Payout Calculations

Understanding how your payouts are calculated helps you evaluate job opportunities and plan your earnings. This page explains the payout formula for both single-person and multi-person jobs.

The Basic Formula

Every Pandora job has a Pandora value — the total payout pool set by the organization. Your payout is a percentage of this value, determined by your tier:

Your payout = Pandora value x your tier payout percentage

You do not see the Pandora value or the payout percentage directly. You see only the final calculated amount on the job card and in the claim confirmation.

Tier Payout Rates

Each tier has a payout percentage. Higher tiers earn a larger share of each job's value. The exact percentages are configured by the platform and displayed on your Tiers page. For illustration:

Lower tiers earn a base percentage of each job's value
Mid tiers earn a competitive percentage
The highest tier can earn up to 100% of the Pandora value

The payout percentage is the primary financial incentive for advancing through the tiers.

Single-Person Jobs

For jobs with one worker slot, the calculation is straightforward:

Example: $300 Pandora value

Your Tier	Payout Rate	Your Payout
Tier 1 (65%)	65%	$195.00
Tier 3 (85%)	85%	$255.00
Tier 5 (100%)	100%	$300.00

The difference between Tier 1 and Tier 5 on a $300 job is $105. Over dozens of jobs, this adds up significantly.

Multi-Person Jobs

For jobs with multiple worker slots, the Pandora value is a total pool split among all workers who show up. Your individual payout depends on two factors: how many workers are present and your tier percentage.

Your payout = (Pandora value / workers present) x your tier payout percentage

Example: $400 Pool, 3 Slots

If all 3 workers show up:

Worker	Tier	Base Share	Payout Rate	Payout
Worker A	Tier 5 (100%)	$133.33	100%	$133.33
Worker B	Tier 3 (85%)	$133.33	85%	$113.33
Worker C	Tier 2 (75%)	$133.33	75%	$100.00

If only 2 workers show up (Worker C no-shows):

Worker	Tier	Base Share	Payout Rate	Payout
Worker A	Tier 5 (100%)	$200.00	100%	$200.00
Worker B	Tier 3 (85%)	$200.00	85%	$170.00
Worker C	No-show	—	—	$0.00

Workers who show up earn more when others do not. The full pool is always distributed — no-show workers do not reduce the pool.

When Payout Is Calculated

The timing depends on the job type:

Job Type	Payout Calculated At	Can Change?
Single-person	Claim time	No — locked when you claim
Multi-person	Completion time	Yes — depends on actual attendance

For single-person jobs, the amount you see when claiming is exactly what you will earn (assuming the job is completed). For multi-person jobs, the amount at claim time is an estimate that may increase (if fewer workers show up) or stay the same.

Estimated vs Final Payout

For multi-person jobs, the claim confirmation shows an estimated range:

"Your payout: ~$124 to ~$372 depending on attendance"

The lower bound assumes all slots are filled. The upper bound assumes only you show up (if the minimum required workers threshold allows it). The final payout is calculated at completion and may fall anywhere in this range.

What You Can See

Information	Visible to You?
Your payout amount (or estimate)	Yes — shown on job card and claim confirmation
Your tier and payout rate	Yes — shown on your Tiers page
The Pandora value (total pool)	No
The client's price	No
The organization's margin	No
Other workers' payouts or tiers	No

This design ensures transparency about your own earnings while protecting the financial details of the organization and other workers.

Payout Processing

After a job is marked complete:

Your payout is queued with "pending" status
The payment system processes the transfer
You receive a notification with the final amount
The payout appears in your payment history

In rare cases, payout processing may take up to 24 hours due to payment system delays. The completion and score update happen immediately regardless of payout timing.

Maximizing Your Earnings

Advance your tier — The payout percentage difference between tiers is the biggest earnings lever
Complete every job — Consistency builds your tier faster than volume alone
Take multi-person jobs strategically — If you are confident in your reliability, multi-person jobs can pay more if other workers no-show (though you should never count on this)
Respond quickly to high-value jobs — The best-paying jobs get claimed fast, especially at higher tiers