How to file a dispute about a freelancer's hours

How do I dispute the hours my freelancer billed me?

To file a dispute:

1. 1. Go to Manage work > Your contracts and select the relevant job
   2. Under the Timesheet tab, you’ll see the hours billed from last week. Select Dispute
   3. You’ll see the billing period, the total hours you were charged, and how long you have to dispute charges at the top of the page. Read more about the dispute process and select Continue
   4. Enter the amount of time you want to dispute, in hours and minutes. You can’t dispute more hours than the freelancer has worked that week
   5. Select a reason for the dispute. You may select multiple checkboxes
   6. Certify that you’ve read and understand our Hourly Payment Protection terms and conditions
   7. Choose Submit

Important: To be eligible to file a dispute with Upwork, you must do so during the five-day review period that starts Monday at noon UTC after the billing period closes, and ends Friday 23:59 UTC. 

What happens after I file an hourly dispute?

Here’s how the process works:

1. We notify the freelancer or agency. As soon as you file a dispute, we alert the freelancer or agency business manager via email and a notification in their Upwork account.
2. They have 3 calendar days to respond. If they accept the dispute, we’ll refund any eligible hours to your original payment method within three calendar days.
3. If there’s no response or they decline, we step in. A dispute specialist will review the work diary and apply the criteria outlined in Upwork Hourly Protection. While we review, the payment is placed on hold.
4. We review the dispute within 1 business day. Once our specialist begins reviewing, we’ll aim to reach a decision within one business day.
5. After our review, the funds are released or refunded. If the decision goes in your favor, the billed amount (including Upwork fees) is credited to your Upwork account. If it goes in the freelancer’s favor, payment is released to them.

How do I withdraw an hourly dispute?

You can withdraw the dispute if you and your freelancer come to an agreement, or you decide it isn’t necessary. Once you withdraw the dispute, we release the funds to the freelancer and you can’t file a dispute for that current week’s hours again.

1. Go to Manage work > Your contracts and select the relevant job 
2. Select View dispute
3. Select Withdraw dispute and select a reason for withdrawing
4. Certify you have read and understand the terms to withdraw the dispute
5. You’ll be charged for all hours logged in the disputed week

I missed the deadline to file a dispute. What do I do?

If you miss the five-day window to file a dispute, you and your freelancer should work together to resolve any issues. You can also ask your freelancer to issue a refund.

My problem is with the quality of work, not the hours billed. What do I do?

Filing a dispute through Upwork’s process must be based on the hours a freelancer has billed you for. This means you cannot file a dispute because you are not satisfied with the quality of the freelancer’s work. In those cases, you and your freelancer should discuss the matter and work together to resolve any issues. You can also request a refund from your freelancer.