How Flex works, from skills test to Friday payout
You pass a 30-45 minute test and two checks. A coordinator matches you to a task. You work 3–4 hours a day inside a fixed window and log hours weekly. Approved hours are paid every Friday.
Six stages, with the time each one takes.
Most people go from application to first task window in about a week.
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01Day 0Two minutes
Apply
Tell us your role, level, stack, time zone and the hours you can offer. CV is optional at this stage.
You: fill in the form. Us: confirm by email the same day.
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02Day 1-330-45 minutes
Skills test
A timed test for the task type you chose: real bug reports, test design or code, not trivia. Identity and right-to-work check follow.
You: pass the test. Us: send written feedback either way.
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03Day 2-45 minutes
Conflict check
Name your current employer and industry. We never ask for anything confidential. We will not assign tasks for your employer, its competitors or its clients.
You: declare. Us: log it for matching only.
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04Day 3-10up to 12 hours
Matching and trial task
A coordinator matches you to a task by role, rate, time zone and NDA. Your first task is paid at the full rate and scoped to 12 hours or less.
You: accept or decline. Us: brief you with the client's goals.
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05Weeks 1-83-4 h a day
Work window
Work inside the window on your own equipment. You choose the hours, the client sets the outcome. Daily notes keep everyone in sync.
You: deliver. Client: reviews. Us: unblock.
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06Every weekFriday payout
Timesheet and payout
Submit your timesheet by Monday 12:00 UTC. The client approves, and approved hours are paid on Friday.
If the client is silent for 5 working days, we pay the undisputed hours anyway.
A window fixes the dates, not your hours.
Each task has a start date, an end date and a daily budget of 3 or 4 hours. Inside that, you decide when to work, with one rule: be reachable for the overlap shown on the task card.
- Up to 2 tasks at once, and 20 hours a week in total.
- Overlap is stated as hours with the client's core window, for example 2 h with 14:00–18:00 UTC.
- No fixed overlap on AI evaluation and some playtests: you work any hours and attend one weekly check-in.
- Daily note instead of daily stand-up for most tasks.
- 17:30Read the day's charter or ticket list
- 18:00Overlap with the client core window: questions, triage
- 19:00Heads-down testing or scripting, your own pace
- 21:00Log hours, write the daily note, file bugs
Five checks before your first task.
Clients accept Flex testers they have never met because every member passes the same checks. The Vetted badge is only shown when all five are done.
Profile review
Role, level, stack and a link to work or a test artefact.
Skills test
30-45 minutes, per task type. Real bugs and real code.
Identity and right to work
So we can pay you and sign a contract with you.
Conflict check
Your employer and industry, so we never staff a conflict.
Paid trial task
Scoped to 12 hours or fewer, at the full task rate.
The weekly pay cycle.
Hourly tasks follow the same seven-day loop. Project tasks pay in milestones, on approval.
Payout in USD, GBP or EUR by bank transfer. PassRidge pays the transfer fee. Rates and the fee we charge clients are on the rates page.
Three things we are honest about.
Check your contract first
Many employment contracts restrict outside work. We do not ask your employer, and we do not hide your activity. We run a conflict check and never take tasks from your employer's competitors. The 20-hour weekly cap keeps this a side job.
You are not an employee
You work as an independent contractor: you choose your hours inside the window, use your own equipment, may decline tasks and may work for others. You handle your own tax. IR35, AB5 and Scheinselbständigkeit are assessed per engagement.
Client material stays with the client
You sign a master confidentiality agreement, and a task NDA where marked. Deliverables belong to the client once paid. Your own tools and methods remain yours.
Not legal or tax advice. See the contractor terms and the FAQ.
Vetting and status questions.
Am I an employee of PassRidge or of the client?
Neither. You work as an independent contractor on a defined task. You choose when to work inside the window, you use your own equipment, you can decline any task, and you may work for others. The client sets what must be delivered, not how you do it. The terms are in our contractor terms.
What about IR35 in the UK?
IR35 depends on the end client and the real working practice, so we assess each task type and share the result. Flex tasks are built around outcomes, own equipment and a right to decline. If an assessment comes out as inside IR35, the task is paid through payroll with tax deducted, and the task card says so before you accept. This is not legal advice.
What about California's AB5 and similar rules?
California applies the ABC test, and some other US states have similar rules. For residents of those states we only offer tasks where the test can be met, and we may decline others. Check the eligibility line on each task card.
What about Germany and the EU Platform Work Directive?
Germany polices false self-employment, and the EU Platform Work Directive has to be in national law by the end of 2026. We track both. If a rule reclassifies Flex work in a country, we will move that country to an employed or employer-of-record model and tell you first.
Can I send someone else to do the work?
Only with our written approval. A substitute has to pass the same vetting and sign the same NDA before they see client material. You stay responsible for the delivery.
How do you vet testers?
Five steps: a profile review, a 30-45 minute skills test for your task type, an identity and right-to-work check, a conflict check, and a paid trial task scoped to 12 hours or less. Only then do you get matched. The Vetted badge on your profile means you passed all five.