flat rate payment options?

[mcrobbins]

I typically use the Upwork diary for hourly pay.

I've had a couple of clients wanting to pay me on a weekly or monthly flat rate basis but these projects (like ongoing admin assistance) are not milestone-based i.e. there's no work to submit for approval.

From what I've researched, this doesn't appear to be an option...am I missing something? 

[tlbp]

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Michele R wrote:

I typically use the Upwork diary for hourly pay.

I've had a couple of clients wanting to pay me on a weekly or monthly flat rate basis but these projects (like ongoing admin assistance) are not milestone-based i.e. there's no work to submit for approval.

From what I've researched, this doesn't appear to be an option...am I missing something? 

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Your client can set up weekly payments. 

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

This is an option for every hourly contract.

It is also called "weekly salary" or "weekly retainer" or "weekly automated payment."

I would avoid using the phrase "monthly flat rate" for two reasons:

- the option is weekly, not monthly

- "flat rate" is a phrase often applied to "fixed-price" contracts; and this is definitely not the same thing as a fixed-price contract

A client can set it up by clicking a button to show advanced/additional options when they create an hourly contract.

[prestonhunter]

If it was me, personally, and I was the freelancer:

I would set up any "automated weekly payment" as a true base retainer, and make it clear to the client that in additional to the automated weekly payments, I will ALSO log all time that I spend on behalf of the client.

Many freelancers use the automated weekly payment that way.

But Upwork does not REQUIRE that.

Some freelancers may choose to be paid ONLY the automated weekly payments, and not log any time while working.

The problem with THAT is... What if you imagine into the future... The client said that he will have about 5 hours of work per week, and you set up a weekly retainer with that in mind, but then three weeks into the project... the client asks you to do 60 hours of work. And you had already agreed to do his work for weekly pay that you agreed to based on a 5-hours-per-week estimate?

...Awkward.

[mcrobbins]

Thank you!