The Rated Driving Wallet, explained for instructors
Rated Driving is introducing a learner Wallet that changes how and when you get paid for lessons. Subject to everything going as planned, we are aiming to deploy this in the first week of June 2026. Learner money will sit in their Wallet and be released to you lesson by lesson as each lesson is completed, rather than the full package being paid out before the lessons have been taken. This page explains exactly how the Wallet works, the two ways money enters it, how lesson-by-lesson payouts run, and how the offer price you accept stays consistent across every package size.
- New learners will use the learner Wallet from the first week of June, subject to everything going as planned.
- Learner money will be released lesson by lesson, not all upfront.
- You will have one clear hourly rate across all package sizes.
- Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive from its own commission and marketing margin.
- Existing learners stay on the current system until they finish, pass, or clear through.
Read this page before the first week of June so you understand how payments and rates will work for new learners.
What this page covers
- Why we are making this change
- How the learner Wallet works
- The two ways money enters the Wallet
- How lesson-by-lesson payouts work
- What the 24-hour window is for
- How the offer price works across packages
- Why Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive
- What this means for instructors
- Who this applies to and when
- Common questions
Why we are making this change
The current payment process creates a refund risk that sits with the instructor. At the moment, when a learner buys a lesson package, the full amount is paid out to the instructor after 2 business days, before most of the lessons have been taken.
The problem is that a learner can still be entitled to a refund after paying. They might change their mind, switch to a different transmission type, ask for a different instructor, prefer a different teaching style, or decide not to continue. When that happens after the full package has already been paid out, the money has often already been received and used, and it then has to be paid back.
The example below shows the gap this creates on a typical 30-hour package.
In that situation, an instructor could be holding £1,200 but only have earned £160 of it, with £1,040 potentially needing to be returned. That can create cash flow pressure, payment plans, awkward conversations, and in the worst cases legal action when money is not returned. That is not good for the learner, the instructor, or Rated Driving. The Wallet removes that risk by only releasing money once a lesson has been completed.
How the learner Wallet works
The learner Wallet holds the learner’s money and releases it to you as lessons are completed. Instead of the full package being paid out before lessons are taken, the money sits in the Wallet and is released lesson by lesson.
The core idea is simple. When a learner pays for a package, that money goes into their Wallet. Each time you schedule, confirm, and complete a lesson, the value of that one lesson is released for payout after a short window. The rest of the money stays in the Wallet, ready for the next lesson.
The learner’s money is no longer paid out in full before the lessons have been taken. It is released as each lesson is scheduled, confirmed, completed, and the 24-hour window has passed. You are always paid for work you have actually done.
The learner Wallet is supported by Ryft Pay, our payment provider. Ryft has confirmed that this workflow is supported by their FCA-regulated escrow payment infrastructure.
The two ways money enters the Wallet
Not every learner pays at the same point, but both routes end the same way, with money sitting in the Wallet ready to be released lesson by lesson. Some learners pay an on-hold payment before they are connected with you. Others make an enquiry first, speak with you, and then pay in the app.
On-hold payment before connecting
The learner chooses a package on the Rated Driving website.
The learner makes an on-hold payment.
The learner is connected with you.
The money is taken and added to the learner’s Wallet.
From here, payouts run lesson by lesson.
Pays in the app after speaking with you
The learner makes an enquiry.
The learner is connected with you.
You speak with the learner and agree the first lesson.
The learner makes payment in the app.
The money is added to the Wallet and payouts run lesson by lesson.
Whether the learner pays before being connected or after speaking with you, the money sits in their Wallet and is released as lessons are completed. The route in does not change how you get paid.
How lesson-by-lesson payouts work
Each completed lesson releases its own value for payout after a 24-hour window. Once money is in the Wallet, the cycle below repeats for every lesson until the package is finished.
Money is in the Wallet
The learner’s package amount sits in their Wallet, whether they paid before being connected or after speaking with you.
You schedule and confirm a lesson
You set up a lesson in the app and the learner confirms it. The value of that lesson is set aside from the Wallet.
The lesson takes place
You deliver the lesson as normal.
The 24-hour window opens
A 24-hour window runs after the completed lesson. This gives both sides a fair chance to raise an issue if something has gone wrong.
The lesson is released for payout
If no dispute is raised, the value of that completed lesson is released for payout. The remaining balance stays in the Wallet for future lessons.
What the 24-hour window is for
The 24-hour window gives both the learner and the instructor a fair chance to raise an issue before a lesson is paid out. It runs after each completed lesson, not after the whole package.
Disputes are rare, but the process needs to be balanced. If a dispute is raised, the payout for that single lesson is paused while Rated Driving reviews it. A dispute on one lesson should not affect payouts for other lessons that have already been completed without issue. Rated Driving will review each dispute and, once resolved, funds can be released manually where appropriate.
The window applies per lesson. A dispute on one lesson should not affect payouts for other lessons that have already been completed without issue.
How the offer price works across packages
You receive an offer price for each package, which you can accept or reject. The offer is built on a single hourly rate, and that same hourly rate applies whether a learner books 2 hours or 40 hours. You are paid for every hour you deliver at the rate in the offer you accept.
The figures below use a rate of £35 per hour to show how the maths works. It is just an illustration, the actual figures will be the ones in your offer.
| Package size | Hourly rate | Offer price | Rate per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | £35 | £70 | £35 |
| 10 hours | £35 | £350 | £35 |
| 20 hours | £35 | £700 | £35 |
| 30 hours | £35 | £1,050 | £35 |
| 40 hours | £35 | £1,400 | £35 |
You will see the offer price for each package in the app before you accept or reject it, so you always know the figure up front. The bar chart below shows how the offer price scales evenly with package size when the rate stays flat.
Offer price by package size (£35/hr)
A worked example with the Wallet
Here is how a single package plays out from payment to payout. A learner chooses a 30-hour package at £35 per hour, giving a total value of £1,050.
- The £1,050 is added to the learner’s Wallet.
- You schedule a 2-hour lesson, worth £70.
- The learner confirms the lesson and it takes place.
- 24 hours after the lesson, if no dispute has been raised, the £70 is released for payout.
- The remaining £980 stays in the Wallet for future lessons.
One 30-hour Wallet, after the first 2-hour lesson
Why Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive
Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive from its own commission and marketing margin, so the hourly rate in your offer is not reduced when a learner buys a larger package. Across the industry, larger packages are often offered at a lower price to encourage learners to commit to more hours. That incentive helps learner commitment, but it should not come out of the rate in your offer.
Under the Wallet, you are paid as lessons are completed rather than receiving the full package upfront. It would not be fair for the offer price to be built on a lower hourly rate just because the learner chose a bigger package, especially now the full amount is no longer paid out at the start. So the change keeps it simple: the offer you accept uses the same hourly rate across every package, and Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive from its own commission and marketing margin to make larger packages attractive to learners.
| What the learner sees | What you receive | Who funds the incentive |
|---|---|---|
| A lower price on larger packages | Same hourly rate in your offer | Rated Driving |
| An incentive to book more hours | The same hourly rate, every package | Rated Driving |
| Money held in their Wallet | Payout per completed lesson | Rated Driving |
What this means for instructors
The Wallet gives you a cleaner, fairer setup with less refund risk and steadier cash flow. The points below summarise the practical effect on your day-to-day.
Paid for completed work
You are paid for lessons that have actually been delivered, not for lessons a learner has not yet taken.
Lower refund risk
Because money is released as lessons complete, you are far less likely to have to pay money back later.
A clear, consistent offer
The offer price you accept is built on one hourly rate, and that rate stays the same across 2, 10, 20, 30, and 40-hour packages.
The incentive is not yours to fund
Rated Driving funds the learner package incentive from its own commission and marketing margin, so a larger package does not reduce the hourly rate your offer is built on.
Easier reallocation
If a learner needs a different instructor or transmission, their remaining Wallet balance can move with them.
Less admin and friction
Fewer refund issues mean less paperwork and fewer awkward conversations between everyone involved.
Who this applies to and when
This new process applies to new learners moving forward. Existing learners already going through the current process will continue on the old system until they finish, pass, or clear through.
Subject to everything going as planned, we are aiming to deploy the Wallet in the first week of June 2026. Rated Driving will send another update before it goes live so you know exactly when the new process is active in the app.
Common questions
When will I actually receive payment for a lesson?
You receive payment for a lesson once it has been scheduled, confirmed, completed, and the 24-hour window has passed with no dispute raised. At that point the value of that single lesson is released for payout.
Does the hourly rate change if a learner books a bigger package?
No. The offer is built on a single hourly rate, and that rate stays the same across every package size. If a learner books a larger package at a lower price, Rated Driving funds that incentive from its own commission and marketing margin, so the rate the offer is built on is not reduced.
What happens to the rest of the learner’s money while I teach?
The remaining balance stays in the learner’s Wallet. After each completed lesson, only that lesson’s value is released to you, and the rest is held in the Wallet for future lessons.
What happens if a dispute is raised?
If a dispute is raised on a lesson, the payout for that single lesson is paused while Rated Driving reviews it. Disputes are rare, and a dispute on one lesson should not affect payouts for other lessons that have already been completed without issue. Rated Driving will review each dispute, and funds can be released manually once resolved.
What if a learner wants to switch instructor or transmission?
Because the money sits in the Wallet rather than being paid out in full upfront, a learner’s remaining balance can move with them if they need a different instructor or a different transmission type. This makes reallocation much simpler and reduces refund problems.
Does this affect learners I am already teaching?
No. The Wallet applies to new learners moving forward. Any existing learner already going through the current process stays on the old system until they finish, pass, or clear through.
Is the money in the Wallet secure?
The learner Wallet is supported by Ryft Pay, our payment provider. Ryft has confirmed that this workflow is supported by their FCA-regulated escrow payment infrastructure, which is what holds learner funds and releases them based on the payment rules explained on this page.
Questions before this goes live?
If anything on this page is unclear, reply to the email this link came from and we will be happy to go through it with you. We will send another update before the Wallet goes live so you know exactly when it is active in the app.
About this page
Rated Driving acts as an agent. We connect learners with independent instructors, show learners package options, present instructors with offer prices they can accept or reject, and handle payment through our payment provider.
