TEP Methodology — v2 Amendment Rider

Status: v2.0-draft. The live TEP Methodology v1.0 continues to govern until this rider is approved through the §9.1 procedure. This document presents the proposed amendments in redline format for counsel review.

Procedure to bind: 60 days' notice to all Treasurers (per v1.0 §9.1) · consultation in the Forum · transitional grandfathering for existing Treasurers where appropriate · Town Hall governance approval · counsel review in both jurisdictions.

Purpose of this rider

Six amendments to the TEP Methodology v1.0 are proposed:

| # | Amendment | Reason | |---|---|---| | 1 | New §1.4 — Treasurer professional autonomy | Make the contractor-status indicia explicit in the Methodology so the Treasurer's freedom to decline, set schedule, run a portfolio, and treat TEP as supplementary income is on the record | | 2 | §4.1 amendment — Treasurer-issued invoices for fees | Move from "platform pays into nominated account" to "Treasurer issues invoice; platform settles within 5 business days" — the contractor's standard practice | | 3 | §6.2 amendment — Peer + Member governance for tier decisions | Replace "applications reviewed by Circlworld staff" with peer body (Treasurer Council) for routine progression and independent panel (Selection Committee) for material decisions | | 4 | §6.4 amendment — Removal procedure | Selection Committee finding required for removal; Circlworld administers but does not decide unilaterally | | 5 | §7.1 amendment — Certification fee schedule + business-expense framing | Confirm the Treasurer's own professional development investment, claimable as business expense; introduce TEP-deduction payment option | | 6 | Cross-reference amendments | Every custody mention cites the Custody Framework Charter v1.0; the Code of Conduct is named as the binding profession standards |

The amendments are designed to support the platform's defensibility under Uber BV v Aslam [2021] UKSC 5 (the Supreme Court's substance-over-form worker-classification test) by making the contractor relationship visibly real in the document, not just labelled.

Amendment 1 — New §1.4 (Treasurer professional autonomy)

Current v1.0 text

§1.3 ends the "What Treasurers do not do" list. There is no §1.4. The Methodology's framing of the Treasurer is principally that of role-holder under platform-defined duties.

Proposed v2.0 text — new §1.4

§1.4 Treasurer professional autonomy

A Treasurer is an independent professional. The Treasurer's autonomy in respect of their Treasurer activities is recognised on the following terms:

(a) Choice of engagement. The Treasurer chooses which Circles to administer. The platform does not assign Circles to Treasurers. A Circle's Members select their Treasurer in accordance with their own Bylaws.

(b) Right to decline. The Treasurer may decline any new Circle engagement without economic penalty. The platform does not penalise refusal of work in the form of tier reduction, fee withholding, or any other adverse consequence.

(c) Schedule control. The Treasurer determines their own working schedule. The platform does not specify hours of availability, time-on-duty, or response windows beyond what the Circle's Bylaws have established. No "logged-in" time concept applies; TEP fees are activity-based and not tied to time present on the platform.

(d) Portfolio operation. A Treasurer at tier 2 (Community Organiser) and above operates a portfolio of Circle engagements as an independent professional consultancy. Each engagement is a separate relationship with the Circle's Members under that Circle's Bylaws. Multi-Circle Treasurers manage their portfolio under the caps set at their tier.

(e) Supplementary by design. The TEP is structured to be supplementary income to the Treasurer's other Member income — not their sole or primary income source. The platform makes no representation that the TEP will be the Treasurer's principal livelihood.

(f) Portable Standing. The Treasurer's Standing record, certification record, and professional record travel with them. The Treasurer may take their professional credentials to other platforms or to traditional finance roles. The platform does not lock in the Treasurer's professional record.

(g) Withdrawal at will. The Treasurer may withdraw from any individual Circle engagement on the standard 30-day notice (Treasurer Agreement §13.1) and may withdraw from the TEP entirely under the same notice. Accrued TEP fees are paid; future accrual ceases at withdrawal.

Reasoning

These seven elements are the Uber worker-classification indicia in reverse — explicit recognition that the Treasurer has the autonomy a worker does not. The phrasing tracks the Autoclenz v Belcher + Uber BV v Aslam substance-over-form test. Independent-contractor status as a label is weaker than independent-contractor status as a lived reality, and this section makes the latter the recorded position.

Amendment 2 — §4.1 Treasurer-issued invoices

Current v1.0 text (§4.1)

(a) Treasurers receive compensation monthly in arrears;

(b) Payment is made by Circlworld to the Treasurer's nominated payment account (bank transfer, Wise, or equivalent);

(c) Currency: GBP by default; alternative currencies available where Treasurer is in a non-UK jurisdiction.

Proposed v2.0 text — §4.1 replacement

§4.1 Settlement of TEP fees

(a) Monthly invoice cadence. TEP fees are settled monthly in arrears. The Treasurer issues an invoice to the platform for the fees accrued in the preceding month.

(b) Platform-assisted invoice generation. The platform pre-populates the invoice from the Treasurer's accrued activity (Activation Bonus per qualified Member, Residual Earnings, Retention Bonus, Health Bonus). The Treasurer reviews the pre-populated invoice for accuracy, makes any necessary corrections, and submits.

(c) Platform settlement. The platform settles the submitted invoice by transfer to the Treasurer's nominated payment account within five (5) business days of receipt.

(d) Dispute mechanism. Where the Treasurer disputes the platform's calculation of accrued activity, the dispute follows the complaints procedure under §12.1 of the Treasurer Agreement. The undisputed portion of the invoice is settled within the five-business-day window; the disputed portion is held pending resolution.

(e) Currency. Invoices and settlements are denominated in the Treasurer's local currency by default (GBP for UK Treasurers; JMD for Jamaican Treasurers; equivalent local currency for Treasurers in other jurisdictions). Currency conversion costs of cross-currency settlement are disclosed transparently.

Reasoning

The contractor's standard practice — invoice-and-settle — is one of the strongest single indicia of independent contracting under both the Uber test and HMRC's IR35 framework. "Platform pays the Treasurer" reads as payroll; "Treasurer invoices the platform; platform settles within 5 business days" reads as commercial contracting. The platform-assist of pre-populated invoicing keeps the operational friction low without losing the contractor framing.

Amendment 3 — §6.2 Progression decisions

Current v1.0 text (§6.2)

Applications are reviewed by Circlworld staff.

Proposed v2.0 text — §6.2 replacement

§6.2 Progression decisions

(a) Routine tier progression — Treasurer Council. Applications for routine tier progression (eligibility evaluated against published criteria, no contested record, no anti-gaming flags) are reviewed by the Treasurer Council — a peer body of currently-serving Treasurers, elected for two-year staggered terms by the Treasurer community at large. Council composition follows the Council Charter published by the platform.

(b) Material tier decisions — Selection Committee. Applications for tier promotion to Community Architect (tier 4) or Circlworld Ambassador (tier 5), all tier demotions to lower than Community Organiser (tier 2), and removal from the TEP under §6.4 are reviewed by the Selection Committee — an independent panel of (i) two senior Treasurers nominated by the Treasurer Council, (ii) two Members nominated by Town Hall, and (iii) one independent chair appointed by the Help Office. Committee composition follows the Selection Committee Charter published by the platform.

(c) Circlworld's role — administration, not decision. Circlworld provides the decision body with the documented evidence — eligibility data, performance metrics, sustaining-criteria progress, any flagged matters — and administers the body's decision. Circlworld does not vote, does not veto, and does not unilaterally substitute its own judgment for the body's decision.

(d) Procedural protections for the Treasurer. Every progression and demotion decision affords the Treasurer:

(i) written notice of the matter under consideration; (ii) access to the evidence the decision body proposes to rely on; (iii) the right to respond in writing and, in material decisions, in person; (iv) the right to be supported by the Treasurer Council, the Help Office, or independent advice of their choosing; (v) the right to a reasoned written decision; (vi) the right to appeal under §6.5.

(e) Appeal — Dispute Settlement Centre. A Treasurer dissatisfied with a Selection Committee decision may appeal to the Dispute Settlement Centre under the standard appellate procedure within 30 days of receiving the written decision.

Reasoning

Under Uber and the Autoclenz line of authorities, the platform deciding who advances, who is demoted, and who is removed looks like employer career-management. Peer-led + Member-led decision-making moves the platform from "decision-maker who happens to record the outcome" to "infrastructure provider who records what the profession's own bodies have decided." This is the single biggest structural shift available in this rider.

Amendment 4 — §6.4 Removal procedure

Current v1.0 text (§6.4)

A Treasurer may be removed from the TEP entirely on:

(a) sustained material breach of the Treasurer Addendum; (b) upheld AUP violation of high severity; (c) suspected criminal activity in connection with Treasurer duties; (d) Member vote in the affected Circle (per Circle Bylaws); (e) Selection Committee finding of unfitness.

Proposed v2.0 text — §6.4 replacement

§6.4 Removal from the TEP

(a) Grounds. A Treasurer may be removed from the TEP entirely on any of the following grounds:

(i) sustained material breach of the Treasurer Agreement or the Treasurer Code of Conduct; (ii) upheld Acceptable Use Policy violation of high severity; (iii) confirmed criminal activity in connection with Treasurer duties (proven on the standard applicable to such proceedings); (iv) Member vote in the affected Circle (per the Circle's Bylaws); (v) Selection Committee finding of unfitness on substantive grounds.

(b) Selection Committee finding required for material removal. Removal under grounds (i), (ii), (iii), or (v) requires a written finding by the Selection Committee under the procedure at §6.2(b)-(e). Removal under ground (iv) takes effect by the operation of the Circle's Bylaws and is recorded by Circlworld.

(c) Circlworld's role. Circlworld implements the removal — withdrawing platform access for the Treasurer role, stopping future TEP accrual, recording the outcome in the Treasurer's Registrar record — but does not initiate removal under grounds (i), (ii), (iii), or (v) on its own authority. The initiation comes from the Selection Committee, the Circle's Members, or the appropriate external authority.

(d) Accrued fees. Removal does not extinguish TEP fees already accrued and due at the date of removal. Accrued fees are settled in the final invoice cycle (§4.1 above). Future accrual ceases.

(e) Effect on certification. Removal does not extinguish the Treasurer's certification record. The Treasurer's tier certificates remain on the Registrar as historical record of qualifications earned. The Treasurer's current tier reverts to "not currently serving" while the removal is in effect.

(f) Re-application. A Treasurer removed under grounds (i), (ii), or (v) may re-apply to serve under the standard Treasurer Onboarding procedure after a cooling-off period set by the Selection Committee — typically 12 months for first removal, longer for repeat removal. Removal under ground (iii) is generally permanent.

(g) Procedural protections. All procedural protections of §6.2(d) apply to removal proceedings. The Treasurer's right of appeal under §6.2(e) applies.

Reasoning

Removal of a contracting professional from a programme that pays them is a serious step. The current §6.4 vests the decision in Circlworld; the proposed §6.4 places initiation with the Selection Committee, the affected Circle's Members, or external authority. Circlworld implements but does not initiate. This is consistent with the contractor framing and shields the platform from "the platform unilaterally fires Treasurers who complain" arguments.

Amendment 5 — §7.1 Certification fee schedule

Current v1.0 text (§7.1)

(a) Treasurer Foundation Course — required before serving as Community Builder. Free. Available through Circl Academy.

(b) Intermediate Treasurer Certification — for progression to Community Organiser. Offered through Circl Academy.

(c) Advanced Treasurer Certification — for progression to Community Leader.

(d) Multi-jurisdictional Treasurer Certification — for Community Architect+.

(e) Continuing Treasurer Education — ongoing programmes available; participation contributes to tier progression.

Proposed v2.0 text — §7.1 replacement

§7.1 Training and certification

(a) Treasurer Foundation Course — required before serving as Community Builder. Free. Available through Circl Academy.

(b) Intermediate Treasurer Certification — required for progression to Community Organiser. First-attempt fee £25 (or local-currency equivalent). Retake fee £50. Annual maintenance £25.

(c) Advanced Treasurer Certification — required for progression to Community Leader. First-attempt fee £150. Retake fee £75. Annual maintenance £50.

(d) Multi-jurisdictional Treasurer Certification — required for progression to Community Architect. First-attempt fee £400. Retake fee £150. Annual maintenance £100.

(e) Circlworld Ambassador — by invitation only; no certification fee. Annual £200 contribution to the Ambassador body covers ongoing programme administration.

(f) Certification fees as the Treasurer's professional development investment. Certification at tiers (b) through (d) is the Treasurer's own professional development investment, paid by the Treasurer. The investment is claimable as a business expense against TEP income in the Treasurer's jurisdiction, subject to local tax law (UK Self-Assessment under HMRC; Jamaica Income Tax Act under TAJ; equivalent in other jurisdictions). The platform does not pay for, reimburse, or net against earnings the Treasurer's certification investment except through the TEP-deduction payment option in §7.1(g) below.

(g) TEP-deduction payment option. A Treasurer may elect to pay any certification fee from upcoming TEP fee settlements rather than up-front. Election is by the Treasurer's choice at the time of enrolment. Where elected, the fee is netted from the Treasurer's next monthly settlements until the fee is fully paid, with the Treasurer notified of each netting amount in their monthly statement.

(h) Certification scholarship pool. The platform maintains a certification scholarship pool funded from (i) a small percentage of tier-4 fees, (ii) optional Member contributions through the Storefront, and (iii) platform-level commitment. Eligibility is based on jurisdiction-based currency disparity and Standing band. The pool supports first-attempt fees for Treasurers in jurisdictions where the absolute fee creates an access barrier inconsistent with the platform's mission. Eligibility and award procedure published separately.

(i) Re-certification triggers. All certifications re-certify on:

(i) tier promotion to the next level; (ii) material amendment of the Code of Conduct, the Custody Framework, or the TEP Methodology that affects the Treasurer's responsibilities; (iii) any dispute outcome finding against the Treasurer for matters within the certification's scope.

(j) Continuing Treasurer Education — ongoing programmes available through Circl Academy. Participation contributes to sustaining criteria but is not separately paid.

Reasoning

(1) The Treasurer paying for their own certification — and claiming it as a business expense on their own tax return — is one of the strongest single indicia of independent professional status under the Uber test, the IR35 framework, and U.S. ABC test (California AB5 etc.). The pattern reverses worker classification in a single visible step.

(2) The TEP-deduction option removes the access barrier without dissolving the contractor framing. The Treasurer authorises the platform to net the fee from future invoice settlements — standard contractor netting.

(3) The scholarship pool addresses the platform's mission concern: certification cost cannot become a justice question across jurisdictions with currency disparity. The pool is mission-funded, not a discount on the principal that would weaken the framing.

(4) Re-certification triggers ensure the certification reflects current platform reality. A Treasurer certified before the Custody Framework existed should re-certify to confirm they administer their Circles under it.

Amendment 6 — Cross-references

Across the v1.0 Methodology, custody-related references and conduct-related references currently sit as stand-alone language. The v2 rider proposes the following cross-reference amendments:

6.1 Every custody mention cites the Custody Framework Charter v1.0

Wherever the v1.0 Methodology references Treasurer custody, custody of contributed funds, custody of lending pool capital, or the segregation of personal and Circle funds, the cited authority is the Custody Framework Charter v1.0 (/legal/charter-custody-framework).

Specifically, the following v1.0 sections are amended to add the citation:

(a) §1.1(b) — "confirms contributions and payouts within the time frames set in the Bylaws" — add: "in accordance with the Custody Framework Charter v1.0 applicable to the Circle's adopted custody model";

(b) §1.3(a) — "Treasurers do not: hold member funds (no Treasurer is custodian of Circle money)" — replace with: "Treasurers do not hold member funds in their personal account under any custody model. Where the Circle has voted Member-to-member custody for cycle contributions (Category A), members contribute directly through their own bank accounts to the receiving member each round; the Treasurer governs the rotation and records each contribution but does not custody funds. Where the Circle has voted or is required to use escrow custody (Categories A escrow, B, and C), the funds sit in a dedicated Circle account or at a partner institution — never the Treasurer's personal account.";

(c) Treasurer Addendum-related references throughout v1.0 — point to the v2-draft Treasurer Agreement that incorporates the Custody Framework.

6.2 Every conduct mention cites the Treasurer Code of Conduct v1.0

Wherever the v1.0 Methodology references Treasurer duties, professional standards, or behavioural obligations, the cited authority is the Treasurer Code of Conduct v1.0 (/legal/charter-treasurer-code-of-conduct).

Specifically, §1.1 and §1.2 (Treasurer activities) are amended to add a preamble: "The Treasurer's activities are governed by the Treasurer Code of Conduct, signed at certification. The activities listed below are the operational dimensions of that Code's standards."

Reasoning

The cross-references prevent doctrinal drift. A reader of the TEP Methodology should be directed to the canonical documents for custody and conduct rather than reading a re-statement that might fall out of alignment over time.

Application

Transitional provisions

Existing Treasurers at the effective date of v2.0:

(a) Continue to serve under their current tier and TEP entitlements.

(b) Sign the new Code of Conduct and acknowledge the Custody Framework within twelve (12) months of v2.0 taking effect.

(c) Move to invoice-based settlement on the next quarterly cycle after v2.0 takes effect; transitional dual-running supported for two cycles to ease the operational change.

(d) Tier progression decisions opened before v2.0 effective date continue under v1.0 procedure; new applications use v2.0 procedure.

New Treasurers

Treasurers commencing after the v2.0 effective date adopt v2.0 in full from day one.

Counsel coordination

Approval of this rider in either jurisdiction must coordinate with approval of the v2-draft Treasurer Agreement and the Custody Framework Charter v1.0. The three documents bind together; partial adoption is not coherent.

Acknowledgement

By signing this rider on counsel approval, the Treasurer acknowledges:

(a) the v2.0 amendments are reasonable adjustments to the live TEP Methodology v1.0 in light of Uber BV v Aslam [2021] UKSC 5 and the Custody Framework that has emerged from the platform's lender-model and cultural-architecture work;

(b) the contractor framing the v2.0 amendments make visible reflects the genuine nature of the Treasurer-Circlworld relationship — the Treasurer is an independent professional, not an employee;

(c) the peer + Member governance the v2.0 amendments establish represents the profession's own administration of its standards — not a substitute for the platform's regulatory or operational obligations;

(d) the certification fee schedule is fair, accessible through the TEP-deduction option and the scholarship pool, and represents the Treasurer's own professional development investment.

— End of TEP Methodology v2 Amendment Rider —

Version history

| Version | Date | Change | Process | |---|---|---|---| | v2.0-draft | 2026-06-03 | Initial six-amendment rider | Drafted 2026-06-03; counsel posture confirmed 2026-06-05 + §9.1 consultation + Town Hall approval before binding |

Plain-language one-line summary

The TEP Methodology is being updated so the Treasurer is visibly an independent professional — the Treasurer chooses the work, invoices for fees, pays for their own qualifications (with scholarship support and an instalment option), and is judged by their peers and the platform's Members rather than by Circlworld staff — to make sure the Treasurer relationship is what we say it is, not just what we call it.