Read the offer before accepting
The official Subsidies manual describes time-limited contracts with effects on acceptance, success and failure. Declining an offer has no penalty. Once accepted, its task must finish before the displayed deadline; failure reverses the upfront reward and can add a fine or reputation loss.
Copy these fields into a short planning note before committing:
| Offer field | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Task and destination | Is this the exact receiver or pair of towns I can serve? |
| Required progress | Is the target cargo, worker transport or a town connection? |
| Deadline | Does my proposed service have time to become operational? |
| Acceptance effect | What do I receive immediately? |
| Failure consequence | Can my budget absorb the stated reversal and penalty? |
An upfront payment is part of the contract, not evidence that the transport task is complete.
Match the target to the contract type
Supply Industry requires the requested cargo quantity delivered to the named industry. Supply Town requires the requested item delivered to town buildings. Transport Workers requires sufficient worker transport to activate the named industry's productivity boost; read its progress rather than borrowing a target from another offer.
Connect Towns is a distinct passenger task. Its exact transfer-free condition is explained in the dedicated connection guide. Do not use that task's completion rule for worker contracts.
For an industry supply offer, also inspect the industry's actual required input. The Industries and Cargo manual distinguishes production inputs from optional boosters. A vehicle reaching the site is not a substitute for delivering the item the contract asks for.
Diagnose progress that stays unchanged
Follow one intended shipment or passenger journey all the way to its contract destination:
- Re-read the accepted card, including the named receiver.
- Confirm that the service is operating with compatible vehicles.
- Observe whether pickup or boarding actually occurs.
- Check final arrival rather than stock at an intermediate hub.
- Compare the card's progress with the outcome you observed.
Use cargo fault isolation when the item does not move. Use passenger connections when worker or passenger services run empty. Do not assume a contract is bugged from the route drawing alone.
Separate the two kinds of deadline
The subsidy deadline concerns contract fulfillment. A cargo item's delivery-time assessment concerns the journey of that item. Meeting one does not establish that the other is healthy. The cargo delivery-time guide covers loads that reach their customer with poor timing.
As a planning rule, choose offers that fit a service you can explain end to end. Avoid accepting several unrelated offers merely to fund construction unless you have checked each target and failure consequence. This is a suggested risk-management approach, not a tested no-loan strategy.
Sources and testing status
Checked October 8, 2026: the linked official Subsidies and Industries and Cargo manuals. Exact reward amounts, worker thresholds and safe completion schedules are offer-specific; none are invented here. No hands-on contract testing is claimed.
Watch the official First Look Highlights. The overview cover is not a screenshot of an accepted subsidy card.
