Note:
Starting May 1, 2025, the Freelancer Service Fee for new contracts changed from a fixed 10% to a variable fee (up to 15%) based on factors such as client demand for certain work. Occasionally, this variation may include promotional discounts, and we’ll notify you if a promotion applies to you. Once a contract starts, the fee will stay the same for the life of the contract, and fees on existing contracts will not change. Learn more here.
As a freelancer or agency on Upwork, you’ll pay a service fee on all earnings from contracts, including hourly, fixed-price, and Project Catalog projects. We deduct this fee automatically from your earnings. Upwork’s rate calculator helps you estimate your net earnings, although rounding can cause slight discrepancies in the final amount. Certain types of contracts may have different fee structures, including contracts with Enterprise clients, which may have contract-specific fee structures. - AI helped create this summary
As a freelancer, you’ll pay a Freelancer Service Fee on the earnings you make on Upwork. This fee is charged on hourly, fixed-price, and Project Catalog projects (including consultations).
You can see your fee on your Billings and earnings report and on your Transaction and invoices report.
Agency Service Fee
Agencies working with non-Enterprise clients are subject to the same Freelancer Service Fee as other freelancers.
Rounding estimated earnings
The rate calculator estimates your net take-home pay after the fee to help you bid accurately. We charge the client the exact billing rate you enter, but sometimes the resulting fee is a number with more than two decimal points that must be rounded to the nearest cent with each transaction.
Rounding results in earnings slightly less than estimated
Example: You want to take home $20 USD per hour after the Freelancer Service Fee. If your fee is 10%, you’ll charge the client $22.22 USD per hour. 10% of that rounds to $2.22 USD per hour. Let’s say you bill 12 hours.
- Your client is charged $266.64 USD (12 hours x $22.22)
- The 10% fee is $26.664 USD or $26.66 USD when rounded down
- Your net earnings are $239.98 USD ($0.02 less than estimated, 12 x $20 = $240 USD)
Rounding results in earnings slightly more than estimated
Example: You want to take home $25 USD per hour after the Freelancer Service Fee. If your fee is 10%, you’ll charge the client $27.78 USD per hour. 10% of that rounds to $2.78 USD per hour. Let’s say you bill 12 hours.
- Your client is charged $333.36 USD (12 hours x $27.78 USD).
- The 10% fee is $33.336 USD or $33.34 USD when rounded up.
- Your net earnings are $300.02 USD ($0.02 more than estimated, 12 x $25 USD = $300 USD).
Exceptions
Upwork Payroll
Freelancers participating in the Upwork Payroll service are paid through a third-party staffing firm and are therefore excluded from paying an Upwork Freelancer Service Fee.
Any Hire
If you work for a client on an Any Hire contract, you will not pay a Freelancer Service Fee. These contracts are negotiated with the individual client who either met the freelancer off Upwork or paid the conversion fee to work with a freelancer found on Upwork's Marketplace.
Direct Contracts
If you have created a Direct Contracts contract with a client you brought to Upwork, you’ll pay a reduced Freelancer Service Fee. Learn more about how Direct Contracts fees work here.
Enterprise
If you’re working with an Enterprise client, then the standard Freelancer Service Fee structure might not apply to you. In general, Enterprise contracts have a 10% fee. Enterprise clients are designated by a badge on their client profiles.