🐈
» Support » Product Release Notes » Direct Contracts now live for all freelancers
Page options

Direct Contracts now live for all freelancers

lenaellis
Community Member

To help grow and support your freelance business on and off Upwork, we are releasing Direct Contracts to all Upwork freelancers today. With this new release, we have also expanded the functionality to now include multiple milestones. 

 

Direct Contracts allows you to enter into fixed-price contracts with non-Upwork clients, offering access to Upwork's safety and security features with greater flexibility for your business. Freelancers can access their Direct Contracts by clicking on the new paper airplane icon next to notifications or directly here.

 

Direct Contract Icon.png

 

Here’s how it works: 

 

On the Direct Contracts page, freelancers will see the option to start a new Direct Contract and a list of all existing Direct Contracts along with the status of that contract.

 

The steps to start a new Direct Contract are very simple:

 

1. Enter your client’s details

1. Create.png

 

2. Add either a single amount or create milestones with each amount

MM - Collapsed.png

 

3. Review and send the contract

3. Review.png

 

4. An email is sent to your client to begin

4. Confirmation.png

 

 

Your client will receive an email notifying them of your detailed proposal, along with some guidance on how the product works. 

 

Just like your other fixed-price contracts on Upwork, your client deposits project funds in escrow before the contract starts. You will see the status of the milestone listed below each one, so you will know when to begin working. When you’ve completed the contract or each milestone, you’ll request payment from your client. And with Direct Contracts, once they’ve accepted your request, the funds are released to you immediately, with no security period.

 

5. - Active - m1.png

 

As a freelancer, you’ll pay a processing fee of 3.4% of the total contract amount, but you won’t pay any freelancer service fees to Upwork. It’s easy for your clients because they won’t have to create an Upwork account.  And with payment protection and dispute assistance, you can work confidently with your clients who are not on Upwork. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions.

 

405 Comments
g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Sanjeev,

 

We will be asking clients who start new Direct Contracts to begin paying a small processing fee on the payments they make to their freelancer(s). We are currently building this option into our site, and testing it out with select Direct Contracts to start. In the future, a payment processing fee for clients will be added to all new Direct Contracts. When that occurs, we will be sure to update all communications, Help articles, etc., to share the fee amount that we decide upon. In the meantime, we welcome your feedback about all things Direct Contracts, so please feel free to share it!

 

Regarding the funds, your contract is still pending to be accepted and you can view this from your Direct contracts home page. Once it's accepted, the funds will be transferred in Escrow as well. Thank you.

marketingadvent
Community Member

This means you are adding 3% on the client-side as a processing fee. right?

 

If the client made the escrow then it should be automatically accepted as Upwork do not accept the contract without escrow.

 

Please confirm as our client is getting frustrated to use this. We tried to move them on Upwork but lot of issues occur after that.

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Sanjeev,

 

One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible and will assist you further with your direct contract. Thank you.

marketingadvent
Community Member

please do as we are waiting since morning 

BojanS
Community Manager

Hi Sanjeev, 

 

A member of the team has reached out to you already. You should also be able to access the ticket directly here.

 

Thanks for your patience! 

bm_hamza
Community Member

Hi Folks,

 

I hope you all are doing great.

 

I created my profile a few days ago but still no order, I know it takes time so I planned to get my outside Upwork clients there using the Direct Contract option.

 

My Question is Can a client who comes by direct contract have the ability to give me a review?

 

I have clients outside of Upwork so I want them to hire me by this contract so that my Upwork profile gets some rating as well.

 

 

petra_r
Community Member

Hamza J wrote:

Can a client who comes by direct contract have the ability to give me a review?


No

 


Hamza J wrote:

I have clients outside of Upwork so I want them to hire me by this contract so that my Upwork profile gets some rating as well.


Then you need to use regular contracts.

petra_r
Community Member

Will L wrote:

...but I don't see this proviso for all project contract types.


It doesn't exist for other contract types and never did.

 

Cancelled contracts (hourly or fixed rate) don't affect the JSS unless there is poor feedback.

 

Cancelled Direct Contracts don't affect the JSS either because Direct contracts, paid or not, don't affect the JSS for better or for worse.

 

Project catalogue orders have the 24 hour "cancel without effect" and the once a month "get out of jail free" cards.

 

Those are exclusive to project catalogue contracts.

 

 

 

doncarlosone
Community Member

Can someone please help me out here.  I'm looking at a new client in South Africa and would like to set up a Direct Contract with them via Upwork (much easier as it keeps all of my earningsin a single place).  Before suggesting this to my client, I want to know if they actually can.  The documentation does not specify if South Africa is an available country, and my client would only find this out by responding to the invitiation and attempting to accept the contract.  I do not want them to see that it's not available in South Africa after I've suggested this to them.

2a05aa63
Community Member

Charles A wrote:

Can someone please help me out here.  I'm looking at a new client in South Africa and would like to set up a Direct Contract with them via Upwork (much easier as it keeps all of my earningsin a single place).  Before suggesting this to my client, I want to know if they actually can.  The documentation does not specify if South Africa is an available country, and my client would only find this out by responding to the invitiation and attempting to accept the contract.  I do not want them to see that it's not available in South Africa after I've suggested this to them.


If they have a credit card that works worldwide/paypal it should work.

image.png