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dana_bartos
Community Member

Best practices for weekly billing - hourly contract

I am starting to submit my weekly time log for a project but throughout the week I respond to messages from my client which takes me 2 minutes-if that. Can I include that time into my weekly log? The consultation and feedback I give them takes me 1-2 minutes yet it's info that is really robust. I feel like I should be paid for that. Any tips?
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robin_hyman
Community Member


Dana B wrote:
I am starting to submit my weekly time log for a project but throughout the week I respond to messages from my client which takes me 2 minutes-if that. Can I include that time into my weekly log? The consultation and feedback I give them takes me 1-2 minutes yet it's info that is really robust. I feel like I should be paid for that. Any tips?

If you are logging in manually, it doesn't allow you to put down 2 minutes.  But you can if you're using the time tracker.  And yes, you should be paid for your work (feedback/consultation). 

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prestonhunter
Community Member

My best practice tip:

Bill for ALL the time that you spend working on a client's project.

 

If there are little bits of time where you spend one or two minutes responding to an email message, then be sure to add those up and log manual time for that work. Even if it means you need to describe in the memo that this is time logged for "5 different emails answered yesterday and today about the new design."

 

Upwork is not going to force any freelancer to log all their time. But Upwork's official policy is that freelancers are to be paid for all the time they spend working on the project. Upwork officially bans clients from asking for free work.

 

I personally log time for communications. I have clients who love to talk and communicate about their projects and they don't care about the billing. I have other clients who are more thrifty, and they will avoid scheduling phone calls or video conferences and taking up time with emails, etc., because they know that adds to the cost. So they may prefer to give assignments, and let me complete them without a lot of back-and-forth.

 

Each client will have her own preferences about this. But it doesn't make sense to give your time away for free.

robin_hyman
Community Member


Dana B wrote:
I am starting to submit my weekly time log for a project but throughout the week I respond to messages from my client which takes me 2 minutes-if that. Can I include that time into my weekly log? The consultation and feedback I give them takes me 1-2 minutes yet it's info that is really robust. I feel like I should be paid for that. Any tips?

If you are logging in manually, it doesn't allow you to put down 2 minutes.  But you can if you're using the time tracker.  And yes, you should be paid for your work (feedback/consultation). 

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