Background & basics

What’s it all about?

Timebank.cc is a platform for trading skills within a community. Exchanging time instead of conventional money. One hour of work equals one Hour. Every person’s time is equally valued.

Is Timebanking new?

No! It’s been around for several decades and exists in over 26 countries. The UK has around 250 Timebanks. After the economic crisis, there has been a surge in Timebanking in Greece and other countries.

Isn’t it the same as bartering (direct exchanges)?

No! Timebanking involves performing a service for an agreed amount of Hours, based on the time it takes. Once the service has been completed your worked hours are registered on your bank account. You can use these hours whenever you want to and with whom you want to.

Why is an hour of my time equal to an hour of anybody else’s?

Within the Euro economy,  people’s income is valued differently based on their skill, training, experience etc. However, we want to create a more diverse system, where the motivation for people to help each other is not to produce profit and competition – but to demonstrate the fulfillment of working and helping people. One worked hour is exactly 1,00 Timebank Hour.

Where are Timebank.cc users located?

Our biggest community of users lives in the region of The Hague (that’s where we started), but we’re also active in Amsterdam, Brussels and Lisbon. For more information see the contact page for getting in touch with the local Timebank teams. If you feel you want to start a new local Timebank.cc group, please get in touch to talk about the possibilities – be aware this involves a big commitment though!

Do I need to pay to join?

No! Registering is without any costs. To start Timebanking you should earn your first Hours by helping another user, before you can spend them on a service you require.

How do you manage Timebank.cc without Euros?

The organization is run by a group of volunteers and people who work in exchange for Hours. Some costs unfortunately can’t be paid by time, like web hosting, printing etc. If you would like to contribute some Euros, or learn how you can volunteer for us, feel free to contact us.

Can I forget about Euros and just use Hours?

It is not our intention to replace the Euro currency, yet to create a parallel economy for the exchange of services rather than products. The .cc of Timebank.cc stands for ´complimentary currency´. Rather than replacing the Euro the aim is to create a diversified currency system with an extra layer that is based on different values.

I’m planning to give a workshop to a group. I also need to cover some costs in Euros. How much do I charge per person for attending my workshop?

Just keep in mind that 1 hour of your work costs  exactly 1,00  Timebank Hour. The costs you have to cover in Euros for this exchange, you should ask to also get paid in Euros. For example:

Dance workshop:
1 hour of preparation time
1,5 hour of actual teaching time
€ 30 of studio rent for that day

5 persons attend the workshop on Monday
1  persons attends the workshop on Wednesday

You spend on Monday 2,5 hours and €30 in total for this workshop for 5 persons. The price per person is:

2,50 H / 5 = 0,5 H
€30 / 5 = € 6
So each person pays you 0,50 H and € 6.

On Wednesday you also 2,50 hours and €30 in total for this workshop, but now for only 1 person. The price will be:

2,50 H / 1 = 2,50 H
€30 / 1 = € 30
So this private workshop will cost 2,50 H and € 30.

A common mistake is to think that you give a 1h workshop so everyone should pay 1h to you. That’s wrong because your students did not work, it was only you who worked.

Using this website

How do I sign up?

Click the Register link and follow the steps. Once you complete your profile, you should receive an email to confirm your registration. If you do not see this email, please contact us. Once your registration is complete you can contact other users, post advertisements and create transactions.

How do I make an Advert?

Firstly login! Click on ‘Advertise’, then choose either a Request or an Offer and then complete the rest of the information required.

How do I pay someone or get paid after an exchange?

To pay another user after an exchange, login to your account, open the Bank Account menu on the left side. Click ‘New payment’. To remind somebody to pay you, you can send an invoice: Log in, open the Bank Account menu on the left side and choose ‘New invoice’.

How do I leave feedback or reply to feedback?

After you’ve paid a user you’ll get an email with an invitation to leave an Exchange Feedback about the service delivered. This feedback is visible on your profile for other registered users to read. If you received an Exchange Feedback you can add a comment to to this feedback. Providing feedback strengthens the reliability of our platform. It creates trust between people that have never met before they started their exchange. Positive Exchange Feedbacks are also a nice way to thank your exchange partner for all that she or he did for you.

Do I have any control over my privacy? Is my profile visible to everybody?

Timebank.cc values the protection of your privacy. When editing your profile you can choose to hide your email address to other users. Even if you choose not to hide your email address, we will never display it outside of our secure banking system. However, your User name is visible to everyone, even outside the banking system.

Getting started

What kind of services should I offer?

What are you good at? What do you like doing? Those are the best things to offer to others! Remember when you helped some friends out, what was it? It is best if your advertisements range from simple to advanced. Our community requires advanced but also simple services.

What kind of services can I find?

All kinds of people join Timebank.cc with a wide variety of skills. If you don’t see an advertisement with what you’re looking for, you can make a request advertisement.

Also, you can search the user profiles for specific keywords that relate to the services you are looking for: Click on the ´skills and profile´ option when logged in.

You could also set up an Advertisement Alert (in the Search menu) so you will receive an alert as soon as an advertisement which responds to your interest is created by another user.

Can I go into debt or take out a loan?

It’s not possible to have a negative balance. You first have to earn an Hour, before you can spend it.

How do you keep track of all the transactions?

After an exchange you should pay using our website. This is how transactions are made. One user’s account is debited and the other’s is credited. We do not have any cash currency.

How can I trust the other person? What if I’m not happy with the exchange?

Make sure you both clearly know what you expect from the exchange before you actually start. How much time is expected and what budget is available is essential.  If for any reason you’re not happy with an exchange, try to solve it with one another. Timebank only facilitates a transactions system based on time, we cannot intermediate a dispute between users.

Can I buy or sell things on Timebank.cc?

Timebank.cc is used as a platform to exchange skills and services. If you used your skills to create a product,it’s possible to exchange the product for the amount of Hours spent creating it. Materials are paid in Euros or your other regular currency.

 Credits

What software is used for this website?

The public part of the timebank.cc website is made with WordPress with the theme Custom-Community by Themecraft. The event calendar is by Modern Tribe (thanks for being part of their Non-Profits partnership program).
The banking software used by Timebank is the open source version of Cyclos 3, developed by STRO.

Still confused?

Who can answer my other questions?

Please feel free to contact us any time by email with your questions, feedback or comments at info@timebank.cc. You can also check our calendar for upcoming events to get to know more about Timebank.cc and to meet other users in person.