 180 days after a gift is held, the supporter may reassign the held amount to another teacher through the Service. Held amounts are not paid to the supporter as cash and do not earn interest.

8. Payouts through Stripe Connect

Payouts to teachers are made through Stripe Connect. By claiming a profile and setting up payouts, a teacher agrees to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, including the Stripe Terms of Service, and authorizes us to share information with Stripe and to initiate transfers to their connected account. Payout timing depends on Stripe and the teacher's bank. Stripe may require additional information or restrict an account under its own policies, which we do not control.

9. Refunds

Because gifts are voluntary, they are generally final. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us within 30 days of the charge. We may refund any portion that has not yet been paid out to a teacher. Amounts already paid out belong to the teacher and cannot be recovered by us.

10. Prohibited conduct

• Impersonating a teacher or any other person, or claiming a profile that is not yours.
• Using the Service to launder money, evade taxes, pay for goods or services, or move funds for any purpose other than a personal gift.
• Coercing, soliciting or pressuring anyone to give, or offering anything in exchange for gifts.
• Harassing teachers or supporters, including through notes attached to gifts.
• Scraping, probing or interfering with the Service, or attempting to access other users' data.
• Any use that is unlawful where you or the recipient are located.

11. Content

You are responsible for the profile details, photos, bios and notes you submit. You grant us a licence to display them on the Service for the purpose of operating it. We may remove content that breaks these terms. Do not include anyone's private information in a note or profile.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not guarantee that any teacher will claim a profile, that any gift will be accepted, or that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free. We do not verify the accuracy of every profile detail and are not responsible for the conduct of supporters or teachers. To the fullest extent permitted by law we disclaim all warranties, express or implied.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PayMyTeacher and its operators are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits or data, arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the platform fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim arose.

14. Changes to the Service or these terms

We may change the Service or these terms. If a change is material we will notify account holders by email or through the Service before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Service after a change means you accept the updated terms.

15. Termination

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate access for breach of these terms or where required by law. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including the sections on gifts, liability and disclaimers, do so.

16. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which PayMyTeacher is operated, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be resolved in the courts of that jurisdiction unless applicable law provides otherwise.

17. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@paymyteacher.com.