This article explains how to add, edit, and manage milestones for fixed-price contracts as your project evolves and how to respond to milestone change requests from your freelancer or agency. It also covers editing or deleting future milestones, releasing partial payments, and what happens when you reach the final milestone in a contract. - AI helped create this summary.
Milestones give you flexibility. You can add or edit them as needed if your project expands or evolves.
You can add multiple milestones at once, but you’ll fund and activate them one at a time — each milestone needs to be completed before work starts on the next one.
Adding another milestone
Be sure that you and your freelancer are on the same page about upcoming milestones. When you’re ready to add a new one, follow these steps:
- Go to Manage work > All contracts and open the contract
- From Overview, choose Add new milestone
- Enter the milestone details and choose Save or Save and add another
Funding additional milestones
Note:
You can only fund one milestone at a time on a specific contract, and there is a $5.00 USD minimum payment per milestone.
Before you can activate and fund the next milestone, you must release funds on the current one. However, you can release a partial milestone payment (including if you set the milestone at the $5.00 USD minimum) and use any remaining funds to fund the next milestone. You can also request a refund for the remaining amount if you and your freelancer or agency are ending the contract.
When you approve the last milestone you’ll be asked if you want to end the contract or keep it open. You can then activate (or create) the next milestone.
Note:
You only pay a Contract Initiation Fee at the beginning of a new contract. You’ll fund that fee with the first milestone, but you won’t have to fund it again for additional ones.
Edit or delete future milestones
You can delete or edit the title, due date, and amount of any future milestones that have not yet been activated and funded. However, you cannot edit active milestones.
- Go to Manage work > All contracts and select the contract
- From the Overview section, choose Manage milestones
- The button will open a window where you can add, edit, delete, or reorder your milestones — choose the pencil icon to edit the milestone
- To rearrange the milestone list, grab the drag-and-drop toggles on the left of each milestone
- Check your progress with the Show Changes toggle in the window's upper right corner
- Select Save to save your changes
Respond to a milestone change request
Freelancers and agencies can send requests to add, edit, and delete future milestones. If your freelancer submits a milestone change request, you’ll be notified by email and can accept or reject it. You’ll need to respond to the request before you can make any additional changes.
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- Select the link provided in the email or Review changes in the contract room
- Select Accept or Decline as needed
No, you can only fund one milestone at a time, with a $5.00 USD minimum per milestone. You’ll have to release funds on the current milestone before you can activate and fund the next one. You can release a partial payment if you want (including if you set the milestone at the $5.00 USD minimum.) The remaining funds can be used to fund the next milestone, or you can request a refund for the remaining amount.
There is a limit of 200 milestones per contract. After reaching 200 milestones, you will not be able to add new ones. If you wish to continue working with your freelancer, you will need to close the current contract and create a new contract with them. Keep in mind you can have multiple active contracts with the same freelancer.
To rearrange milestones, use the drag-and-drop capability (the six dots) on the left side of each milestone. Select and hold while moving your mouse to change the order of milestones.
To keep everyone involved in the project accountable, you cannot change the order of active milestones. However, you can release a partial payment (including if you set the milestone at the $5 minimum payment) for a milestone and use any remaining funds towards the next milestone.
Don’t worry. We take care of notifying your freelancer or agency via email and through Upwork Messages when changes are made. All additions and changes made to existing contract milestones are detailed in these notifications.
It’s helpful to discuss any contract changes ahead of time so you and your talent can focus on making great things happen.
Both clients and freelancers can edit future milestones, but not active milestones. Freelancers can also propose a new milestone or propose a new contract.
The due date of an active milestone cannot be changed. However, you can communicate with your talent to agree upon new due dates without changing the formal date on the milestone. Upwork does not impose any negative consequences for missing a milestone due date, allowing you and your talent to have total control of the job.