Why is my client only being billed half?

[a_burns71]

I just finished my first hourly contract, and it appears that my client has only been billed for about half of what's actually due. The contract is for $25/hr, and I worked 1:10 on Sunday and 1:00 on Monday, and then we closed the contract on Tuesday. All hours were logged through the desktop app with screenshots, and when I look at my time sheet reports I see all the time there with a contract total of $54.17. But when I look at my transaction history, the client has only been billed for 1:10 at $29.17, which is pending until 2/12. What's the deal here? 

[jr-translation]

You got paid for the work on Sunday. Monday is a new week and will be paid next week.

[seektheinfinite · Accepted solution]

Because of the way hourly contracts work your client has only been billed for the work that you did last week. The work that you did on the Monday will not be billed to them until next week.

[a_burns71]

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Angela P wrote:

Because of the way hourly contracts work your client has only been billed for the work that you did last week. The work that you did on the Monday will not be billed to them until next week.

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I guess that makes sense for long contracts that run multiple weeks, but it seems a little bogus for a 2 hour job, especially when I'm scratching for every nickel trying to get started. Why not just bill the contract total when it closes if it's under a week?

[gilbert-phyllis]

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Alan B wrote:

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Angela P wrote:

Because of the way hourly contracts work your client has only been billed for the work that you did last week. The work that you did on the Monday will not be billed to them until next week.

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I guess that makes sense for long contracts that run multiple weeks, but it seems a little bogus for a 2 hour job, especially when I'm scratching for every nickel trying to get started. Why not just bill the contract total when it closes if it's under a week?

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Because there are tens of thousands of FLs working hourly contracts on the platform. The efficient way to handle that invoicing is in a weekly batch. 

[a_burns71]

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Phyllis G wrote:

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Because there are tens of thousands of FLs working hourly contracts on the platform. The efficient way to handle that invoicing is in a weekly batch. 

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Fair enough. I get that. Thanks.

[AveryO]

Hi Alan, 

You may also want to refer to the Weekly Billing Cycle to understand how your earnings are processed in your Upwork account. 

Since you are new, I would recommend that you read up on these freelancer resources and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, for help getting started, and for more information about working safely through Upwork. 

Let us know if you have other questions!

[a_burns71]

Thanks, Avery! 

[a_burns71]

I'm still a little unsure why closing the contract with a successful job shouldn't automatically bill whatever is outstanding at that stage, but I suspect the answer is going to be similar to why the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. It just does. I don't expect an answer that really makes sense.