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hausplus
Community Member

Urgent Milestone escrow problem

Hello, i have a job runnnig with a milestone to be submitted at 11th june. But the client wants to hold that job and added a new milestone of two new jobs to do first due at 3rd and 10th june. The first milestone is funded, but not the latest 2 milestone. He agreed to delay the submission of the 1st milestone.

My question is, shouldn't he fund the escrow for the latest job first! If he goes and funds with the old one, how does the milestone works then! It shouldn't be finished without the official payment for the latest one, does it! I am confused what is right, what is safe to do. Can anyone help! 

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

There are many Forum participants who are active both as clients and freelancers.

 

I have hired over 100 freelancers, but almost exclusively for short term hourly jobs. Hourly contracts are simpler than fixed-price.

 

I think that the original poster is working with a client who has honest intentions, but is facing a client-side user interface which is relatively complicated. I don't think the client fully understands how all of this works.

 

And because the freelancer is also new, things are awkward and confusing.

 

Hasib:

Petra has provided good advice. I advise you to not stress out about this. Be calm, but communicate clearly to the client when you have finished some work and expect to be paid for that work.

 

Keep in mind that the budget does not count. Future milestones don't count.

 

What matters is money that has been released to you. If you have done $100 worth of work, then you need to see $100 released to your account.


You need to focus on the Milestones Paid number. That is money that has actually been released to you.

 

If the client is having trouble doing that, then be patient, but tell him you will wait. If he needs to use bonus payments, he can do so. If he needs to close the current contract and set up one simple contract per task, then that is okay.

 

It is not Hasib's job to figure out how to release money to the freelancer. It is Hasib's responsibility to NOT do any more work until he gets paid for the work he has already done.

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11 REPLIES 11
petra_r
Community Member

The client can not fund any additional milestones until the current milestone has been released.

Is the amount for the second or third similar?

 

The client could release $ 5 from the 1st milestone and then use the money (left in Escrow) to fund milestone 2

hausplus
Community Member

No, it's not the similar. All four are different. How can he solve this! Moreover, how can i have payment for all the milestone!
The 1st milestone has 140$, 2nd and 3rd is 70 and 46, 4th is 184$. Now, if he releases only half of 1st milestone, and tells me to accept it, how can i be paid in the 2nd (70$) milestone! This feels complicated.

Hasib I.,

 

If there are different jobs, why doesn't the client set them up as separate jobs if Upwork's milestone system is not robust enough to allow for what you want to achieve under a single job?

Hello Will, thanks for your reply. I asked the client to do that. Instead he did this weird thing with milestone. The client seems spent lots of amount, he should have known this. Should i be worried! What can i do! Can he be trusted with this approach!

As i am new to upwork, i never faced this kind of milestone issue. I didn't know what to do.

As the client has the right to edit milestone, what can i do! Is there a process to solve this, as the client has the right to change the milestone! No option for the freelancers to confirm.

Hasib I,

 

If you post the current milestone structure here (including what's already funded) and the milestone structure you and the client have agreed is now a better structure, someone here has probably faced a similar problem and can give you some specific advice on a solution you and the client can both live with.

 

At the very least, don't begin work on any milestone until it is fully funded and you have been paid for work submitted under all previous milestones.

Hello Will, here it is.

Among all regular posters here, Hasib, Preston appears to have the most experience on Upwork as both client and freelancer. If he sees this, I'm sure he'll try to help.

 

As will anyone else who thinks they have a solution, I'm sure.

 

Good luck!

There are many Forum participants who are active both as clients and freelancers.

 

I have hired over 100 freelancers, but almost exclusively for short term hourly jobs. Hourly contracts are simpler than fixed-price.

 

I think that the original poster is working with a client who has honest intentions, but is facing a client-side user interface which is relatively complicated. I don't think the client fully understands how all of this works.

 

And because the freelancer is also new, things are awkward and confusing.

 

Hasib:

Petra has provided good advice. I advise you to not stress out about this. Be calm, but communicate clearly to the client when you have finished some work and expect to be paid for that work.

 

Keep in mind that the budget does not count. Future milestones don't count.

 

What matters is money that has been released to you. If you have done $100 worth of work, then you need to see $100 released to your account.


You need to focus on the Milestones Paid number. That is money that has actually been released to you.

 

If the client is having trouble doing that, then be patient, but tell him you will wait. If he needs to use bonus payments, he can do so. If he needs to close the current contract and set up one simple contract per task, then that is okay.

 

It is not Hasib's job to figure out how to release money to the freelancer. It is Hasib's responsibility to NOT do any more work until he gets paid for the work he has already done.

petra_r
Community Member




Hasib I wrote:

This feels complicated.


It's perfectly simple. Do the work for milestone 2, and request $ 70 on milestone one. The client can release that, delete milestone 2 and then activate and fund milestone 3 using the escrow funds. Then you can do milestone 3 and request $ 46. Then milestone 4 can be created for the work originally planned for milestone 1, and activated. This will use up the remaining escrow funds.

 

That's the least complicated way to proceed.

 

Alternatively, the client could pay you a Dollar and close the contract, and start from scratch, but that is needlessly complicated-

 

 

hausplus
Community Member

Thanks a lot Petra, that might work. I hope the client is good enough to do this.

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