Learn how Upwork weekly payments work — from setup to stopping them. Understand billing, paused contracts, and mid-cycle payments for freelancers.
In this article
- What is a weekly payment?
- How do I set up a weekly payment?
- How do I turn off the weekly payment?
- Can I pay my freelancer only a recurring weekly payment?
- If a contract is paused, suspended, or disputed, what happens with the weekly payment?
- How do payments work in cases where a contract starts or ends in the middle of the Upwork weekly billing cycle?
What is a weekly payment?
A weekly payment on Upwork is a set payment you agree to automatically send to a freelancer each week — typically in exchange for ongoing support, reserved availability, or flexible project work.
Instead of paying per task or tracked hour, you’re compensating your freelancer with a lump sum.
How do I set up a weekly payment?
When you offer a freelancer or agency a contract, you can add a recurring weekly payment amount, which will be added to your invoice each Monday. You'll see this option under Advanced Options on the offer form.
Important to know:
- Weekly payments are a great option if you want to set up a recurring weekly payment on top of the hours a freelancer adds to their work diary, or if you just want to pay your freelancer a set amount each week and not require the work diary
- The weekly payment amount is billed every week in addition to any hours billed from your freelancer's work diary
- It is also billed every week even if your freelancer has not logged any hours in their work diary
How do I turn off the weekly payment?
To end the weekly payment, you must end the current contract, rehire your freelancer, and set your new terms in the Advanced Options.
Can I pay my freelancer only with a recurring weekly payment?
Yes. To use a recurring weekly payment as the sole payment for an hourly contract:
- Set the hourly limit for a freelancer's work diary to zero
- Under the Advanced Options section, include the weekly payment you'll pay to the freelancer
If a contract is paused, suspended, or disputed, what happens with the weekly payment?
If a contract is paused, disputed, or your account was suspended for any reason (including warnings) during the week, the corresponding weekly payment will not be issued. You can make a bonus payment to the freelancer for any work completed.
How do payments work in cases where a contract starts or ends in the middle of the Upwork weekly billing cycle?
When the contract begins, we invoice a percentage of the total weekly amount based on the day the contract began:
- Monday – 100%
- Tuesday – 80%
- Wednesday – 60%
- Thursday – 40%
- Friday – 20%
- Saturday, Sunday – 0%
When the contract ends, we invoice a percentage of the total weekly amount based on the day the contract ends:
- Monday – 20%
- Tuesday – 40%
- Wednesday – 60%
- Thursday – 80%
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday – 100%