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Terms of Service

Last updated: March 12, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using Scratch ("the Service"), operated by Scratch: Give & Get Help ("we," "our," or "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

Scratch is a mutual aid platform that enables community members to request financial help and donate to others. We facilitate connections and payment processing but do not guarantee that any request will be funded or that any specific outcome will occur.

3. Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service
  • You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
  • You must be a legal resident of the United States to receive payouts
  • You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials

4. Requests for Help

  • Requests must be truthful and for genuine needs
  • You may have only one active request at a time
  • Request amounts are subject to limits based on your Reciprocity Score level
  • A cooldown period applies between requests (7 days for donors, 14 days for non-donors)
  • Maximum of 3 requests per rolling 30-day period
  • We reserve the right to review, approve, or reject any request

5. Donations

  • Donations are voluntary and made at your own discretion
  • Donations are not tax-deductible — Scratch is not a registered charity
  • Payment processing is handled by Stripe and subject to Stripe's terms of service
  • Refunds are available for cancelled requests within the cancellation policy window

6. Payouts

  • To receive payouts, you must complete identity verification and link a bank account through Stripe
  • Identity verification requires your legal name, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
  • Stripe may require additional verification information
  • Payouts are processed through Stripe Connect and subject to Stripe's processing times
  • You are responsible for reporting payout income on your tax returns. Stripe handles 1099 reporting as required by law.

7. Reciprocity Score

Your Reciprocity Score reflects your participation in the Scratch community. It is calculated based on your donation history, donation-to-withdrawal ratio, referrals, and other community engagement factors. Your score determines your request limits and feed visibility. We reserve the right to modify the scoring system at any time.

8. Cancellation Policy

  • Requests cancelled within 24 hours receive full automatic refunds to donors
  • Requests cancelled between 24-48 hours may be subject to abuse tracking
  • Requests older than 48 hours cannot be cancelled — only paused or closed with withdrawal of raised funds

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

  • Create fraudulent or misleading requests
  • Use the Service for money laundering or illegal activity
  • Create multiple accounts to circumvent request limits
  • Harass, abuse, or threaten other users
  • Attempt to manipulate your Reciprocity Score through deceptive means
  • Use automated systems or bots to interact with the Service
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service

10. Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at our discretion if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or pose a risk to other users or the platform. You may delete your account at any time through the app settings.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that requests will be funded, that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any specific results will be achieved through use of the Service.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Scratch: Give & Get Help shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service, including but not limited to loss of funds, data, or goodwill.

13. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via in-app notification or email. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of law principles.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Scratch: Give & Get Help
info@scratchapp.us