A survey of 450 freelancers, creators, and musicians finds only 28% control when their money arrives, while payment delays now outrank a lack of work as a reason to leave

Most independent earners have no say in when they get paid, and payment problems are already costing platforms the people who power them. That's the central finding of How independent earners want to get paid, new research from Trolley, the global payouts and recipient operations platform. The study surveyed 450 freelancers, creators, musicians, and contractors across 19 countries on how they're paid today, how they'd prefer to be paid, and what happens when a payout goes wrong.

Key findings include:

Recipients don't set the schedule, though most want to. 53% are paid on a schedule the company or platform sets, and only 28% can choose when to receive or withdraw earnings. But 82% want that control, most often the ability to withdraw on demand.

Two days is the ceiling. 72% say two days or less is the maximum acceptable wait after finishing work, and 30% say the same day or immediately. Only 2% consider more than a week acceptable.

Speed and certainty carry real value. 93% would accept at least some reduction in pay for payment within 24 hours with a guaranteed payout date.

Payout problems drive churn. Payment delays (41%) and high fees or unfavourable terms (40%) are the two most-selected reasons respondents have stopped, or would stop, working with a platform, both ahead of limited job opportunities (29%).

"Platforms treat payouts as a back-office function until something breaks," said Tim Nixon, CEO at Trolley. "Recipients don't experience it that way. Every payout tells them whether this platform is worth their next project. Providing recipients with more control and transparency in their payouts experience is key to making sure they are happy and engaged with the platform."

For platform operators, the practical implication is that recipient expectations have moved faster than most payout infrastructure. Closing that distance is less about adding another payment rail than about whether the operational layer behind payouts, including verification, tax documentation, status visibility, and failed-payment handling, can support recipient choice at scale.

The full report is available at: trolley.com/resources/recipient-report-2026

About the research

How independent earners want to get paid is based on an online survey of 450 self-employed people, freelancers, and contractors across 19 countries who earn independent income through digital or online channels, conducted by Global Surveyz between May 11 and June 2, 2026. Respondents were split into three groups of 150 by largest income source: royalties, licensing, or residuals; content monetization; and project, hourly, or retainer work. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole point. Findings describe the 450 people surveyed and are not representative of all independent earners globally. Full methodology and limitations appear in the report appendix.

About Trolley

Trolley provides global payouts and recipient operations infrastructure for platforms, marketplaces, and businesses that pay large or globally distributed groups of freelancers, creators, and other independent earners. Trolley helps businesses pay over 6 million recipients in 210+ countries and territories, while managing the complexities of identity verification, tax documentation, and compliance processes that come with paying people across borders. Learn more at Trolley.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260908807731/en/

Press contact
Nikhil Kejriwal
Director, Product Marketing
media@trolley.com

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