Getting Paid from Upwork

Upwork offers flexible and secure payment options to freelancers. Here I am providing a detailed step-by-step guide to help you understand how to get paid from Upwork.

Step 1: Set Up Your Payment Method

Upwork supports several payment methods, including Direct to Local Bank, ACH Direct Deposit, Wire Transfer, PayPal, and Payoneer. You can set these up from your Upwork account’s settings. Following are the steps to set up your payment method:

• Navigate to the ‘Settings’ section of your Upwork account.
• Click on the ‘Get Paid’ option under ‘User Settings’.
• Then click on ‘Add Method’ to add a new payment method.
• Select your preferred method and add the relevant information.
• Finally, click on ‘Set Up’ to finish setting up your payment method.

Step 2: Understanding Upwork Escrow

In Upwork, payments for hourly and fixed-prices jobs are protected by the Upwork Escrow. This system confirms that freelancers are paid for the work done, and clients only pay for the work received and accepted.

Hourly Contracts

Under hourly contracts, Upwork’s Work Diary tracks and invoices the hours you’ve worked. This Diary should be used for invoicing each week.

Fixed-price Contracts

Under fixed-price contracts, clients deposit the funds for the project milestone into an escrow. The freelancer then requests payment once the milestone is completed, and the client has 14 days to review and accept or request changes.

Step 3: Withdrawal

Once your payment method is set up and you’ve received funds from completed contracts, you may withdraw your earnings. Remember, there will be a small fee for each withdrawal.

Automatic Payments

You can set up ‘auto-payments’ to get paid without manually withdrawing each time. Auto-payments can be set for daily, weekly, monthly or based upon a threshold level of earnings.

Manual Payments

If you prefer to control when you get paid, you can manually withdraw your earnings at any time.

Note: Always consider transaction fees when withdrawing money.

Remember: Regularly delivering quality work and building strong relationships with clients will ensure a steady income stream on Upwork. Best of luck!