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Direct Contracts now live for all freelancers

lenaellis
Community Member

To help grow and support your freelance business on and off Upwork, we are releasing Direct Contracts to all Upwork freelancers today. With this new release, we have also expanded the functionality to now include multiple milestones. 

 

Direct Contracts allows you to enter into fixed-price contracts with non-Upwork clients, offering access to Upwork's safety and security features with greater flexibility for your business. Freelancers can access their Direct Contracts by clicking on the new paper airplane icon next to notifications or directly here.

 

Direct Contract Icon.png

 

Here’s how it works: 

 

On the Direct Contracts page, freelancers will see the option to start a new Direct Contract and a list of all existing Direct Contracts along with the status of that contract.

 

The steps to start a new Direct Contract are very simple:

 

1. Enter your client’s details

1. Create.png

 

2. Add either a single amount or create milestones with each amount

MM - Collapsed.png

 

3. Review and send the contract

3. Review.png

 

4. An email is sent to your client to begin

4. Confirmation.png

 

 

Your client will receive an email notifying them of your detailed proposal, along with some guidance on how the product works. 

 

Just like your other fixed-price contracts on Upwork, your client deposits project funds in escrow before the contract starts. You will see the status of the milestone listed below each one, so you will know when to begin working. When you’ve completed the contract or each milestone, you’ll request payment from your client. And with Direct Contracts, once they’ve accepted your request, the funds are released to you immediately, with no security period.

 

5. - Active - m1.png

 

As a freelancer, you’ll pay a processing fee of 3.4% of the total contract amount, but you won’t pay any freelancer service fees to Upwork. It’s easy for your clients because they won’t have to create an Upwork account.  And with payment protection and dispute assistance, you can work confidently with your clients who are not on Upwork. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions.

 

405 Comments
kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Hi Subodh,

 

Thanks for your interest in the Direct Contracts feature and your questions. 

There is currently no limit for how many Direct Contracts you can initiate. 

Please note that any information submitted to Upwork, including the client's email and payment information, is processed by Upwork in accordance with our Privacy Policy for the purpose of managing the contract you have with the client

Since your client and you will only be using Upwork for payments, any Direct Contracts will not impact your Upwork reputation metrics like Job Success Score. 

u616507
Community Member

Hello,

 

I have been trying to create a direct contract for days now, at first in went, but after the first contract was completed and i tried creating another, it keeps telling me "We are sorry! We are experiencing a technical problem and cannot process your request right now. Please try again in a minute", very frustrating.

 

PLEASE HELP! ... it has been on for days now.

AleksandarD
Community Manager

Hi Temitope,

 

I'm sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. One of our team members will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further.

Thank you.

mrigayas
Community Member

Hi

 

I received a query from one of my clients regarding direct contract.The client is not on upwork and hence I am posting question on his behalf.

Can the direct contract invoice from upwork be used for tax purpose and be shown in his account keeping books.

 

Thank you.

albert_samuel
Community Member
Hi!

I've been trying to send to my client outside Upwork an invoice to my client via the direct contract feature but it's been telling me this:

"We are sorry! We are experiencing a technical problem and cannot process your request right now. Please try again in a minute."

Could you work on this please? It's been happening since Monday
g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Samuel,

 

Please ask your client to clear their cache and cookies or log in with another browser to accept the contract. Thank you.

albert_samuel
Community Member
Thank you Goran.

Although, it's clear you didn't understand my message.

I can't send an invoice at all.

When I click on 'create contract', it shows this:

"We are sorry! We are experiencing a technical problem and cannot process your request right now. Please try again in a minute."

Better explained?
g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Samuel,

 

I`m sorry about the confusion. Could you please try the same steps from your end and let me know if you`re still experiencing the same problem? Thank you.

albert_samuel
Community Member
Still experiencing it.

check attached image
innocent_arani
Community Member

Hello Jason, 

I have been trying to use the direct contracts feature but it is not working. 

I have attached a screenshot for the error

 

Please let me know if the problem is on my side. 

Thank yo