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jamstrip
Community Member

New to Hourly Contracts

Hello, I have only done one other job with UpWork and it was a contracted job and all went well. I have accepted a job that is three weeks of working on an horly contract approx. 11 hours straight on Mondays only. I did my first day for this company on 5/4. I turned in my timesheets and work through UpWork. On Monday this week I receieved a notice that the employer now has another week to review my timesheets and pay. So when should I at see the funds moved into at least escrow for this job? I just worked for them again Mon 5/11. So I'm just concerned that I won't see payment before I'm supposed to work for them again next Monday or possibly not at all. They also would like to extend the contract for another two weeks past the agreed upon time so how do I also deal with that?  Just making sure I'm not doing all this work for nothing, thanks. ~Jamie

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Jamie, Martina's response wasn't meant to be a dig at you. She advised you not to work for a fraction of your listed rate because it's usually not a great way to get started on the platform. Accepting jobs far outside it sets a bad precedent on your profile and can make it difficult for you to ever bust out of that low rate, since it's in black and white on your profile that you'll work for it.  Clients have a harder time believing you're worth the higher rate *regardless of your real qualifications.* 

Regarding your other questions, if the status is pending I believe your client has paid then and it will follow the schedule! To track your hours as you work, just download the Time Tracker desktop app (right side of your job feed). It will have your hourly contract there, and you just click to enter a Memo description and start the timer. Do read up on using the tracker a bit because it  has some particular features (like the fact it tracks 10-minute segments, not actual time) that can take getting used to.

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9 REPLIES 9
sjbercot
Community Member

If you are working an hourly contract, you turn on the Time Tracker when you start working and off when you're done. If you use memos properly and have adequate activity, you are automatically paid a couple weeks after you log them. There's not escrow.

If you are working an hourly contract and submitting manual time each week (not using the Tracker as you work), this isn't advisable with a new client you don't trust, since these hours are not protected and can be disputed. There's no escrow.

If you're looking for money in escrow, you have a fixed rate contract, not hourly, which means you should absolutely have money in escrow before you even start the work. If the milestones have not been funded, I would not work for them again until they've funded and released payment for the first two milestones you've completed and funded the next one.

Edited to add: I took a look at your profile, and if the research contract is the one you mean, it's definitely an hourly contract and recording your time. So you should be paid as normally. I would make sure you're logging your hours as you work though!


Ok, thanks... I didn't realize I had to do a time tracking thing and just submitted at the end of the job when I uploaded the data to them at the end of the day because I'm new to UpWork and this is my first hourly contract. So since I've already done 2 days for them and submitted both those days as added in manuel time afterwards how long does it take to receive the payment then? It's not showing any money in escrow. Do I need to do anything else? Like should I email them and ask them to do something to pay me? The first client I did work for didn't know and neither did I that he had to end the job for me to get paid. So I just want to make sure I'm covering everything so I will get paid. The client also required a photo taken at the location at the begining of the day sent to them via text and another one at the end of the day, I guess to prove that I was there. They got the data so I don't see how it could be disputed. I wish I had known this before I started the job. Thanks for your help. ~Jamie

rverang
Community Member

Hello Again, and thank you for your help. So from what I read work week ends, time-sheets get sent out the following Monday to the client. They get a week to review and it has to be paid by the following Saturday, but then funds will not be available to me until the following Wednesday, correct? So today is Sunday and funds just say "Pending" in my box. Does this mean the client has or has not paid it? Client ahs told me that theyhave. Anyway to double check that? I'm fine with waiting until Wednesay to access the money, but I just want to know if the client has paid it or not. Seeing as my last contracted day to work for them is tomorrow. I don't want to do the last day of work if I'm not going to get paid.

 

Also I can not find the "Toggle" switch in the work diary to log my time in realtime for this job. Is it not available since I did the first two days as manual entry? I want to make sure that if I go ahead tomorrow morning that I do it the correct way to ensure payment. All of my research is not helping me in finding this, thanks. ~Jamie

Before you accept a contract, you should familiarize yourself with the platform and how everything works. There are tons of material available adressing all your concerns, and it is very important to know all that stuff beforehand. If you encounter a client as inexperienced as yourself, you will be able to help them.

It's a bit unprofessional to do it backwards, and please don't have a hourly rate of 125 and work for 30! While you might aspire to that rate, you are doing yourself no favors by doing that, it just looks bad on your profile. You can increase your rate reasonably as you go along, but you have 2 jobs so far....

Martina, I don't really appreciate your response. My listed hourly rate is for my skill set of photography and video. The job I took was something outside of my skill set doing simple research for a company. You have no idea what type of financial situation I am in and what I am willing to do or not willing to do for what pay. The company needed simple watch and observe research and I think they are paying a fair amount from what was requested. I took the job because I am currently unemployed due to the pandemic like most of us are. I don't undervalue my work when it's for what my chosen career field is, this job however was not needed for those listed skills. It had everything outlined that I was to do and offered completely fair pay for what was needed and since I was available I applied for it and I took it.

 

I am new to UpWork and I misunderstood how something should be done, it happens.(Even after reviewing all processes) I asked a question about the Work Diary, if you can't answer the question I asked then I suggest you move on and keep your opinions to yourself.

Jamie, Martina's response wasn't meant to be a dig at you. She advised you not to work for a fraction of your listed rate because it's usually not a great way to get started on the platform. Accepting jobs far outside it sets a bad precedent on your profile and can make it difficult for you to ever bust out of that low rate, since it's in black and white on your profile that you'll work for it.  Clients have a harder time believing you're worth the higher rate *regardless of your real qualifications.* 

Regarding your other questions, if the status is pending I believe your client has paid then and it will follow the schedule! To track your hours as you work, just download the Time Tracker desktop app (right side of your job feed). It will have your hourly contract there, and you just click to enter a Memo description and start the timer. Do read up on using the tracker a bit because it  has some particular features (like the fact it tracks 10-minute segments, not actual time) that can take getting used to.


Jamie S wrote:

Martina, I don't really appreciate your response. My listed hourly rate is for my skill set of photography and video. The job I took was something outside of my skill set doing simple research for a company. You have no idea what type of financial situation I am in and what I am willing to do or not willing to do for what pay. The company needed simple watch and observe research and I think they are paying a fair amount from what was requested. I took the job because I am currently unemployed due to the pandemic like most of us are. I don't undervalue my work when it's for what my chosen career field is, this job however was not needed for those listed skills. It had everything outlined that I was to do and offered completely fair pay for what was needed and since I was available I applied for it and I took it.

 

I am new to UpWork and I misunderstood how something should be done, it happens.(Even after reviewing all processes) I asked a question about the Work Diary, if you can't answer the question I asked then I suggest you move on and keep your opinions to yourself.


You are missing the fact that the hourly rate is a strong marketing tool which you should use to your advantage. You can't explain to a potential client looking at your profile for maybe 2 seconds all that reasoning that went into accepting less than a fourth or your desired rate. 

It is a huge discrepancy that springs out immediately and will leave any potential client puzzled or confused. A confused potential client will never become a client.

You obviously don't have to like or even take my advice, just look at the psychology of client decision making and come to your own conclusion. If you think it's a good idea, by all means, go for it. 

 

tlbp
Community Member


Jamie S wrote:

Martina, I don't really appreciate your response. My listed hourly rate is for my skill set of photography and video. The job I took was something outside of my skill set doing simple research for a company. You have no idea what type of financial situation I am in and what I am willing to do or not willing to do for what pay. The company needed simple watch and observe research and I think they are paying a fair amount from what was requested. I took the job because I am currently unemployed due to the pandemic like most of us are. I don't undervalue my work when it's for what my chosen career field is, this job however was not needed for those listed skills. It had everything outlined that I was to do and offered completely fair pay for what was needed and since I was available I applied for it and I took it.

 

I am new to UpWork and I misunderstood how something should be done, it happens.(Even after reviewing all processes) I asked a question about the Work Diary, if you can't answer the question I asked then I suggest you move on and keep your opinions to yourself.


Create a specialized profile for work that you want to do outside of your area of expertise. That way, it makes it more obvious to clients why the rates are different. You can also choose which jobs are viewable on your specialized profile. 

 

As others have mentioned, manual time is not "protected" so if the client later refuses to pay, you are out of luck. Hopefully, that won't happen to you. When you use the time tracker, your payment is guaranteed by Upwork IF certain conditions are met. The guarantee isn't automatic. Among other things, Upwork won't pay for hours in which the total activity is low or there is no written memo describing your work. (Activity is only recorded if there is mouse or keyboard movement. So if you are doing something that doesn't require that type of activity, time tracking isn't very useful.)

At the end of the day, you are always at some risk of not being paid for your time. A scammer may be using a stolen credit card or attempt to dispute your time. Read through the New to Upwork section of the forum to get a better idea of what to watch out for. 

Does your current client have a good history of hiring and paying on the platform? 

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