Release x% of milestone payment

[#1]

Hi

We have one fully funded milestone and all funds are now with upwork in their escrew account, however we have a freelancer who wants % of this payment upfront.

Is there a way that I can release x% of this payment up front?

Thanks
Scott

[#2]

Hi Scott,

On the pre-established milestone, when you click the green "Pay Now" button, you'll be presented with the option of releasing a smaller amount and leaving the rest of the funds in escrow to apply to new milestones that you want to create. You can select the "Keep the contract open- I've got more work for (Freelancer's name)".

But I would strongly advise you not to send any funds upfront, you can define the work with your freelancer and once they`ve delivered their work for you to review it you will be able to request changes or release the funds.

To learn more about how you`re protected on fixed price contracts check out this Help Article. If you have any additional questions let me know, thank you.

[#3]

Hi Scott, as already mentioned, the money is in escrow and so long as they turn in work they will be able to claim it. I am not sure the nature of the work you need to be completed, but there is very little on this platform that requires an upfront investment. 

It seems that the contractor may be taking advantage of your newness to the platform. The milestone system protects both parties, it makes sure that the contractor's funds are there once they turn in work, and it makes sure the client's funds are there in the event that they don't.

If an investment is needed to pay for a service that has to do with your contract, such as for example, paying for a subscription or domain name ect, you can always pay for those independently and give the information to the contractor as needed. 

[#4]

Scott,
Your initial deposit at hiring can be for the full contract amount or the first milestone. You can then add and fund additional milestones as agreed with the freelancer throughout the contract. If you ever release less than the agreed milestone amount, the extra funds in escrow will roll forward to the next milestone. The funds stay in escrow until the agreed upon work is completed.

If you fail to respond to a submission within 14 days, the escrowed funds are automatically released to your freelancer as your failure to respond is deemed approval. Therefore, it is important to mark Request Changes on the contract in Upwork if you would like your freelancer to edit their submitted work.

You can go through this article for more details regarding it,
https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211068208-Escrow-for-Fixed-Price-Jobs

[#5]

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Scott S wrote:

Hi

We have one fully funded milestone and all funds are now with upwork in their escrew account, however we have a freelancer who wants % of this payment upfront.

Is there a way that I can release x% of this payment up front?

Thanks
Scott

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ehhhhhhhh be careful with this. If this is a noob, I would suggest telling him the money is in escrow and he can get it when the work on the milestone is done.

[#6]

Escrow is for your protection and the freelancer's protection. Don't ever release escrow unless the milestone has been met.  I never ask for an upfront payment from a client.  If it is a big project, we split up the entire project into milestones and once a milestone is complete and released the next milestone is funded.  As others have said, be careful. 

[#7]

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Scott S wrote:

Hi

We have one fully funded milestone and all funds are now with upwork in their escrew account, however we have a freelancer who wants % of this payment upfront.

Is there a way that I can release x% of this payment up front?

Thanks
Scott

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Agreeing with my fellow freelancers. Never, under any circumstances, pay money up front - that is not how the escrowed milestone model works. Tell the freelancer that once the first milestone has been delivered and approved, that is when that you will release whatever percentage you both agreed on. There are too many bad outcomes in the client forum about paying freelancers up front, and then not receiving the work.

If they give you a hard time about this, then perhaps they're not someone you want to work with. If this freelancer is new, maybe they don't understand the system, but that is not on you.