What is the Clutch Guarantee?

What is Clutch Guarantee?

Clutch Guarantee is a 14-day, no-questions-asked, 100% refund of Guaranteed Fees on new engagements with eligible Clutch providers so a buyer can start with a new vendor at near-zero financial risk.

How do I enroll in Clutch Guarantee?

1. Log into your Vendor Dashboard. Click “Learn More” on the Clutch Guarantee banner at the top or “opt in to Clutch Guarantee” at the bottom.
2. Agree to the terms. Go through the onboarding flow in your Vendor Dashboard and accept the terms of the Guarantee.
3. Add the Clutch Guarantee clause. Standardized language for your contract. Badge goes live on your profile and directory card

What exactly does the Guarantee Clause put in your contract?

The clause is inserted into your MSA or SOW with the buyer and adds the following terms:

• The clause applies to all client contracts, not just Clutch-sourced deals. Once you enroll, the Guarantee attaches to your qualifying engagements regardless of how the client found you.
• A 14-day satisfaction window. The Buyer can cancel for any reason within 14 calendar days of the Project Start Date — no reason required. The Start Date is the kickoff meeting date; if there's no kickoff, it's the agreed written start date; and if neither exists, it defaults to the contract signing date.
• A 100% refund of Guaranteed Fees. If the Buyer cancels in that window, you refund all fees the Buyer has paid for the project – including any deposit paid at signing – within 15 business days. You can't reduce or withhold it based on work completed, partial delivery, or any dispute.
• You hold the refund obligation, not Clutch. Clutch facilitates the program but is not a party to your contract and carries no financial obligation.
• Deliverables revert on refund. Once the refund is issued, the Buyer must stop using the work product created during the window and return or destroy it at your election (and certify compliance on request within 5 business days). The Buyer keeps only their own pre-existing materials.

Disputes resolve directly between you and the Buyer. First an informal good-faith resolution period, then binding arbitration through New Era ADR if unresolved — concluding within 30 days of filing. You bear the arbitration fees.

What is a "Qualifying Engagement”?

The Guarantee applies to every new client services engagement you enter into while you're enrolled in the Program. There are no carve-outs by project type, engagement model, duration, contract value, client type, or service category.

How do I process a refund?

When a buyer submits a written cancellation within the 14-day window, you refund 100% of the Guaranteed Fees — all fees the buyer has paid for the project to that point, including any upfront deposit — within 15 business days, no reason required from the buyer. Once the refund is issued, the buyer must immediately stop using all work products created or delivered during the Guarantee Period and has no further right to use, reproduce, distribute, or benefit from it. At your election, the buyer must return or destroy all copies, and, if you request it, certify compliance in writing within 5 business days. The buyer keeps only their own pre-existing materials.

What is defined under Guarantee Fees?

“Guaranteed Fees” are all fees paid by Buyer to Service Provider on or before the expiration of the Guarantee Period in connection with the project subject to the Clutch Guarantee, including any upfront or initial project fees, but excluding third-party costs incurred at Buyer's direction and any fees payable by Buyer to Service Provider under separate agreements.

How does Clutch Guarantee affect my visibility on Clutch?

The badge makes you more visible and verifiable to buyers and AI agents based on the following factors:

• The badge appears on your profile, directory listings, and matched proposals, surfaced to buyers before they reach your site.
• Your Guarantee status is also published as machine-readable structured data (JSON-LD) on your profile, so AI procurement agents can programmatically verify that engagements with you are de-risked. It's positioned as one more trust signal in the ecosystem Clutch feeds to AI search. The more signals you carry (verification, verified reviews, Guarantee), the more recommendable you become.

Activating Clutch Guarantee doesn't guarantee placement or ranking.

What happens if there’s a dispute?

If a disagreement comes up regarding the enforcement of the Guarantee, you and the buyer must first attempt to resolve it directly, in good faith. In the event that fails, either party may escalate to binding arbitration through New Era ADR, which concludes within 30 days of filing. At the buyer's request, Clutch may open the arbitration case on the buyer's behalf — this is an administrative step only and doesn't make Clutch a party to the dispute or affect the outcome. You bear the arbitration fees.

Buyers can bring unresolved refund issues to Clutch, and we'll support them in pursuing resolution through the framework outlined in your agreement. Providers who don't honor a valid refund put their Verified and Guaranteed status at risk. Full terms are in the Clutch Guarantee Participation Agreement in your contract.

How does the Guarantee apply to projects where the whole delivery timeline is shorter than 14 calendar days?

The Guarantee applies regardless of project length, including short/rapid-delivery work. If the Buyer submits a written cancellation within the Guarantee Period, you owe a 100% refund of all fees even if the work is substantially or fully complete; you can't reduce or withhold based on work performed or partial/full completion.

How does the Guarantee apply to Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC), monthly support and maintenance engagements, emergency support or audits?

The clause expressly does not cover fees for services outside the engagement scope, third-party costs incurred at the Buyer's direction, or fees under separate agreements. So for ongoing/retainer/AMC models, the refund cap is the Guaranteed Fees — generally, the fees for services scheduled during the 14-day Guarantee Period or any upfront project fees paid before the Guarantee Period expires — not every payment for continuously-consumed services.

Does the guarantee cover work performed directly within the Client’s infrastructure?

Yes. The clause requires the Buyer, on refund, to cease using the Guarantee Work Product and — at your election — return or destroy all copies, and to certify compliance in writing within 5 business days on request. It does not revert ownership, and it does not prescribe technical rollback mechanics for changes merged into client-owned repos, cloud infra, or existing codebases. Buyer Pre-Existing Materials always stay the Buyer's. Accordingly, if the engagement involves implementation directly within the Buyer’s systems or infrastructure, the parties may wish to address any required rollback or remediation obligations separately.

Does Clutch Guarantee cover existing clients and contract renewals?

The contract ties coverage to engagements entered into during your participation, not to whether the client is new. A new SOW, AMC, or renewal signed with an existing client while you're enrolled is covered. And you remain obligated to honor the Guarantee on those engagements even if you forgot to insert the clause.

Can a service provider exclude specific engagements from Clutch Guarantee?

No. You can't unilaterally decide a given project doesn't qualify. You're required to include the clause in all covered engagements and may not modify, narrow, or disclaim it without prior written consent from Clutch.

Does Clutch assist with Clutch Guarantee’s enforcement?

Enforcement sits with you, the Service Provider. Your contractual levers are the Buyer's cease-use obligation, the return/destroy-at-your-election right, and the written compliance certification within 5 business days on request. If the Buyer breaches, the path is direct informal resolution, then binding arbitration through New Era ADR. Clutch doesn't police non-use; it may only provide optional administrative assistance at the Buyer's request. Practically, for digital deliverables already downloaded or deployed, the clause gives contractual recourse but no technical guarantee of deletion.

Can I withdraw from the program?

Yes, you can withdraw anytime via your Vendor Dashboard settings. Withdrawal doesn't affect any Guarantee Period that already began before your exit, so engagements commenced while you were enrolled stay covered. After withdrawal, you must stop using the badge, stop inserting the clause into new agreements, and remove Guarantee references from templates/marketing within 30 days.