Payment Lifecycle Overview

Payment for UGC submissions is tied to the deployment of your machine, not just its approval. Below is the standard flow from submission to payment.

Regular Machine Submissions

Once your machine submission has been approved by the UGC review team, it enters the build and testing pipeline. The general lifecycle looks like this:

1. Approved – Your submission is formally accepted by the UGC review team.
2. Build – The machine is built by the OffSec team.
3. Testing – The machine undergoes internal testing to validate functionality and quality.
4. Deployed – The machine goes live on the platform.
5. Payment Initiated – Once deployment is confirmed, your submission is queued for payment.

Note for New Authors: If this is one of your first submissions, payment will be processed after your machine has been deployed. Deployment confirmation is required before any payment can be initiated for first-time contributors.

Grimoire Submissions

Grimoires follow an accelerated timeline. Because Grimoires are built and deployed as soon as they are approved, the payment process is initiated immediately upon approval rather than waiting for a separate deployment phase.

Early Payment Contingency Program

Once an author has at least 2 approved and deployed submissions, they are enrolled in the UGC Payment Contingency Initiative. This program exists to protect contributors in situations where pipeline congestion or resource constraints delay the build and testing of an approved machine.

Eligibility

To qualify for early payment under this initiative, all of the following must apply:

• Your submission has been formally approved by the UGC review team.
• At least 30 calendar days have passed since approval.
• The machine has not yet been built, tested, or deployed.
• You are a repeat author with at least 3 previously approved and released machine submissions.

How It Works

If you meet the above criteria, OffSec will reach out to you directly to initiate early payment. Before payment is processed, you will be asked to:

1. Acknowledge that you are receiving payment before the machine build is complete.
2. Confirm your availability to address any build or testing issues that arise after payment.
3. Agree to respond to any follow-up questions or fix requests from the UGC team within a reasonable timeframe (typically 1–2 business days).

Non-Compliance

Failure to remain responsive or to support issue resolution after receiving early payment may result in:

• A temporary or permanent ban from future UGC submissions, depending on severity.
• Withholding of future bounties until outstanding issues are resolved.

This initiative is applied on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the UGC program management team.

Payment Request Process

When your machine is ready for payment, you will receive an email from the OffSec team with the following subject line:

[Machine Name] - UGC Program | Payment Request

This email will ask you to complete and return the UGC Payment Form with the following:

• Completed Payment Form – Fill in all required banking details in full (see Banking Information section below).
• Valid ID – A government-issued ID must be included for identity validation purposes.
• File Password – When returning the completed form, please include the password needed to open the file in your reply.

Incomplete submissions will delay processing. Please ensure all fields are filled out accurately before sending.

Banking Information

The payment form will ask for the following details. Please have these ready before filling it out.

Account Holder Details

• Full name on bank account
• Account holder address, city, country, and postal code

Bank Details

• Bank name, address, city, country, and postal code

By Region

OffSec uses XE as its currency converter and will make every effort to convert USD to your requested currency at the best available exchange rate. Exchange rates are subject to change.

Payment Processing Timeline

• Payments are processed by the OffSec Accounts Payable team every Thursday.
• Once a payment has been processed, please allow 5–10 business days for the wire transfer to reach your account, depending on your bank and region.

Frequently Asked Questions

What payment methods are available? 

Currently, OffSec only supports payment via international wire transfer. We do not offer PayPal, Payoneer, check, or other payment methods at this time. We appreciate your understanding and will communicate any changes to available payment options.

Can I convert my payment into OffSec vouchers or certification credits instead? 

This is not available at this time. We have received this feedback from contributors and it has been noted for future consideration. We will update the community if this option becomes available.

When does the clock start for the Early Payment Contingency program? 

The 30-day window begins on the date your submission receives formal approval from the UGC review team, not the date of initial submission.

I haven't received a payment request email after my machine was deployed. What should I do? 

Please allow a few business days after deployment before reaching out. If you have not received the payment request email within a reasonable timeframe, contact the UGC team via OffSec's Discord in the user-generated-content channel.

Changelog

Have more questions? You can:

• Submit a request via ugc@offsec.com
• Reach out to Oscar via the OffSec Support Portal
• Post in the OffSec Discord in the user-generated-content channel