Upwork payment

Upwork offers various ways for freelancers to get paid and for clients to pay for services. Here's a breakdown of the key aspects of Upwork's payment system.

How Freelancers Get Paid

Freelancers can receive payments in two main ways, depending on their contract type:

Hourly Contracts: Upwork's billing period for hourly work ends on Sunday. After a 10-day security period, the funds become eligible for withdrawal.

Fixed-Price Contracts: The client must first deposit funds for the project or a milestone into an escrow account. Once the freelancer submits the work, the client has a 14 day review period. After the client approves the work, or after 14 days if the client takes no action, the funds are released to the freelancer. There is a five-day security hold before the funds are available for withdrawal.

Freelancer Withdrawal Methods and Fees

Once funds are available, freelancers can withdraw them using several methods, each with different fees and processing times:

Direct to U.S. Bank (ACH):

Fees: Free.

Processing Time: Typically 2-5 business days.

Direct to Local Bank (outside the U.S.):

Fees: $0.99 USD per transfer.

Processing Time: Up to 4 business days. Note that local bank fees and currency conversion rates may also apply.

U.S. Dollar Wire Transfer:

Fees: $50.00 USD per transfer.

Processing Time: 5-7 business days. This is generally recommended for very large transfers due to the high fee.

Instant Pay (for U.S. freelancers):

Fees: $2.00 USD per transfer.

Processing Time: Within minutes. Funds are transferred to a linked Visa or Mastercard debit card.

Third-Party Payment Vendors:

PayPal:

Fees: $2.00 USD per withdrawal, plus PayPal's own fees (which may include transaction and currency conversion fees).

Processing Time: 1-2 business days.

Payoneer:

Fees: $2.00 USD per withdrawal, plus Payoneer's fees (which vary).

Processing Time: 1-3 business days.

M-Pesa (Kenya only):

Fees: Varies.

Processing Time: Varies.

You can set up automatic withdrawals or manually withdraw funds at any time.

Upwork Fees for Freelancers

In addition to withdrawal fees, freelancers on Upwork pay a service fee on their earnings. This fee is a percentage of the amount earned and can range from 0% to 15%. The exact fee depends on the contract and is visible in your billing reports.

Client Billing and Payments

Clients must have a verified billing method on file to hire freelancers and fund contracts. Upwork accepts several billing methods for clients, including:

Credit or debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.)

PayPal

Venmo

Bank account (ACH) for eligible U.S.-based clients

For fixed-price contracts, clients must fund each milestone upfront. For hourly contracts, Upwork bills the client weekly based on the hours logged by the freelancer.