This article explains how to use "Connects" on Upwork, which are required to submit job proposals, use ad products (like Boosted Proposals), and activate an Availability Badge. The number of Connects needed for job proposals varies by project and is displayed on the job post. Connects are returned to you in two cases: (1) if a project is canceled by the client before a contract is created, and (2) if a job post is removed because it violates our Terms of Service. Unused Connects roll over each month and expire after one year. Agencies can purchase agency Connects if you subscribe to Agency Plus. Those Connects cannot be used if you close or downgrade the account, but they’ll still be available if you subscribe to Agency Plus again.
At Upwork, we want to provide a marketplace where you and your clients connect with each other and build productive relationships. As a freelancer or agency, you'll use Connects to let clients know when you're interested in working with them and to market your services.
Use Connects
You can use Connects to let clients know you’re ready to work in several ways. You can:
- Submit a proposal to a specific job post. The number of Connects you’ll need varies per job, and we consider a range of factors, including project size, scope, and market demand. For some jobs, you won’t need any Connects. We’ll show you the amount in the job post, so you’ll know how many you’re using before you submit your proposal. No Connects are needed when a client invites you or purchases your Project Catalog project
- Boost your proposal to put it at the top of the client’s list. Use extra Connects to make your proposal stand out and let clients know how serious you are about their project. You choose the number of Connects to bid, but the winning amount will vary because you’re bidding against other freelancers
- Turn on your availability badge to let clients know that you’re available for work right now. The weekly number of Connects needed for the badge varies based on demand. You can control the amount you use for the badge by setting the maximum Connects that you’re willing to use each week
Get Connects
There are three ways to get Connects on Upwork.
Monthly bonus Connects
Each month, freelancers may receive Connects at no extra cost to help reach out to more clients.
Freelancer Basic active accounts may receive 10 free Connects each month. Depending on what offers were available when you signed up for Upwork, you may only get extra Connects after purchasing Connects or a Freelancer Plus membership. To see if you get these, go to your Connects history.
These Connects are given out each month on the first day of your billing cycle, which you can see here. For example, if your current billing cycle is listed as Oct. 11, 2024 - Nov. 10, 2024, you will receive your Connects on the 11th of each month.
Buy Connects
Connects cost $0.15 (USD) each and are sold in bundles or a custom amount of your choice. To purchase additional Connects:
- Go to Settings > Memberships & Connects
- Choose Buy Connects
Once you’ve selected the bundle you wish to purchase, choose Add Connects, and we will automatically charge your account.
Here’s how billing works:
- We’ll first look to use any existing earnings balance on your Upwork account. But, if you don’t have enough of a balance to cover the entire cost, we’ll move to step 2.
- We’ll charge the billing method you have on file with us for the entire amount due. (In this case, if you haven’t set up a billing method yet, you’ll need to add one. Learn more about billing methods.)
The key thing to remember is that we can’t split payments between your Upwork balance and your billing method.
If you’d like to keep money in your earnings balance to cover the cost of Connects, you can set up a reserve balance that won’t be disbursed with your automatic or manual withdrawals. Learn more about setting up a reserve balance.
If you want to purchase Connects for an agency on Upwork, you’ll need to subscribe to an Agency Plus plan first.
Earn Connects
To help freelancers succeed on Upwork, we occasionally reward free Connects. While we can’t share all the details of when Connects are given out (we don’t want dishonest people to “game” the system), here’s what we can share:
- When you join Upwork, you may be asked to purchase Connects or subscribe to our Freelancer Plus plan if you want to submit proposals. Once you choose one, we’ll give you a one-time bonus of 50 Connects to help get you started on Upwork
- You’ll receive 30 free Connects if you earn a Rising Talent badge
- You’ll receive free Connects (the number can vary) when you win an interview with an established client on Upwork. (To prevent gaming, we aren’t sharing all the details of what we consider “established.” In general, it’s a client who has hired and spent on Upwork in the past)
- You’ll get a one-time Connects bonus if you complete an Upwork Skill Certification
- If you've submitted a proposal, you may see opportunities to receive a one-time Connects bonus by completing educational content about trust and safety on Upwork. You’ll find these opportunities through banners on Proposals and offers > My proposals, when they're available
If you’ve been awarded Connects for winning an interview, you might notice some are issued as refunds. That’s because when you get the 10 Connects for winning an interview, some of those are the Connects you used to submit your proposal for the job. Those Connects are refunded and then we add the rest as awarded Connects. For example, if you used 8 Connects to submit a proposal and win an interview, you’ll see 8 Connects “refunded” and 2 “awarded.”
Redeem a Connects reward
From time to time, we will offer free Connects as part of a limited promotion. In these cases, you’ll receive a promo code to redeem the Connects. To use a promo code:
- Go to Settings > Memberships & Connects
- Choose Buy Connects
- Select an amount
- Enter your coupon or promo code
- Choose Apply
That's it! Enjoy your reward!
Manage Connects
Connects are a valuable resource. Before using your Connects to submit a proposal, we recommend that you:
- Carefully review the job post to make sure it matches your skills and availability
- Make sure you have enough time to submit a quality proposal
- Check to see if the client has hired anyone yet and how many freelancers they plan to hire
- Review the client’s history: Do they usually hire right away and have previous freelancers enjoyed working with them?
- Consider the number of freelancers who have already submitted proposals and whether the client is interviewing others yet. While you can still submit to a project that already has many applicants or is in the interview stage, it may be more difficult to get the client’s attention
Returned Connects
Sometimes, a project gets canceled or a job is removed from Upwork without a hire. In the following cases, these Connects will be returned:
- If a client cancels a project before a contract is made, the Connects you used on that proposal will be returned. This does not apply to expired job posts
- If we remove a project’s post because we believe it violates our Terms of Service, Connects you used on that proposal will be returned
If you submitted a proposal and the job is no longer available because of a violation or you used Connects on a job proposal that turns out to be fraud, we'll return them. In these cases, Connects are credited back to your account for reuse — not for a refund of their cash value.
When Connects are not returned
When you use Connects, you’re using them to promote your services, and they won’t be returned if a client doesn’t select you or you change your mind about a job post. In the following cases, for example, your Connects will not be returned:
- The client rejects your proposal
- The client chooses another freelancer
- The job expires without a hire
- You withdraw your proposal from a project
PRO TIP: When you use your Connects, you’re using them to promote your services to prospective clients. Think carefully about a project before reaching out!
Connects balance and limits
To check your Connects balance, go to Find Work. Your balance is shown on the right.
To help you review and manage your monthly Connects use, we provide a report of your Connects transactions for the past 7, 30, and 90 days. To view your history, go to Settings > Membership and Connects then choose View Connects History.
Connects History
Each month, your unused Connects will roll over. Connects will be used in the order you get them and unused ones will expire after one year.
A note on prorated Connects
If you choose to upgrade your account from Basic to Plus, your free Connects will be prorated. This means that we'll allocate them based on time, or specifically, on how many days have already passed during your billing cycle.
By prorating free Connects, we can be sure that you always get a fair amount, no matter when you make changes to your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Connects required to submit a proposal can be seen on the project details page. Required Connects is shown at the top-right under the Submit Proposal and Save buttons. The number of Connects you need to use varies per job and we consider a range of factors, including project size, scope, and market demand.
Yes, you can purchase or earn an unlimited amount of Connects. Remember, Connects expire after a year without use, but we’ll notify you before your Connects are due to expire. You can’t return Connects for money back, either.
No, you can use either your earnings balance OR another billing method to pay for a membership or Connects. You can’t combine payments from each to make one purchase.
No, we are not awarding Connects in cases where you are invited to interview for a job post without submitting a proposal first.
The Connects reward for winning an interview go to the entity that submitted the proposal. If it was submitted under the agency, the reward goes to the agency. If it was submitted under an individual freelancer account, then the free Connects are awarded to the freelancer.
If your account is active and your plan includes free Connects, you'll get them each month on the first day of your billing cycle, which you can see here. For example, if your current billing cycle is listed as Sept. 21, 2024 - Oct. 20, 2024, you will receive your Connects on the 21st of each month.
All of your Connects will rollover (unless they expire). There is no limit on the amount of Connects you can hold.
Connects expire one year from the date of issue.
For freelancers, Connects are sold in bundles of 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300. Agencies have the option to buy those bundles, as well as bundles of 150 or 300 Connects. If you’d like to purchase a specific amount not offered in a bundle, you can also use the custom input field. You can’t purchase less than 10.
