Client did not close the contract/ job so it still has the start date - present.

[valchamberlain]

Hi! I have completed my second job on Upwork, but I noticed yesterday that my first client did not close the contract and provide feedback so it still says the start date - present. I have contacted him to please close it but he did not respond. What should I do and can Upwork admin close it for me? This doesn't help a new freelancer with their stats and reputation. Thank you for your help!

[gilbert-phyllis]

What should you do? Nothing. Can UW close the job for you? No, and you don't want them to. None of us wants UW meddling in our contracts.

As a new FL, you want to accumulate closed jobs with stellar feedback so you can establish a strong JSS. An idle contract on which you were paid anything at all does not hurt. It doesn't help but ti doesn't hurt. Leave it alone. Don't hound the client. 

As you may be aware, when a client closes a contract they are required to leave feedback and the FL is notified and invited to leave fb for the client. (Both are blind, neither fb is displayed until both have responded or 14 days elapse.) As the FL you are welcome to close a contract, in which case you are required to leave fb and the client is notified and invited to leave fb. Many clients have disengaged by then and don't bother to come back and leave fb. It's better if the client closes the contract before they move on with their life. When you finish a project, send the client a message along the lines of, "Thanks for the opportunity to work with you on [whatever]. If you don't need anything else, you can close the contract and in the future, you can always re-hire me with one click." Then let it go. The last thing you want is for a happy client -- who might have hired you for additional projects down the road -- to get annoyed and ding you on fb because you pestered them about it.

A certain number of no-fb contracts are inevitable. As long as you were paid something, they are only a problem if they come to represent a large proportion of your jobs. I've had both hourly and fixed-price ones sit for months and years with no negative ramifications.

Focus on landing more new projects and knocking them out of the park. That is how you get a strong JSS going. Once you do, continue to focus on finding good-fit projects and delighting the clients. If you do that, your stats will take care of themselves.

Good luck!