How to charge for hourly work?

[suleiman_ocheni]

Hello everyone,

I’m relatively new to Upwork and have had a few fixed rate writing jobs. However, I just got my first hourly writing job. My question is, am I supposed to charge for the time I spend doing research for the write up or do I only charge for the time I spend actually writing. Also, if I charge for the time spent researching, how do I prove this to the client?

Thank you in advance!

[martina_plaschka]

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Suleiman O wrote:
Hello everyone,

I’m relatively new to Upwork and have had a few fixed rate writing jobs. However, I just got my first hourly writing job. My question is, am I supposed to charge for the time I spend doing research for the write up or do I only charge for the time I spend actually writing. Also, if I charge for the time spent researching, how do I prove this to the client?

Thank you in advance!

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All of these questions you must discuss and agree on with your client before accepting an offer. This avoids misunderstandings and disputes. 

If you research on the internet, the timetracker will show what you do by taking random screenshots of your activity. If you do research in a different way, talk to your client about what kind of documentation is acceptable to him. 

[suleiman_ocheni]

Thank you for your response. I am now more knowledgeable about this aspect of freelancing for future projects.

[wlyonsatl]

This is an interesting question.

Because you should do you best to NEVER add manual hours to your weekly time logs, you must stay active on your computer (by using the mouse or the keyboard) during the time you want Upwork's Time Tracker software to track your work time.

If your research is online, then just invoke Time Tracker (which you have downloaded to your desktop, right? https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211064038-About-the-Desktop-App) and get to work. Be sure to always use the memo section of Time Tracker to clearly let the client and Upwork know how you are spending this time if they decide to review what you have been doing.

And, again, do everything you can to remember to always invoke the Time Tracker app and always avoid adding manual time to your weekly time log. A client never has any obligation to actually pay you for any manual time you add, even if they specifically agree you are allowed to do it on their project.

[suleiman_ocheni]

Thanks so much for your detailed answer. It has really helped to clear everything up for me.