How and When PujaSathi Pays Committees — Payout & Settlement Policy
Every committee is paid in full. Complete and pass KYC verification to unlock a 50% advance before the festival; the balance follows verified proof.
Payout & Settlement Policy
Last updated: 2 September 2026
If you organise a festival, this is the page that matters most. It sets out when you get paid, how to get paid before the festival, what is deducted, and what happens if something goes wrong.
The short version
- Every committee is paid in full. That is never in question.
- Complete KYC and be approved to unlock 50% before the festival — released within 2 working days of payment.
- Without KYC you still get 100% — it simply arrives after your proof of display is verified.
- Cannot complete KYC, or not sure you can? Email support@pujasathi.com. No committee is turned away for paperwork.
- Balance released within 5 days of verified proof.
- 48 hours after the festival to upload at least 3 photographs (4 is better).
- Listing is free. We only earn when you earn.
Two ways to be paid — you choose
Option 1 — Paid after proof. List free, receive a booking, display the branding, upload your photographs, receive 100% less deductions. No documents beyond your basic account details. Nothing is withheld from you; the money simply arrives after the festival.
Option 2 — Paid in advance. Complete KYC and apply for advance eligibility. Once your KYC is verified and approved, 50% reaches you within 2 working days of the advertiser's payment, and the balance follows proof.
Most committees want Option 2, because the money is needed while the pandal is being built rather than after it comes down. Option 1 is there so that no committee is ever excluded.
If KYC is genuinely not possible for you — no PAN for the office-bearer, no bank account in the committee's name, or any other reason — email support@pujasathi.com before you take a booking. We will tell you exactly what we can do. You will still be paid in full after proof; we would simply rather agree the route with you in advance than have you discover it after the festival.
What each side is promised, in one place
So that neither side can be surprised later:
| | Committee with verified KYC + approval | Committee without verified KYC | |---|---|---| | Advance before the festival | 50%, within 2 working days of the advertiser's payment | None | | Balance | Remainder, within 5 days of verified proof | 100%, within 5 days of verified proof | | Proof required | At least 3 photographs within 48 hours of the festival | Identical | | If proof is not submitted | Balance held; advance repayable within 15 days of written demand | Payment held until proof is provided | | If proof is rejected | Dispute process below applies | Dispute process below applies |
And what the advertiser is promised, in the same breath: their money is held, not passed straight on; they see photographic proof; they have 7 days to dispute it; and a decision follows within 5 working days of the committee's response. An advertiser who paid for a main gate and got a side lane gets their money back. A committee that did what it promised gets paid. Both of those are the same rule seen from opposite sides.
Why the advance has conditions
When we release money before the festival, we are paying for something that has not happened yet. If it then does not happen, the advertiser must still be refunded — and PujaSathi carries that loss.
We are willing to carry it, because a sponsorship that arrives after the festival is of little use to you. What we are not willing to do is carry it blindly. KYC is how we know who we are advancing money to. It is not suspicion of you; it is the reason we can say yes at all.
It also protects honest committees. Every committee that lists here is trusting the platform's reputation. One failure that reaches an advertiser damages everyone listed alongside it.
How to unlock the advance
Complete these once. They stay valid for future bookings.
- PAN of the person operating the account
- Government photo ID for that same person
- A bank account in the committee's own name — not a personal account
- Bank verification — we send a small test amount and confirm the account name matches
- Payment partner registration, so funds can actually be transferred to you
- A short phone call with our team
- Committee registration document, or a signed declaration if genuinely unregistered, naming at least two office-bearers
- Written authority from the committee for this person to receive funds on its behalf
- Acceptance of the Advance Undertaking (below)
- A pandal address that matches your listing and photographs
It is free and usually takes two to three working days. Larger advances need a little more — a verification call, a second office-bearer, or a reference from a previous sponsor. In a committee's first season, very large advances are not offered; those bookings are paid in full after proof.
The Advance Undertaking
Before your first advance you accept a short undertaking confirming that you are authorised to act for the committee, that your listing information and photographs are true and your own, that the bank account belongs to the committee — and, most importantly:
The advance is a payment against work not yet done. If the work is not done, the advance is repayable within 15 days of written demand.
That is the whole bargain. We pay early; you undertake to deliver or return it. Nothing hidden.
One condition we cannot waive
Advances move through our payment partner's split-settlement system, and that system will not send money to a bank account it has not verified. Your account must be registered and activated with them first, and there is a short waiting period after registration before the first transfer can be sent.
This is a banking requirement, not a PujaSathi rule. Register your bank details when you list, not when you are booked. A committee that does this receives its advance within minutes of a booking; one that waits will wait for activation first.
Becoming PujaSathi Verified
Verification is what unlocks the 50% advance. It also ranks your listing higher and shows a badge advertisers can see. It builds on the KYC above with a verification call and a check that your photographs and footfall figures are consistent with the venue. Free, two to three working days.
What gets deducted
You see this before you accept a booking, and again with each payment:
- Sponsorship amount agreed with the advertiser
- Less: PujaSathi service fee — 3% on the first ₹50,000, falling to 2.5%, 2% and 1.5% on higher amounts. The rate drops as the booking grows.
- Less: TDS — only where the law requires it, deposited against your PAN, certificate issued to you
- Net amount transferred to your committee
No listing fee, no monthly fee, no charge for photographs. No booking, no cost — ever.
Proof of display
Within 48 hours of the festival ending, upload at least 3 photographs — 4 is better — for each booked position. Full requirements are in the proof of display standard. The balance is released within 5 days of verification.
If something goes wrong
Not every problem is the same, and we do not treat them the same.
Genuine problems outside your control — the festival is cancelled, permission is refused, a storm destroys the banner, someone falls ill. Tell us as soon as it happens. The advertiser is refunded or moved to another festival, the advance is returned, and that is the end of it. No penalty, no mark against your committee, and if returning the money at once is difficult we will arrange instalments. Committees that report problems early are treated as partners, because that is what they are being.
Things that went wrong through carelessness — branding smaller than sold, put in the wrong place, proof sent late or unusable. The dispute is decided on the evidence, a refund may be due in whole or part, and your advance rate is reduced for the following season. You can still list and still be paid after proof.
Deliberate dishonesty — photographs that are not genuine, a venue that is not yours, false identity or bank details, or taking an advance and going silent. This means immediate and permanent removal, without warning and without relisting. The full advance becomes repayable within 15 days, we notify our payment partner, and where there is evidence of an offence the matter may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
We are severe about the third category and forgiving about the first, deliberately. Honest committees have nothing to fear here — the rules exist to protect them from the few who would trade on their reputation.
Safeguards
- We may withhold or reduce an advance where something does not add up — mismatched bank details, inconsistent photographs, implausible footfall, or an unusual booking pattern. If we do, you are told the same day, in writing, with the reason and what will release it.
- The advance is repayable within 15 days if the branding is not displayed as agreed, proof is not provided or fails verification and is not corrected, the festival does not happen, the listing materially misrepresented the venue, or the advertiser's payment is reversed through no fault of ours.
- You are responsible for the accuracy of your listing, for having authority to act for the committee, and for obtaining all permissions. You keep PujaSathi indemnified against third-party claims arising from your festival.
- Where PujaSathi introduces a brand to you, that season's sponsorship should run through PujaSathi. Taking it off-platform removes your payment protection, your advance and your dispute rights.
- Our liability for any booking is limited to the amounts held or payable for it. Footfall figures are committee estimates, presented as such, never guarantees.
Our promise to advertisers — and why it matters to you
We tell every brand: if the branding was not displayed as agreed, PujaSathi refunds you. Not "we will try to recover it" — we refund, and we deal with the committee separately.
That promise is the reason a brand books a committee it has never met. It is also the reason the conditions above exist. Every honest committee on this platform is being sold on the strength of that promise.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do KYC to list?
No. Listing is free and open. KYC is only needed if you want money before the festival.
What if I do not want to share PAN and bank documents?
That is entirely your choice. You will be paid 100% after your proof is verified instead. Nothing else changes.
When exactly does the 50% arrive?
Within 2 working days of the advertiser's payment, provided your KYC is approved and your bank account is already activated with our payment partner. Card and UPI payments take a short time to settle to us before we can pass them on — we release your share as soon as they do, and never later than 2 working days.
How do I unlock the 50% advance?
Complete KYC and pass PujaSathi verification. Until your KYC is approved, no advance is released — you are paid 100% after verified proof instead. Verification is free and takes two to three working days.
Can I receive the whole amount in advance?
No. A portion is always released after proof. That hold-back is exactly what persuades advertisers to book committees they have never met.
What if it rains and the banner is damaged?
Photograph it, tell us immediately, repair or replace it if you can. An honest report of a real problem is handled completely differently from silence.
Why is tax being deducted?
Indian law requires marketplaces to deduct tax at source on payments to participants. We deposit it against your PAN and issue a certificate.
Questions about a specific payment
Email contact@pujasathi.com or call +91 92462 36969. Where money is concerned, we always reply.
**List your puja free** · **Read the proof of display standard**
PujaSathi is a product of Tracetex 360 Innovations (OPC) Private Limited. This policy may be updated; material changes are communicated to listed committees by email.
