What is the deal with getting paid!?

[lilly_terry]

Work has been scarce.  Resources are scarce.  I finally got a client on here, who was very happy with my work, and even tipped me extra.  Yet, I can't get my money.  Upwork says they are "waiting for the funds to settle."  Whatever that is supposed to mean.  Alternatively they say they have to wait to make sure there aren't any disputes from the client.  Hello.  He was very pleased.  Even tried to send me extra.  So, why am I still sitting here, starving, with them holding on to my money?

Money that I earned.

They can keep their cut.  I don't want their money.

I want MY money.

Are they not beholden to the The Expedited Funds Availability Act (EFA or EFAA)? The law is codified in Title 12, Chapter 41 of the US Code and Title 12, Part 229 of the Code of Federal Regulations[1].

[AveryO]

Hi Terry, 

It looks like you're referring to the recently closed fixed-contract with Contract ID #25831647. I can see that the payment for the last milestone was released on 18-December. Payments on Upwork go through the Weekly Billing Cycle. Payments released for fixed-price contracts go through a 5-day security period and will be available to you once the security period is over. You can check the section "Security Period" on the article I have linked above for more information. 

If you check your Reports page (Reports > Overview), you will see where in the billing cycle the payment is. If the payment is in the Pending tab, this means it's already in the security period. You may read through each tab to know when you should expect the payment to be available on your account. You may also read this help article for more information on how you get paid on fixed-price contracts.