Learn how payments work on Upwork hourly contracts — including billed hours, bonuses, weekly payments, fees, and the Upwork hourly billing cycle.
In this article
- What type of payments can I make on an hourly contract?
- How does the billing week work with hourly contracts?
- How do I add a manual payment/bonus?
- How do I set up a weekly payment for my freelancer?
What type of payments can I make on an hourly contract?
There's three options:
- The payment you make for the hours in your freelancer’s work diary
- Bonus/manual payment (optional and must be pre-approved by you)
- Additional recurring weekly payments (also optional)
Note: With hourly contracts, your costs will also include the Client Marketplace Fee and a one-time Contract Initiation Fee on each new contract. These are fees that you pay Upwork for using the platform.
How does the billing week work with hourly contracts?
Your freelancer will log hours in their work diary, and you'll receive one invoice per freelancer each week for your hourly contracts. Here’s how it works:
- Every Monday, we’ll invoice you for the previous week's hours based on your freelancer’s work diary
- Your default billing method will be charged automatically for the balance due
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If you need to file a dispute, you must do so before Friday of the week you received the invoice