Cancellations & Refunds
Plans change. Here's how cancellations work on Helpa, and when the 15% booking fee is refunded.
Last updated: July 9, 2026 · Beta
If you're the Poster
Cancel or delete anytime, free. No fee has been charged yet.
Cancel with a reason. Full refund of the 15% booking fee, as long as the helper hasn't started work yet.
You can still cancel, but the booking fee is non-refundable. This protects helpers who blocked out time or travelled for your task.
Use the Report button on the task. If Helpa confirms the helper is at fault, we'll refund your booking fee within 5 business days.
If you're the Helper
You can withdraw or edit your offer anytime, free.
If you can't do the task, use "Release task" as early as possible so the poster can find someone else. The task goes back to open and other helpers can offer.
Repeated releases hurt your rating. Two releases within 30 days may temporarily limit your access to new tasks. Three or more can lead to suspension.
Failing to show up without releasing the task is a serious breach. Expect an immediate warning, and account suspension on a second incident.
How long refunds take
Approved booking-fee refunds are processed back to the original card within 5 business days. Your bank may take an extra 1–3 days to show it. If it's been longer than 10 days, email hello@helpajamaica.com with your task ID.
What about the task price?
The task price itself (what the helper actually gets paid) is settled directly between you and the helper — Helpa doesn't (yet) hold that money. If a partial payment has already changed hands and something goes wrong, try to agree between yourselves first. If you can't, report it and Helpa will help mediate.
Exceptions we always honour
- Safety concerns — if you feel unsafe, cancel/release and report. No penalty.
- Harassment or discrimination — full refund and the other party will be reviewed.
- Natural disasters or emergencies (hurricanes, floods, national curfews) — both sides can cancel without penalty.
- Illness or bereavement — contact us and we'll do the right thing.
Dispute resolution — how it works
- File a report — use the Report button on the task or the other person's profile. Add a short, factual description of what happened.
- We acknowledge within 48 hours and move the report to "Reviewing". You'll see this on your My disputes page.
- We investigate — we may read the messages on the task, check the timeline, and (privately) ask each side for context.
- We resolve within 5 business days for most cases, with one of these outcomes:
- No action needed
- Warning issued (to poster or helper)
- Account suspended
- Booking fee refunded
- No refund (policy already covered it)
- Helper at fault / Poster at fault (for the record)
- You'll see a plain-language decision on your My disputes page. Both sides see the same summary — internal notes stay private.
Helpa's decision on booking-fee refunds is final for beta. Disagreements over the task price itself remain between the two of you (see below).
Still stuck?
Message us at hello@helpajamaica.com with your task ID and a short note. During beta we usually reply within one business day.