How Flyer works: questions answered
How booking works, what it costs, how young people get paid, what happens if a job goes wrong, and the rules that apply to earners under 18.
Getting started
What is Flyer?
A local marketplace for small jobs. Young people put up a flyer for something they are good at: mowing, snow clearing, tutoring, tennis coaching, anything. Neighbours book them. Think of the card in a shop window, except you can see reviews and agree a price first.
Do I need an account just to look?
No. You can browse the home page, search, and read the safety page without signing up. You need an account the moment you want to do something: book someone, post a chore, send a message, or put up a flyer of your own.
How old do you have to be?
You can earn on Flyer from 13. There is no upper limit. If you are under 18 you have to give a parent or guardian’s phone number and email when you sign up, your parent or guardian has to confirm their email before payouts can be set up, and your working hours are limited by age. Anyone can hire.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. Making an account, putting up flyers and browsing are all free. Flyer only takes a cut when a job is actually paid for. See the fees question below.
Where does Flyer work?
Anywhere. Anyone can sign up, hire anyone and be hired, wherever they are. Add your town and people see how close you are, with the nearest shown first. Prices and payments are in Canadian dollars. Payouts to earners are open in Canada for now, with more countries to come; you can still put up a flyer and use everything else wherever you live. In an emergency the safety sheet shows your own country's emergency number.
Can I use it for hiring and earning?
Yes, on the same account. There is a "Switch to earning" / "Switch to hiring" button in the top bar that flips between the two. Your profile, messages and reviews follow you across both.
Hiring someone
How do I find someone?
Browse the home page or use Search. You can filter by what you need, and each person’s flyer shows their price, how much experience they have with that particular job, photos of past work, and reviews from people who booked them.
How does booking work?
Pick a flyer, choose a day and time, and send the request. A card has to be saved on your account, but sending the request costs nothing. The request goes to that person, who accepts or declines. Nothing is confirmed, and you are only charged, if they accept. If they decline, or do not answer within 48 hours, you are not charged.
Why does it say nobody offers what I need?
Flyer is new, so some jobs only have a few people, or none yet. Anyone anywhere can hire anyone, and the nearest people are shown first. Share Flyer with friends, family and neighbours, tap “Email me new ones” on the search page to hear when someone signs up for it, or post a chore so the first person to join can come to you.
Can I ask questions before I book?
Yes. Every booking has a message thread, and you can message someone about a chore request before agreeing anything. Sorting out details first is normal and encouraged.
What happens on the day?
They tap On my way when they head out and Start when they begin. When they finish they mark it complete, with up to 3 photos if the job has something to show. You look it over and approve the job, and only then is the money released to them. If you do nothing for 72 hours it is approved automatically. If something was not right, report a problem instead and the money stays held while a person at Flyer looks into it. A job booked for later in the week only starts on its day, and nothing is tracked on a map.
What if I post a chore instead?
Use "Post a chore" and describe what needs doing and your budget. Nearby earners see it and can bid. You pick whichever offer you like, or none of them.
Can I cancel?
Yes. You can cancel a booking until the job has started. If the earner had not accepted yet, you are never charged. If they had, you are refunded minus a 5% cancellation fee, which can take a few days to show on your statement. Once work has started, wait for the finished job and approve it, or report a problem. An earner can cancel too, and then the customer is refunded in full.
Are earners background checked?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Most people earning here are under 18, and criminal record checks are not available to, or appropriate for, children. What Flyer actually does is: require a guardian’s phone number and email for every under-18 and have the guardian confirm that email before payouts start, limit working hours by age, block job types that are unsafe for young people, keep your exact address hidden until the earner accepts, and show you real reviews from previous customers. Use the same judgement you would use hiring any neighbour’s kid.
What if they do not show up, or the job is bad?
If they do not show up, cancel the booking before the job starts. If the earner had accepted, a 5% cancellation fee applies, unless they cancelled or you contact us and we agree it was on their side. If the job is finished and it is not right, do not approve it: report a problem and the money stays held while a person at Flyer looks into it. Leave an honest review either way, because reviews are the main thing protecting the next person. If something felt unsafe rather than just disappointing, deal with that first: the earner has a guardian contact on file, and in an emergency call your local emergency number.
How do I hear about new helpers near me?
On the Search page, pick a kind of help, like lawn care, and tap “Email me new ones”. When someone near you puts up a flyer for it, we email you. You can keep up to eight of these, and turn any of them off in Settings, under Email alerts, or with the link in the email.
Can I add a job to my phone’s calendar?
Yes. Once a booking is accepted and has a day and time, tap “Add to calendar” on the booking. It downloads a small calendar file that your phone or computer opens in its own calendar app.
How old do you have to be to babysit?
Babysitters on Flyer are 14 or older, and under 18 they also need a parent or guardian to confirm their email first. Beyond that it is your call as the parent: read their flyer, check their reviews, message them before you book and meet them if you would like. Jobs have to finish by 9 pm.
How much should I pay a babysitter?
Each young person sets their own price, shown on their flyer before you send a request, so you see it up front. Compare a few flyers, ask in a message whether the price changes with the number of children or the hour, and add a tip after the job if you would like to.
Earning on Flyer
How do I start?
Switch to earning, then put up a flyer. Pick a category or describe your own service, give it a clear title, set your price, say how much experience you have, and add photos of work you have done if you have any.
What is a flyer, exactly?
One thing you offer, with a price. "Mow, edge and bag, $30 per job" is a flyer. You can have as many as you like, and you can pause one without deleting it if you are too busy.
Can I offer something that is not lawns or snow?
Yes, and you should. "Offer something else" lets you describe anything you are good at: guitar lessons, video editing, aquarium cleaning, tennis coaching. If you can do it and someone will pay for it, it belongs on a flyer.
What am I not allowed to offer?
Anything overnight; anything needing a ladder, roof or gutter access; power tools other than a lawn mower; anything involving touching someone, personal company or a person’s body; medical, medication or personal-care tasks; driving people around; and anything age-restricted like alcohol, vaping or gambling. The app will stop you posting these.
How late can I work?
Jobs have to finish by 9 pm. Booking times that would run past that are not offered to customers.
Can I turn a job down?
Always. A request is a request, not an obligation, and declining does not count against you.
How do I get more bookings?
Photos of actual finished work make the biggest difference. A flyer with real photos beats one without. After that: an honest experience level, a clear title that says exactly what you do, and replying quickly. Reviews build from there.
Can I change a flyer after posting it?
Yes. In Jobs → Flyers, the pencil edits the title, price, rate and experience; the toggle pauses it; the bin deletes it.
What jobs can a 14 year old do?
On Flyer the jobs are the same from age 13 up: lawn mowing, snow shovelling, leaf raking, dog walking, babysitting, car washing, window cleaning, tutoring and other small jobs that are not on the not-allowed list. Every job has to finish by 9 pm.
Can a 13 year old make money on Flyer?
Yes. 13 is the minimum age to earn. A parent or guardian’s name, phone number and email are needed when you sign up, and they confirm their email before payouts can be set up.
Do I have to add photos when I finish a job?
No. Photos are optional, up to 3. They are worth adding for jobs with something to see, like a mowed lawn or a cleaned window, because they protect you as much as the customer. For a lesson or a training session there is nothing to photograph, so you just tap Finish and the customer approves it.
What if the customer never approves the job?
The customer has 72 hours after you finish to approve it or report a problem. If they do neither, it approves itself and your money is released. If they report a problem, the money stays held while a person at Flyer looks into it.
When do I say I am on my way?
On the day of the job. A job booked for later in the week cannot be started early, and nothing about where you are is shared. You tap On my way when you head out and Start when you begin.
Money and fees
Can I get paid through Flyer yet?
Yes. A customer adds a card before they can send a request. It is charged when you accept, and Flyer holds the money through Stripe until the customer approves the finished job. Then you receive your full price. Payouts go through Stripe and are available to people in Canada for now, so you set up a payout account first. If you are under 18 that account belongs to a parent or guardian, who has to confirm their email with Flyer before it can be set up. You do not have to wait for that to see your money: an approved payment shows in your Wallet straight away, and it is sent to your payout account as soon as that is ready.
What does Flyer charge?
A service fee is added on top of the earner’s price and paid by the person hiring, currently 20% on the first $50 of a job. Bigger jobs pay less on the part above that: 15% from $50 to $100, 12% from $100 to $200 and 10% over $200. If a flyer says $30, the earner gets $30 and the customer pays $30 plus the fee. The earner always keeps their full price, whatever the fee is.
I am under 18. How would I get paid?
Into an account owned and verified by your parent or guardian. Stripe, who handle the payments, require an account holder to be 18 or over, so the money goes to a trusted adult rather than to you directly. Your parent or guardian has to confirm their email with us first, then Stripe verifies who they are. You can see your balance either way.
Can I tip?
Yes, once you have approved the job, never before. Tipping before someone has done any work is not really tipping, so we removed it. 100% of a tip goes to the earner with no fee taken.
What is the savings goal for?
You name something you are saving for and set its price, and the app shows how close your balance is to affording it. You do not have to move money anywhere. It just tracks your balance against the target on its own.
Where is the money while a job is happening?
Sending a request costs nothing. If the earner accepts, your card is charged the full price plus the service fee, and Flyer holds it through Stripe. It is released to the earner only when you approve the finished job. If the request is declined or gets no answer within 48 hours, you are never charged.
Is the fee lower if I book the same person again?
Yes. Once a booking with someone has gone ahead, booking them again carries a service fee of just 5%. The earner still receives their full price.
Can I book the same job every week?
Yes. When you book, choose to repeat every week or every 2 weeks, for 2 to 12 visits. The first visit works as usual. Once the earner accepts it, Flyer books each later visit three days ahead on your saved card and holds the payment until you approve the finished job. If your card fails, the price changes or the earner is not available, the repeat pauses and nothing is charged. You or the earner can stop it at any time.
What is a season pass?
A season pass lets you pay up front for 4, 6 or 8 visits of a flat-price job, at the 5% repeat service fee. Flyer holds the money, you book each visit when you need it (handy for snow and leaf season), and the earner is paid for a visit only when you approve it. A visit that does not happen goes back on the pass, and anything unused is refunded at any time, or automatically after 150 days.
What is a bundle deal?
When a helper has two flyers of the same kind (two flat-price jobs, or two hourly ones), you can book both together as one job. It is one request and one payment, and the service fee is 12% instead of the usual rate. The earner still receives the full price of both. Childcare cannot be bundled, and a bundle cannot be repeated or paid with a season pass.
Safety
What does Flyer actually do to keep people safe?
Concretely: a guardian’s phone number and email are required for every under-18 earner, and the guardian confirms that email before payouts can start; working hours are capped by age; unsafe and inappropriate job types are blocked when you try to post them; your exact address stays hidden until the earner accepts; earners tap On my way and Start and then finish the job, each step time-stamped, with optional photos, so there is a record of when they arrived and what was done; the customer’s money is held until they approve the work; messages are filtered for abusive language; and there is an SOS sheet during a job with one tap to call emergency services or a guardian. Reviews go both ways, so earners can warn each other about a bad customer too.
When does my address get shared?
Only after the earner accepts your booking. Before that they see your approximate neighbourhood and nothing more.
Do parents get told what is happening?
Not automatically. A guardian’s number is on file, and during a job there is a one-tap button to text them where you are, but Flyer does not send parents updates on its own. If you want a parent kept in the loop, tell them yourself.
Are photos checked?
Every uploaded photo is screened for nudity and sexual content before it is saved, and blocked if it fails. That check does not detect weapons, gore or violence, so it is not a guarantee, just a filter on the worst of it. If you see a photo that should not be there, stop dealing with that person.
What if I feel unsafe during a job?
Leave. Nothing on this app is worth staying somewhere you do not want to be. During a job the safety sheet gives you one tap to call emergency services, call your guardian, or text them your live location.
Can an adult message my teen privately?
Messages stay inside Flyer. Phone numbers, emails, links and talk of paying outside the app are blocked, so a chat cannot be moved somewhere else. If either person is under 16, a copy of the messages is emailed to the parent or guardian on file. Anyone can report a conversation from the chat.
Who can babysit on Flyer?
Babysitters have to be 14 or older. Anyone under 18 also needs their parent or guardian to confirm their email before a babysitting flyer can go up, and if the sitter is under 16 a copy of their messages goes to that parent or guardian. Babysitting jobs end by 9 pm like every Flyer job and overnight work is not allowed. Flyer does not run background checks, so read the flyer and reviews and message the sitter before you book.
Privacy
What do you store about me?
Your name, the area you are in, your profile photo, your flyers and your reviews are stored on our servers so other people can see them. Your email address is stored there too, but other people never see it: the app and the database only show them a placeholder. Your date of birth stays on your own device and is never uploaded, only your age group is. Your street address is not on your profile. It is sent only when you book someone or post a chore, and the earner sees it once they accept. Your password is held scrambled by our sign-in system. The phone number you give, and for under-18s a parent or guardian's name, phone number and email, are kept in a private table that other people cannot see.
Can people see exactly where I live?
No. The map shows an approximate point snapped to roughly a 500-metre grid, not your address. Your real address is only revealed to one earner, after they accept a booking.
Who can see my phone number?
Nobody else on Flyer. It is kept in a private table that only you and we can read, and it is used for the one-tap guardian contact. It is never shown to other users.
What do people see if I am not signed in?
Anyone browsing without an account sees first names and an initial only, so "Maya T." rather than a full name. Full profiles need an account.
Your account
How do I change my photo or details?
Profile → Edit details for your name, phone and address, or Change photo for your picture. Certifications and equipment have their own Edit buttons further down.
I forgot my password.
Tap the “Forgot your password?” link on the sign-in screen and we will email you a link to set a new one. The link lasts an hour. If your account was only ever created on this device there is no email to send, so sign in on that device, or make a new account.
How do I block someone?
Block is on any profile, next to Report. Blocking is mutual: neither of you sees the other’s profile, flyers or chore requests again, and neither of you can message the other. They are not told. Undo it any time from Profile → Blocked people. Blocking only hides someone from you. If they did something wrong, report them as well.
How do I report someone?
Use the Report button. It is on every profile, in the header of any message thread, and under each flyer. Pick what happened, add anything we should know, and send. The person you report is not told. If anyone is in danger, call your local emergency number first and report it afterwards.
How do I delete my account?
Profile → Delete account, then type DELETE to confirm. Your profile, flyers, chore requests and messages go for good. Past jobs stay on the other person’s side with your name removed, so their own history is not torn up, and any safety report involving you is kept with your name scrubbed. Reports cannot be erased by leaving.
Something is broken.
Email [email protected] and a person will read it. If the problem is a person rather than the app, use Report on their profile. That already goes somewhere we read.
Does Flyer send me emails?
Yes, a few, and you choose which. Under Settings, Email alerts, you can turn on or off: new booking requests, new messages, booking updates, a reminder the day before a job, and new flyers near you. There is also one optional kind, seasonal tips and offers, such as a heads-up when snow is on the way. It is off unless you tick the box at sign-up or switch it on in Settings, and you can turn it off with the link in any of them. A message email only says someone wrote to you and never includes what they wrote. Every one has a link to turn that kind off. Emails about sign-in codes, payments and safety are not optional, because they are about your account and your money.
Can I make the text bigger?
On a phone or tablet, go to Settings, Text size, and choose Larger or Largest. On a computer, hold Ctrl and press + (Cmd and + on a Mac), and Ctrl and 0 to go back.
