To increase a freelancer’s hourly rate on an active Enterprise Standard contract, select “Increase rate” from the options menu in the contract's settings—this change applies to future hours only. Freelancers must initiate any rate decreases. For Enterprise Compliance or Upwork Payroll users, rate changes must go through your respective support teams or Employer of Record.
Your options for changing a freelancer’s rate depend on the type of Enterprise services your company is using.
If you're an Enterprise Standard user, only the freelancer can lower a contract’s hourly rate on an active contract and only the client can raise it.
Raise the rate on an hourly contract
- Go to Manage work > Your active contracts and locate the contract
- Select the (...) options menu and select Increase rate
Enter the new rate and select Save Changes
The new rate will take effect immediately on future hours logged. Hours that have already been logged will be paid at the previous rate. The existing contract will continue, and it will be updated on your work histories to reflect the new rate.
If you want to request a lower hourly rate for an active contract, either ask your freelancer directly to do so or negotiate the lower rate on future contracts with the freelancer.
If your company is enrolled in compliance services, please contact your Enterprise Program Team to discuss contract changes.
If you’re engaging freelancers through the Upwork Payroll solution and would like to adjust the rate, please contact your Upwork Payroll team. We will communicate your needs to the Employer of Record (EOR) who is supporting your freelancer’s assignment.
For Upwork Payroll engagements in the U.S., contact us at Upwork Payroll US Contracts. For Upwork Payroll engagements outside the U.S., contact us at Upwork Payroll Intl Contracts.
All rate changes for Upwork Payroll engagements must be made by the EOR. Changing the rate on Upwork does not change the freelancer’s rate.
Here are some other important points about rate changes for Upwork Payroll:
- Freelancers cannot decrease their rate on Upwork Payroll contracts
- The EOR can unilaterally increase a freelancer’s rate for compliance with applicable law, including minimum wage laws
- EORs usually prefer to make new rates effective at the start of the next pay period