Learn how Upwork’s faster payouts help Top Rated and Top Rated Plus freelancers get paid five days sooner, who qualifies, and why payout timing may vary.
In this article
- What is a "faster payout" on Upwork?
- How do faster payouts work?
- Who qualifies for faster payouts?
- I qualify for faster payouts. It's Friday, and I don't see my funds. Why?
- Will the reduction on hold on funds be applied to fixed-price contracts?
- Why is there a review/security hold for payments in the first place?
- I used faster payouts but my reports show the wrong payout date. Why?
What is a "faster payout" on Upwork?
With faster payouts, the typical 10-day wait for payment is cut in half for hourly contracts. Your client will still have five days to review your hours, but you will not have a five-day security hold after your client releases payment.
Cleared payments are released on Fridays by 11:59 p.m., UTC.
How do faster payouts work?
We’ll apply your clients payment to your Upwork account five days earlier as long as:
- You’re Top Rated (including Top Rated Plus)
- Your client’s billing method can be charged successfully
- Your client doesn’t dispute your hours
Once your money becomes available in your balance, you can withdraw it at any time by selecting Withdraw now, even if you have an automatic withdrawal schedule set up.
Who qualifies for faster payouts?
Top Rated and Top Rated Plus freelancers and agencies are eligible for faster payouts for hourly contracts. This perk doesn’t apply to fixed-price contracts or payments impacted by refunds.
I qualify for faster payouts. It's Friday, and I don't see my funds. Why?
Cleared payments are released on Fridays by 11:59 p.m., UTC. If your client pays later than 12:00 a.m. UTC, the payment will not be released early (even if the payment was successful and you qualify for faster payouts). If you live in another time zone, please calculate the time difference to determine when your payment will be available. We will email you after your payment is applied and ready to be withdrawn.
If you issue a partial refund to a client, the remaining payment won’t follow the faster payout schedule.
Instead, that payment will be subject to the standard 10-day security hold.
Will the reduction on hold on funds be applied to fixed-price contracts?
The five-day security hold still applies for fixed-price contracts.
Why is there a review/security hold on payments in the first place?
There is inherent risk in payment processing, driven by the potential of fraud, disputes and chargebacks. We also want to give clients time to review their freelancer’s billed hours and project progress before a payment is released.
I used faster payouts but my reports show the wrong payout date. Why?
If you qualify for faster payouts and you receive your funds five days earlier, your reports will still show the standard, 10-day payout date on a Wednesday. This is because we won’t know which payments will be released early until we review accounts every Friday morning (if your client disputes your hours or their payment fails, we can’t release your payment until the issue is resolved).