A Freelancer’s Guide to

Upwork
Get to work,
grow your business,
and do what matters to you.
Table of contents

CHAPTER 1

Introduction
TIP 1
1 Welcome Click the page name
3 Why is Upwork right for you? to jump to that page

4 Who can work on Upwork?

5 How does Upwork make money?

CHAPTER 2

Getting started
7 Joining Upwork in four easy steps
8 Membership plan options
10 Building a great prole

CHAPTER 3

Finding work & submitting proposals

14 Finding the right work
16 Submitting a proposal and interviewing
20 Complete the interview

CHAPTER 4

Doing the work & getting paid

23 Managing your project
25 Upwork Payment Protection

CHAPTER 5

Finishing touches
27 Completing a contract
28 Managing your reputation and prole
31 Best Practices
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Table of Contents
A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork
CHAPTER 1

Welcome

A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 1

Our dream is to build a
workplace for the world.
Stephane Kasriel, CEO

A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 2

Why is Upwork right for you?

You’ll work with great clients and earn money. Delivering

Great work
these awesome experiences will lead to even more work and
is rewarded
more clients.

Upwork’s You can use our platform to easily get set up,
technology nd more clients, control your own work, and get paid
makes it easy quickly and reliably.

A community As you win and succeed on projects, we’ll do our best to

focused on your help you nd more opportunities for continued growth of
success your business.

With Upwork Payment Protection programs, you can be

Payments
more condent that you’ll always be paid for work you deliver
are protected
as promised.

Welcome A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 3

Who can work on Upwork?

We welcome all independent professionals and agencies to join the Upwork

community. Whether you’re a graphic designer from the U.S., web designer
from Serbia or writer from Brazil, you’ll nd freelance opportunities on
Upwork. Depending on your business needs, we invite you to register and
work in one of two ways:

Individual For self-employed individuals and small companies that have

freelancers a specic skill set and are looking to work on their own.

For companies and freelancers that have subcontractors or

Agencies
employees who plan to tackle projects together on Upwork.

Welcome A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 4

How does Upwork make money?

Service fees Membership plans

Upwork charges freelancers a sliding service fee All freelancers and agencies subscribe to a free
based on the total amount billed to a single client. or paid Upwork membership plan. Our Freelancer
You pay: Basic membership is free of charge and provides all
the functionality you’ll need to use Upwork for your
• 20% for the rst $500 you bill your client across
business. For those who want additional premium
all contracts
benets, we oer a paid Freelancer Plus membership
option. We also oer a Plus membership plan for
• 10% for total billings with your client between
agencies.
$500.01 and $10,000

• 5% for total billings with your client that exceed

$10,000

For example, if you begin an hourly or xed-price

contract with a new client for $600, you’ll be billed
20% on the rst $500 and 10% on the remaining
$100. Because of this, many freelancers choose to
add a small mark-up to their bids to account for this
business expense. This fee allows us to create the
latest technology and services, from matching you
with ideal clients to collaborating, communicating,
getting paid, and payment protection.

FREELANCER AGENCY

Bid
720.00
This is what
the client sees

You’ll earn ? $ 600.00

FREE PLUS PLUS

? Upwork charges a 20% / 10% / 5%

service fee depending on the amount
billed to the client.

Welcome
A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 5
CHAPTER 2

Getting
started

A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 6

 Join Upwork in four steps:

Sign up and select a membership plan

If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time. Pick the
1 membership plan that best matches your needs. Remember,
you can change your membership plan in the future.

Create your prole

2
Fill out as many elds as possible to create a prole that
highlights your skills — elaborating on your experience
and indicating your desired hourly payment rate.

Set up your payment option

3 Get ready to get paid, and tell us how you want to receive
your earnings. We recommend setting up two dierent fund
transfer methods, so that you can be paid easily.

Use Upwork Messages

Collaboration is made easy on Upwork when you use
4 Messages. Organize and manage discussions, communicate
in real time with your clients, and sync and share
deliverables.

Getting started A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 7

Membership plan options

FREELANCER BASIC FREELANCER PLUS

60 Connects per Month* 70 Connects per Month*

Shared across the agency

Hourly Protection Rollover Connects

For eligible hourly jobs, you’re ensured payment for Unused Connects automatically carry over to the
every hour worked following month (up to 70)

Fixed-Price Protection Buy Additional Connects

For xed-price jobs, payments are secured through If you run out of Connects, you can buy more at any
pre-funded milestones time ($1 per Connect)

View Competitor Bids

See the minimum, maximum, and average bid for
any job

Hourly Protection
For eligible hourly jobs, you’re ensured payment for
every hour worked

*NOTE Connects are used to apply for jobs, Fixed-Price Protection

with each application requiring 1 to 5 Connects
For xed-price jobs, payments are secured through
(0 if you’re invited or rehired) pre-funded milestones

Freelancer Basic membership (Free)

This includes a complete Upwork prole, 60 Connects per monthly billing cycle,
unlimited invitations to projects, and Payment Protection.

Freelancer Plus membership ($10 per month)

Includes everything in the Freelancer Basic membership plan, including Upwork Payment
Protection, plus 10 additional Connects per month (for a total of 70), the ability to roll
over up to 70 unused Connects to the following monthly billing cycle, freedom to buy
extra Connects, and visibility into what others are bidding on the contract.

Getting started A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 8

Membership plan options

AGENCY PLUS

Multi-Person Teams
Add and support unlimited teams and team membe rs

80 Connects per Month*

Shared across the agency

Rollover Connects
Unused Connects automatically carry over to the following month (up to 80)

Buy Additional Connects

If you run out of Connects, you can buy more at any time ($1 per Connect)

View Competitor Bids

See the minimum, maximum, and average bid for any job

Hourly Protection
For eligible hourly jobs, you’re ensured payment for every hour worked

Fixed-Price Protection
For xed-price jobs, payments are secured through pre-funded milestones

*NOTE Connects are used to apply for jobs, with each application requiring 1 to 5
Connects (0 if you’re invited or rehired)

Agency Plus membership ($20 per month)

Designed for agencies with team members on their Upwork account. In addition to a
company logo and company name, this plan allows an agency owner to add unlimited
team members and share Connects among their team. It also includes 80 Connects per
month, the ability to roll over up to 80 unused Connects to the following month, freedom
to buy extra Connects, visibility into other bidders on contracts, unlimited invitations to
projects, and Payment Protection.

Getting started A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 9

CHAPTER 3

Finding
work &
submitting
proposals
A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 13
 Finding the right project

Searching for projects (and setting up your job feed)

is easy. It’s also an important part of becoming an
active and engaged member of Upwork. This helps
ensure that you never miss out on projects you’re a
great t for.

Pick a skill

1 Enter a skill (or two) into the search bar to nd projects that
match your talents.

Set lters

2 Use lters on the left-hand side of the Search Results Page

to nd a more-targeted list.

Add to Job Feed

3
After setting your search preferences, add it to your
Job Feed so you can have an ongoing, updated list of new
projects that match your preferences.

Finding work & submitting proposals A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 14

Fixed-price vs. hourly projects

On Upwork there are two types of contracts.

Here’s how they compare.

Hourly Fixed-Price
On hourly contracts you’re paid by the On xed-price contracts you’re paid a xed amount for
hour, making this a preferred option when a project deliverable, or set of deliverables. This option
your project requires exibility. Examples is ideal when the work is more clearly dened. Examples
of projects that can work well on an hourly of projects well suited for xed-price contracts include
basis include Customer Service and Technical Web Design and Mobile App Development.
Support.

Hourly contract payments are protected Fixed-price contracts are protected by

by Hourly Payment Protection. Here’s how: Fixed-Price Payment Protection. Here’s how:

1. Agree to the number of authorized hours with 1. Agree to one or more project milestones with
your client via the oer details page. your client — clearly outlining what you’ll deliver,
when you’ll deliver it, and for how much.
2. Install and track all your project time using the
Upwork Team App. 2. Before starting any work on the project, wait until
a milestone is funded and the money is held in
3. Add descriptions and notes of your work to your
escrow.
time log.
3. Submit your work through the Upwork platform.
4. Quickly communicate with your client, and
request approval for, any changes needed to your 4. Make sure you’ve been paid for a milestone, and
authorized hours. that the next one is funded, before continuing
work.

Tips for a successful contract

Regardless of which type of contract you and your client agree to, make sure you always:

• Agree to nal payment terms (hours, deliverables and costs) on the contract oers page.
• Conrm that your client has a veried payment method on le.
• Always deliver work through the Upwork platform.
• Only receive payments through your Upwork account.

Finding work & submitting proposals A

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15
Submitting a proposal
and interviewing

Now that you’re ready to submit proposals to

clients, here’s how the process works:

1. Find a project you like and press the 5. The client will review proposals and contact
“Submit a Proposal” button. freelancers for interviews.
2. Review the number of Connects required 6. The client may propose a paid “test project”
to submit a proposal, and your Connects to get a better idea of your skills. This is a
balance. great way to nd out how well you’ll work
3. Read below for tips on writing a winning together. Just be sure to agree upon pricing
Proposal. terms before you begin. There are no free
test projects on Upwork. This is a violation of
4. Enter your oered rate, write a cover letter,
our policy.
add attachments (if any), and send the
proposal. 7. After everything is discussed, the client will
send you an oer. Review it, accept it and
start working.

What are Connects?

Connects are tokens you use to submit applica- Freelancer Basic plan comes with 60 Connects
tions. If the client invites you to apply or is rehir- per month, while the Freelancer Plus plan
ing you, you won’t need to use any Connects. All includes 70 (with the ability to purchase more
other applications require anywhere from 1 to 5 and roll over unused Connects to the following
Connects, depending on factors such as the size month). For agencies, the Agency Basic plan has
and type of job. 60 Connects per month, while the Agency Plus
plan comes with 80 Connects per month. Your
Each Upwork membership plan comes with a monthly Connects budget is replenished at the
Connects budget. For individual freelancers, the beginning of your billing cycle.

Finding work & submitting proposals A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 16

Tips for writing a winning proposal

You can make a strong rst impression with your

proposal. Introduce yourself, highlight your skills and
experience, and tell the client why they should award
you the project. It’s your opportunity to show that you
understand the project and are qualied for the project.

Here are ideas to write a stellar proposal that works

well with clients and leads to interviews:

Be specic Provide requested information

Keep it short and to the point. Briey tell the Some clients might ask you to answer a specic
client about your relevant skills and experience. question, or to include a keyword in your cover
Showcase specic examples of your experience letter. This helps them lter out generic, “copy
related to the client’s projects. and paste” proposals. Look for these directions
and follow them.
Get answers up front
Ask clarifying questions about the project. Proofread, edit, and deliver
You’ll show your understanding and demonstrate Did you address all the criteria and answer the
the value you’ll bring to the project. client’s questions? Have you added relevant links
to samples of your work? Do a nal grammar and
spelling check before you hit “Send.”

Don’t Spam
Don’t send a generic “cut and paste” proposal. It hurts your chance of being awarded
the project and can reect poorly on your Upwork reputation. It’s okay to adapt an old
cover letter, but make it relevant to the project you’re trying to win.

Finding work & submitting proposals A

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Suggest a price

On Upwork, freelancers always set and negotiate their

own rates. You can even set a dierent xed or hourly rate
for each proposal you submit. Just change the default rate
in the proposal before you hit the “Send” button.

To decide your price for xed-price contracts, some

freelancers nd it makes sense to start with an estimate
of how long it will take to nish.

Here’s one way to do it:

Break the job into phases Add it all up

For instance, building a website may include Add up the estimated cost of all phases (plus
ve of them: planning, design, development, a little extra to account for unexpected issues).
review, and testing.
Consider prot vs. risk
Calculate your charge In deciding on a nal amount, consider any
For each phase, calculate your charge by additional prot desired or risks that you might
estimating the time it will take to complete, take on.
including revisions.

Finding work & submitting proposals A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 18

Submit and carry on

Once you’ve submitted your proposal, you may

receive a notication that the client would like to
set up an interview (or maybe even engage with
you immediately). In some cases you may not hear
anything back at all.

Clients are not required to respond to all proposals,

so keep your options open by also submitting
proposals to other projects.

What is circumvention?
Circumvention is when you accept a client’s payment outside of the Upwork
platform during the exclusivity period specied in the Upwork User Agreement.
Doing so, or suggesting this to your client, is a violation of the User Agreement and
can result in your account being placed on hold. If a client asks you to start work
without creating a contract on Upwork, beware! You won’t be protected by Upwork
Payment Protection, and Upwork can’t ensure you’ll get paid.

Just remember: Work on Upwork, get paid on Upwork.

Finding work & submitting proposals A

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Upwork 19
Complete the interview

If the client requests an interview, reply quickly with

your availability and nd a meeting time that works for
you both. This will increase your chances of winning the
project. If your potential client is in a dierent time zone,
be prepared to interview at a time that is outside the
traditional 9-to-5 window.

Interviews can be text-based through Upwork Messages

or Skype, or over the phone. So agree to a method that
works best for both of you. Make sure you understand
how the interview will be conducted (for example, voice vs.
Upwork Messages text), so you can prepare in advance.

Here’s some tips to make the most End on a positive note

of your interview: Ask if there is a deadline for hiring, so you’ll
know when the client will make a decision. Also,
Be exible don’t forget to thank them for considering your
Time zones and communication preferences vary proposal.
with each client. Be willing to adapt to the client’s
time and interview requirements.
After the interview:

Do your homework
Provide additional info
Research your client and their project, so you
If you promised to send some extra details or a
can have a meaningful conversation about their
link to a portfolio piece during the interview, do
business. Before starting, write down a few
so promptly. It’s easier to do it right after the
project-specic questions.
conversation.

Be professional
Always follow up
Talk about your accomplishments, and ask
Send a short note and reiterate on the agreements
questions about the engagement, in a way that
made during the conversation (if there are any).
is respectful and polite.

Be honest
If you don’t know the answer to a question (or
don’t like the answer you have to give), be honest.
Misleading a client will lead to a bad experience
for everyone.

Finding work & submitting proposals A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 20

CHAPTER 4

Doing the
work &
getting
paid
A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 21
 Starting the project
with a kicko

You control how you get the work done, and your
clients will rely on your expertise to get started.
Before you start working, consider setting up a kicko
meeting or writing a message to your client. Another
popular action is to establish a client communication
plan that details how often you’ll report on progress.
You can communicate with your client through
Upwork Messages, email, or chat — but choose one
method and stick with it to avoid confusion.

Doing the work & getting paid A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 22

Managing and delivering work
hourly contracts

UpWork App

Applications

Using the Team App

If you’re starting an hourly contract, you’ll want to Your client may set a maximum number of hours
download the Team App to log hours and get paid you can log in one week. Know your limit and tell
for your time. your client when you’re getting close to it. This
allows them to decide whether to increase the
The Work Diary feature of the Team App helps limit or wait until next week to continue.
you track your time and takes work-in-progress
snapshots at random times in 10-minute When the week is over, you and your client have
intervals. These snapshots reassure your online a chance to review your timelogs before they are
clients that you have worked all the hours billed nalized and payment is processed.
to them through Upwork and helps ensure you’ll
be paid, even if a dispute arises. (You can always The billing cycle ends every Sunday, and your
delete any snapshots you don’t want shared and earnings become available 10 days later.
billed to your client.)

Doing the work & getting paid A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 23

Managing and delivering work
Fixed-price contracts

Milestone created Milestone achieved Payment

Escrow and milestone-based payments

For xed-price contracts, you and your clients If, however, there’s no way to come to a consen-
will create a list of milestones. The client will sus, either you or your client can reach out to
prefund each milestone with escrow, and the Upwork for free dispute assistance. In this case,
money will be visibly held on the Upwork we will schedule and moderate a discussion, so
platform. When you’ve completed the work for that you can come to a mutually agreeable
a milestone, it’s a good idea to let your client resolution regarding the release of funds held
know and submit your work to them on Upwork. in escrow.
If they’re satised with the work, the funds will
be released to your account, and you’ll follow the
same sequence for the next milestone.

If your client is not satised with the services, you

will have to communicate directly and discuss
adjusting the terms of the deliverable in order to
nd a mutual understanding and get paid.

Doing the work & getting paid A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 24

Trust & safety
Upwork payment protection

Every hourly contract using the Team App is eligible

for Upwork Hourly Protection to give you condence
that an hour worked is an hour paid.

Every xed-price contract managed with escrow

and milestones is protected by Upwork Fixed-Price
Protection. Just set up your contract terms, manage
the work and payments on Upwork, and you can have
condence you’ll get paid.

A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 25

CHAPTER 5

Finishing
touches

A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 26

 Completing a Contract

Your contract is complete after you’ve delivered

the nal product or the number of hours needed by
your client has nished. Send an email to notify your
client and let them know you’re available if they have
questions or concerns.

If your contract remains open, your client may still be

reviewing your work. But because you receive nal
feedback only after the job is closed, feel free to ask
them to close the contract once the work is reviewed
and paid for.

Finishing touches A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 27

Managing your reputation
and prole

Once you complete a contract, your client has the

opportunity to rate your work from 1 to 5 stars with
nal feedback. They can also provide you with a private
recommendation rating, and leave a note about their
experience. These are optional for the client to leave,
but most do as it is an important method for evaluating
their experience. The most important things you can do
to receive good nal ratings is delivering quality work,
communicating early and often with your clients, and
being an overall pleasure to work with.

Pay attention to your Job Success Score Refresh your prole:

Your Job Success score is a comprehensive, Update your portfolio once a project is done,
single measure of your work and reputation on adding an image or link to the nal product,
Upwork. Talented freelancers who deliver high if it’s permitted by the client.
quality work to their clients nd that the Job
Success score helps them promote their freelance Learned something new?
business in the Upwork marketplace and win new Add it to your overview and skills list.
clients and contracts. And if you’ve strengthened a skill, retake the
relevant test on Upwork or mention that skill
more prominently.

Have a great testimonial from a client?

Perfect; add that too.

Finishing touches A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 28

Strive to be the best:
Our Top Rated program
and Rising Talent program

Top Rated Program Rising Talent Program

The Top Rated program recognizes freelancers The Rising Talent program provides an added
who consistently deliver high-quality work to benet to freelancers with strong backgrounds in
their clients. their elds, who are new on Upwork.

The program provides Top Rated Upwork The program provides:

freelancers with perks that may include:
• A Rising Talent badge on your prole
• A Top Rated badge to help your Upwork prole • Specialized customer support team
stand out • Personalized prole tips to help you stand out
• Invitations to submit proposals for premier projects
• Priority phone, chat, and email support

How do you qualify? How do you qualify?

By consistently delivering great experiences for Always comply with the Upwork Terms of Service
your clients on Upwork. Here are more details on and deliver great work!
what it takes to become Top Rated:
• A 100% complete Upwork prole
• A Job Success score of at least 90% • Up-to-date availability status
• 12-month earnings of at least $1,000 through • Regularly submit proposals to projects relevant in
Upwork your skill set
• An account in good standing with no recent account • Deliver great work to your clients and receive great
holds feedback
• A 100% complete prole with photo • Complete your projects on time and as promised
• Up to date availability (if unavailable now, set a date
estimate)
• At least 30 days of work history on Upwork.

BadgeUp
Once you have enough work history to earn a great Job Success score, you’ll no
longer be eligible for the Rising Talent program. But you can then start working toward
Top Rated status!

Finishing touches A
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Best
practices
How you run your business is completely up to
you, but here are some practices from successful
freelancers which you may want to consider.

Communicate early, communicate often Respect deadlines

Be proactive—clients usually get concerned Deliver your work on time, every time. If you
when they don’t hear from a freelancer. think you’ll miss a deadline, let your client
know so they can plan accordingly.

When in doubt, ask Be a pleasure to work with

This will help clear up confusion, save time, Listen to your client’s concerns and respond
and keep the engagement running smoothly. with a positive attitude. Developing a rapport
can make for a great work experience for
both parties.
Set clear expectations
Provide honest and realistic project updates
Under-promise, over-deliver
and quickly alert your client when you
Never promise more than you can deliver and
encounter a problem.
consider giving a little extra to every project.

Finishing touches A Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork 31