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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
d2bbbe24
Community Member
Hey!
Thanks for your response, also can you let me know how can I submit my
hours on direct contract. I have logged the hours currently and there is no
payment schedule set. Can you guide me regarding this?
AleksandarD
Community Manager

Hi Rida,

 

You can log hours by going on the contract page and clicking the 'Edit Hours' button as shown in this screenshot. In the popup, add the hours and click on the green 'Save' button.

 

Thank you.

david_goder
Community Member

I started a direct contract with my client, who deposited an exact amount of money needed to complete the project in some amount of hours. the credit card that he used does not have any more money left on it to be charged. is it possible for me to get paid from the already deposited money without having to have a surplus on the credit card?
Thanks.

AleksandarD
Community Manager

Hi Davit,

 

There's no option to do that. In order to start an Hourly Direct Contract, the client is required to make a deposit into Escrow. This is simply a deposit that allows the contract to start, not the actual funds that go to you, the freelancer. The deposit will go back to the client once the job is complete and is closed.

 

Thank you.

31fe4060f9af9b6c
Community Member

 Hi, I have been sent a contract from 2 freelancers on upwork, which i am happy to pay for, and as i am in the UK my bank is not listed to pay via bank transfer so i have tried to pay by card and Upwork refuses the transaction. 

I have confirmed with my bank that payment is being accepted by bank, but upwork wont allow the payment to go through. It is over $5,000 but does this matter? Please advise why my payments are not being accepted when all of my bank details are correct. 

 

AleksandarD
Community Manager

Hi Luke,

 

I checked and it looks like the charge is being declined from your bank's end. I suggest that you try with another card to see if that helps.

 

Thank you.

31fe4060f9af9b6c
Community Member
Hi,

I have checked with my bank, and they said it definitely isnt them, They
tried to process the charge but it was declined by upwork.

I cant try with another card, as only have the one.

please advise what to do next?

Kind regards

Luke
aitzaz_nasir
Community Member

I created the direct contract and sent it to my client. When my client tried to pay the money a technical issue occurs.

 

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

 

We tried every possible solution. We tried by changing browsers, by changing devices, and by clearing caches. But in the end, we only found error, error, and error.

 

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Aitzaz,

 

Could you ask your client to try and clear their cache and cookies or use another browser? Thank you.

aitzaz_nasir
Community Member

Yes, He did. We checked in every browser like chrome, opera, and firefox. We also checked in different devices like mobile, laptop, and computer.