Your options depend on the contract type, whether the funds have already been released, and when the payment was released.
If the funds are still in Project Funds or escrow, use the refund of a deposit process instead. The guidance below applies to payments that have already been released to the freelancer or agency.
Fixed-price payments
If the payment has already been released:
- You can request a refund from the freelancer or agency for up to 180 days after the payment is released. The freelancer or agency decides whether to approve the refund.
- If the payment was released within the past 30 days, standard Upwork mediation assistance may be available.
- If the contract is still active, contact Support before closing it. We’ll review the situation and let you know whether the contract needs to be closed before a mediation request can proceed.
- Upwork Dispute Specialists act as neutral parties. We cannot guarantee or require the freelancer or agency to provide a refund or deliver work.
- If more than 30 days have passed since the payment was released, standard mediation is generally no longer available.
- You can still request a voluntary refund from the freelancer or agency within the applicable refund-request period.
- Depending on the specific contract and account history, Support may review whether other limited account-support options are available. Refunds or credits are not guaranteed.
Once a fixed-price payment has been released, the work is generally considered approved unless the freelancer or agency voluntarily provides a refund or another qualifying dispute or support process applies.
Hourly payments
For hourly contracts:
- You can dispute billed hours only during the five-day review period after the work week ends.
- Hourly disputes are based on the hours billed and Work Diary records, not general dissatisfaction with the quality of the work or project outcome.
- If the dispute deadline has passed, the hourly dispute process generally can no longer be used to recover the payment. You can work directly with the freelancer to resolve the issue or ask them to provide a voluntary refund.
Courtesy or account credits
In some circumstances, Upwork may separately determine that a courtesy or account credit is appropriate.
Courtesy credits are discretionary and depend on the circumstances of the account or contract. They are not guaranteed and should not be presented as an available resolution unless eligibility has been reviewed and confirmed.
If a courtesy credit is offered, Support will explain the applicable terms. A courtesy credit is not the same as a refund to the original payment method.
Before releasing future payments
For fixed-price contracts, release funds only after you have received and reviewed the work and are ready to approve the payment.
For hourly contracts, review the freelancer's Work Diary during the weekly review period. If you need to dispute billed hours, submit the dispute before the review period ends.