Frequently asked questions

A website where people ask for help and other people give it. Help can be money, a paid bill, labor, volunteer time, a professional service, mentoring, a consultation, goods, transport or housing. It works in any country.

No. We are a platform. Donations are gifts to the person who posted. They are not tax-deductible unless that person is a registered charity that says so.

You can browse and donate without one. To post, comment, ask questions or offer help you need an account with a confirmed email.

It keeps bots and scammers out. Until your email is confirmed you cannot post, comment, ask questions or offer help. We also block disposable email addresses.

Anyone aged 18 or over, from anywhere in the world.

Money, help with a specific bill, labor, volunteer time, a professional service, mentoring, a consultation, goods, transport or housing. It has to be real and legal.

Your first post is free. Each one after that is a one-time $9.35.

Most posts are reviewed within 24 hours. Adding a photo or ID badge helps.

Usually it is too short, unclear, copied, asks for payment outside HelpBLESS, or has contact details in it. You will see the reason in your dashboard and you can edit and resubmit. If your first post is declined you keep your free post.

No. You can pause, stop or reopen it whenever you like.

Yes. Pick the whole world, a country, a state or province, a city or a ZIP or postal code.

You can until someone has donated. After that the story is locked so donors are not misled, but you can post updates as often as you like.

Yes, if they know about it and agree. Say who it is for. Parents and guardians must post for children.

What happened, what you need, how the help will be used, and how long it will take. Do not add phone numbers, emails or payment handles.

Open a post, pick an amount and pay by card or wallet through Stripe. You will get a receipt by email.

Yes. Anyone with a confirmed email can comment and ask questions without donating.

Yes. Tick the box to hide your name on the public list. We still keep a record for legal reasons.

Open a need that is not about money and send an offer. If the owner accepts, you both get each other's contact details by email.

US dollars. Your bank may convert from your own currency.

A page where someone tells their story: a teacher, nurse, coach, artist, farmer, neighbor, anyone. They are not asking for help. People who know them, such as former students, patients, teammates or customers, can send a free message of thanks, and a gift of any size if they want to.

Go to People and search by name, school or organization, subject or town. Narrow by country, state and city.

No, creating a profile is free. We review each profile before it goes live.

The same as other gifts. The platform fee and card fee come out, and the rest is paid out to the profile owner every Sunday after the safety hold. Gifts are final.

Yes. Messages are free for anyone with a confirmed email.

We keep 15% of each donation. The payment processor also takes a card fee. The rest goes to the person who posted. See fees for an example.

Every Sunday, by hand, by PayPal or bank transfer. A donation becomes payable 3 days after it is made. Balances under $10 roll over to the next week.

We pay by PayPal or bank transfer, so in most countries yes. Tell us your details in your dashboard under Payouts.

It is taken out of each donation before the payout, so donors give the amount they chose.

Not unless the person you give to is a registered charity that says so. Ask them, or your tax adviser.

No. All payments on HelpBLESS are final, including donations and post fees. Please read the refund policy before you pay.

We cannot reverse it. If you think there was a technical error on our side, email support@helpbless.com and we will look at it.

Report it with the Report button. We will investigate, and we may remove the post and hold funds. Reporting does not create a right to a refund.

Please do not for a payment you chose to make. If your card was used without your permission, speak to your bank right away. Disputes for valid payments can lead to account closure.

Yes. We email a receipt for every gift with a printable page. It says the gift is to an individual, which is generally not tax-deductible.

Generally no. Gifts to individuals are personal gifts. HelpBLESS is a platform, not a charity.

In many places, gifts from friends, family and supporters are not taxable income to the person who receives them, but rules differ by country and situation, especially when something is given in return. We do not give tax advice. We give you statements to keep with your records.

If you receive money, we collect your legal name and address when you post. Once you receive more than a small amount in a year we ask for a W-9 (U.S. people) or W-8BEN (everyone else). It takes about two minutes and your tax number is stored encrypted.

Every year we email an annual statement of what you received. Where U.S. rules require a Form 1099-K (more than $20,000 and over 200 payments, or California's lower level) it will be filed and shared with you.

Photo verified, ID verified (passport, driver licence or national ID), address verified and verified organization. A reviewer checked the document. A badge helps, but it is not a guarantee about the story.

Only authorized reviewers, and each view is logged. The public sees only the badge.

Confirmed email, human review of every post, risk checks for scam patterns, a safety hold before payouts, rate limits and community reports. Read more on trust and safety.

Use the Report button on a post, comment or profile, or email support@helpbless.com.

No. Your email is never shown publicly.

Use "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in page. The link works for 2 hours.

Email support@helpbless.com from your account address. Some records must be kept by law. See the privacy policy.

Check your spam folder, then use "Resend email" on the verify page. You can ask for up to 3 per hour.