Regarding logging hours on fixed jobs using the Time Tracker

[eyedeosol]

Hi. We are a top rated agency on Upwork. We are currently charging our clients an hourly rate of $25 / hour. Some of our clients are long term clients and give us repeat work. We want to reward them for this and so we want to give them an option to get a cheaper rate (i.e. $20 / hour) if they prepay for 100 hours. So basically they will need to prepay $2000 for 100 hours, and so we will be working for them until we complete the 100 hours that they prepaid for. These repeat clients completely trust us and would not mind one ounce giving us the money in advance.

Now what I am thinking was how to achieve this keeping within the rules of Upwork. We don't want to break any rules and terms of Upwork. I think we can achieve this as follows:

1. We ask our client to open up a fixed fee contract on Upwork with 2 milestones as follows:

• Milestone 1: $1990
• Milestone 2: $10

2. They will approve the first milestone instantly so that we get the payment in advance. 

3. Having Milestone 2 as activated, we will log hours using the Upwork Time Tracker. I know there is an option in the Time Tracker to log hours for fixed fee contracts. As soon as we log 100 hours for them, we will ask them to approve Milestone 2 and thus end the contract. 

4. They can open up a new contract if they need more hours.

So here are my questions and I need guidance from the more experienced people here:

Ques 1. Is all of the above valid according to the terms and rules of Upwork?

Ques 2. Will the hours logged through a fixed fee contract be counted on the profile of our team member (and accordingly on the agency profile because our team members are exclusive freelancers of agency)? If yes, then that would be good as that would help us grow our Upwork profile metrics.

Ques 3. Will the clients be sent screenshots of the hours logged (as are sent in hourly contracts)? That would be great.

Ques 4. Can someone suggest a better way we can execute the prepaid plan so we get the money in advance and still be able to log the 100 hours properly?

Note that these clients of ours are our long term clients and are 100% satisfied with our work and completely trust us. So they will happily pay us the amount in advance. We just want to do everything according to rules and terms of Upwork and don't want to unknowingly violate any rule.

Thanks in advance to the community here that has been helping us every time we have questions. Glad to have such a community here.

[martina_plaschka]

I believe pre-payment is not allowed on upwork, but don't quote me on that.

If you want to incentivise repeat clients by a lower rate, why don't you just charge that lower rate as you go along as you would usually do? If I were a client, I would not see pre-payment as an advantage for me, at all, rather as a rip-off. 

[tlsanders]

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Martina P wrote:

I believe pre-payment is not allowed on upwork, but don't quote me on that.

If you want to incentivise repeat clients by a lower rate, why don't you just charge that lower rate as you go along as you would usually do?

Presumably because the reason for offering the discount is to get cash in hand now.

If I were a client, I would not see pre-payment as an advantage for me, at all, rather as a rip-off. 

Many clients feel differently. I don't like to collect significant sums in advance and use that model only in rare circumstances, but I've had several clients who wanted to pre-pay a chunk--especially near the end of the year when they're trying to create deductible expenses.

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[petra_r]

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Irfan Ullah K wrote:

Ques 1. Is all of the above valid according to the terms and rules of Upwork?

Ques 2. Will the hours logged through a fixed fee contract be counted on the profile of our team member (and accordingly on the agency profile because our team members are exclusive freelancers of agency)? If yes, then that would be good as that would help us grow our Upwork profile metrics.

Ques 3. Will the clients be sent screenshots of the hours logged (as are sent in hourly contracts)? That would be great.

Ques 4. Can someone suggest a better way we can execute the prepaid plan so we get the money in advance and still be able to log the 100 hours properly?

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Question 1: It does not violate any terms.

Question 2: No.

Question 3: Only if they are Plus or Business members I think, because the work diary in reports is no longer available to basic members but I am not 100% sure on that aspect.

Question 4: Personally I would most strongly urge any client to never, ever pay thousands in advance, no matter how much they think they trust the freelancer(s) or at least only when they will see the work product within 30 days of making the payment so they can, if needed, get their money back if it all goes wrong.

This is NOT what contracts are designed to work like and even if it does not strictly violate any rules, it is not really a bright idea for either party. Generally, when freelancers and/or clients misuse contract formats, it ends in tears for one party or both, sooner or later.

[feed_my_eyes]

Maybe you could just log the hours normally, and then when the client reaches 100 hours, give them their discount in the form of a refund.

[eyedeosol]

I think refunds have a negative affect on the JSS.

And why not take less rather than taking more and then refunding.

[petra_r]

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Irfan Ullah K wrote:

I think refunds have a negative affect on the JSS.

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No they do not.

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Irfan Ullah K wrote:

And why not take less rather than taking more and then refunding.

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Then take less. Mission accomplished. If those are trustable long term clients, charge them $ 20 if you want to charge them $ 20.

Asking for thousands of Dollars up front sounds like a scam at worst and incredibly risky at best and clients should categorically never do this, especially not with freelancers in a different jurisdictions and even less with agency freelancers. It would be crazy.

[nstrohman]

try .working normally and then when they hit the goal..pay them via bonus instead of refund?