Wondering how payments work for hourly contracts on Upwork? Learn when you get paid, weekly payment rules, and invoice timelines below.
How do payments for hourly contracts work?
Your clients are automatically invoiced and billed for hours you log each week, whether tracked with our time tracker or added as manual time. In most cases, you are paid for your time 10 days after the weekly billing period ends each Sunday.
Important to know:
- Hourly contracts are covered by Upwork Hourly Protection, if your time qualifies.
- If you log time over the weekly limit that you and your client set, that time won't be invoiced. Your client can see it in your work diary, and you can discuss the possibility of a bonus payment for that time, but it will not be automatically billed to them.
When do I get paid for an hourly contract?
All applicable time is invoiced to your client according to the schedule below, using the UTC time zone:
- Week 1 — Log time using Upwork’s time tracker or manually enter hours
- Week 2 — Hours are invoiced on Monday (UTC), and clients have until Friday to review your work
- Week 3 — Earnings become available the following Wednesday (UTC)
Learn more about the weekly billing cycle here.
Bonus payments do not go through the review process but are subject to a five-day security hold.
Note: Some contracts are eligible for faster payments! Learn more here.
What is a weekly payment?
A weekly payment is different than the hours you add to your work diary:
- It is an automatic, recurring payment for a specific amount that clients set up like a retainer. It is entirely optional
- Your client is invoiced for this amount each week in addition to your billable hours in your work diary
- Unlike billed hours, weekly payments do not have a review period and become available after the standard five-day security period