How to manage your Project Catalog order on Upwork

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How do I contact the freelancer for my Project Catalog project?

You can message the freelancer at anytime. To do so from the project's contract workroom, just click the message icon at the top of the workroom in mobile, or select the Messages tab near the top in desktop.

Where can I see the details and next steps for the project?

When you purchase a project, that creates a contract:

Go to Manage work > Your contracts to find your project's contract
Select the contract to open the workroom and see the details

What are requirements and why are they so important?

The requirements are the materials, instructions, or details your freelancer needs from you to start the work. You'll see a list of these in the first step of Steps for completing your project. Sometimes, your freelancer may also send additional instructions right after purchase (like a questionnaire or file request).

Examples of common requirements:

A video editor may ask for your original footage
A website designer might need your logo, visuals, and business info
A data analyst would need your data files or access to them

Requirements may be marked mandatory (must have to do the work) or optional (good to have) by the freelancer, and you'll see that in your project.

Your freelancer can’t begin until they receive these, and your project may be canceled if you don't, so it’s important to send them as soon as you can.

How long do I have to submit the requirements?

You have 48 hours from the time of purchase to submit everything your freelancer needs. If the freelancer has marked the requirements as mandatory and you miss that window, your project will be automatically cancelled and fully refunded.

When does the delivery countdown start for the freelancer?

The delivery timeline starts after you’ve submitted all required materials — not at the time of purchase.

So, if your project promises a 5-day delivery and you send your requirements 12 hours after purchase, day one starts from when those requirements are received.

How do I review and approve the work for a project?

Once your freelancer submits work and requests payment in the contract workroom, we'll notify you. You’ll have 14 days to review and either:

Approve payment OR
Request changes

The steps to review and pay work the same as for milestones in fixed-price contracts. Learn more here.

If you don’t take any action within 14 days, the system will automatically approve the project and release payment to your freelancer.

What if I need to cancel my project?

You can cancel your project within the first 24 hours after purchase for a full refund, especially if:

You purchased the wrong project
The freelancer isn’t responding
The freelancer can’t meet the deadline

What if I’m not happy with the delivered work for a project?

First, talk to your freelancer — many issues can be resolved with a simple revision or clarification. If you’re still not satisfied and decide to cancel without payment after work is delivered:

The freelancer may choose to dispute the cancellation and request payment
If a dispute is filed, you’ll need to respond within five business days
If you don’t respond, we’ll release the funds to the freelancer

Learn more about responding to a dispute here.

How does the feedback process work for projects?

After the project ends, you and your freelancer will each have 14 days to leave feedback for one another. Learn more about how feedback works on Upwork here.

Why was my project order cancelled?

Your order might be cancelled if:

You didn’t submit mandatory requirements within 48 hours
The freelancer canceled within 24 hours of receiving your requirements

In either case, your payment will be refunded within five business days.