If you realize after you submit a proposal that you need to correct something, don’t worry — in many cases you can still make changes.
The changes you can make depend on how long it’s been since you’ve submitted and if the client has viewed your proposal.
Within six hours or until the client has viewed your proposal (whichever comes first)
Within six hours or until the client views your proposal, you can edit the:
- Cover letter
- Answers to client questions
- Profile highlights, if available (agencies cannot add profile highlights)
- Attachments
After six hours or if the client has already viewed your proposal
- You can still edit the terms, like your rate or the project duration, until a client accepts or rejects your proposal.
- During this time, you can also boost your proposal if you didn’t originally submit the proposal with a boost. You can’t adjust a boost you’ve already submitted.
A change in terms might include, for example, a different hourly rate, a price change, expected completion timeline, work process or submission format that you described in your original proposal, including who is doing the work for a fixed-price job. (You can have someone else work on a fixed-price job if the client agrees, but you cannot let someone else log hours for you on an hourly contract — letting someone else log hours under your name is fraudulent billing and is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service.)
Keep in mind that the client will see your full rate, including the Upwork freelancer service fees.
To edit your proposal or terms
- Go to Find Work › Proposals and offers
- Find the relevant proposal on the Active tab
- Open the proposal, then choose Edit proposal. If you’re not eligible to edit your proposal, an option will appear that allows you to change terms
- Edit and choose Save when you’re done
If you decide to make changes after you start interviewing with a client, be sure to let them know and that they acknowledge the changes. This can help ensure the client understands which proposal terms they are considering for the contract and help prevent misunderstandings.
A change in terms might include, for example, a different hourly rate, a price change, expected completion timeline, work process or submission format that you described in your original proposal, including who is doing the work for a fixed-price job. (You can have someone else work on a fixed-price job if the client agrees, but you cannot let someone else log hours for you on an hourly contract — letting someone else log hours under your name is fraudulent billing and is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service.)
Keep in mind that the client will only see your full rate including the Upwork freelancer service fees.
Important note:
Once a client has accepted your terms and made an offer, you cannot change the terms of a proposal unless the client agrees to the change. Changing the terms without approval from the client after they send the offer is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service. Likewise, the client will also need to get your approval for changes to the job after you accept the offer.
If you realize that you cannot complete the contract with the current terms and the client does not agree to a change, you may need to close the contract. We encourage you to try to work this out with the client first and to let them know if you decide to end the contract — it’s always best if everyone is aware and knows what’s going on.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can edit the text portions of your portfolio, like the cover letter, up to six hours after you submit it or until the client views it (whichever comes first). After that, you can still edit the terms of your proposal, like the rate, until the client accepts or rejects your proposal.
