How Upwork fees work in 2026
Upwork takes its fee from each payment before the money reaches your Upwork balance. You may then pay a second fee when you withdraw. The client pays separate fees on top of the contract price, which do not come out of your earnings.
You receive = Available balance − Withdrawal fee − Connects spent
The variable service fee (0–15%)
Since May 2025, the freelancer service fee is set per contract and ranges from 0% to 15%. Upwork says the rate depends on several factors and can differ from one contract to the next. You see the rate before you send a proposal or accept an offer. Once the contract starts, the rate is locked for that contract and does not change.
| Contract | Freelancer fee (checked 22 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Marketplace contract from May 2025 | 0–15%, shown on the offer |
| Contract started before May 2025 | 10% flat |
| Direct Contract, Basic plan | 5% |
| Direct Contract, Freelancer Plus | 0% |
| Enterprise | typically 10% |
| Upwork Payroll, Any Hire | no fee |
If you are unsure, 10% is a sensible estimate. It is the old flat rate and the rate Upwork uses in its own examples. Always check the number on your offer.
Withdrawal fees
| Method | Fee per withdrawal |
|---|---|
| Direct to local bank | $0.99 |
| US bank (ACH), US tax address | Free |
| US bank (ACH), non-US tax address | $2.99 (since 1 September 2026) |
| US dollar wire | $50 |
| Instant Pay to a US debit card | $2 |
| PayPal, Payoneer, mobile wallets | not published |
“Direct to local bank” pays in your local currency. Upwork’s payment partner sets the exchange rate and says it may include a markup, but does not say how much.
Worked example 1: a $500 fixed-price project
Your offer shows a 10% fee, and you withdraw to your local bank.
- Service fee: 10% × $500 = $50
- Available balance: $450
- Withdrawal: $0.99
- You receive $449.01 (before any currency conversion)
If you spent 16 Connects on the proposal, that is another $2.40. The real cost of the job is then $53.39, or 10.7%.
Worked example 2: what to bill
You want $1,000 to land after a 10% fee and a $0.99 withdrawal.
($1,000 + $0.99) ÷ 0.90 = $1,112.21. Switch the calculator to What to bill to get this for any fee.
For hourly work, the same idea applies to your rate. To take home $27 an hour at a 10% fee, set your rate to $27 ÷ 0.9 = $30 an hour.
What the client pays
Your client does not pay your fee, but pays fees of their own:
- a Client Marketplace Fee of up to 7.99% of each payment (3% for eligible US clients paying by bank account),
- a one-off contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99 when a new contract starts.
So a $500 payment can cost the client about $540. Keep that in mind when you negotiate. Open What the client pays in the calculator to see it.
Tips
- Read the fee before you propose. With a variable 0–15% fee, two similar jobs can leave you very different amounts.
- Bring your own clients through Direct Contracts. The fee there is 5%, or 0% with Freelancer Plus.
- Withdraw less often. Flat fees such as $0.99 or a $50 wire hurt most on small withdrawals.
- Count the currency conversion too. For freelancers in Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Bangladesh or Nigeria, the freelancer take-home calculator follows the money to your local bank, including FX and local tax notes.
- Compare platforms. Fiverr takes a flat 20%; see the Fiverr fee calculator. For clients outside platforms, bill with the invoice generator and check payment costs with the PayPal fee calculator.