Upwork Fee Calculator 2026

Upwork's freelancer service fee ranges from 0% to 15% per contract. At 10%, the calculator's example, a $1,000.00 fixed-price contract has a fee of $100.00 and you keep $900.00 before Connects and withdrawal.

Upwork shows the fee percentage on each proposal or offer, so you know it before you accept. Once the contract starts, the fee is fixed and does not change. You can also see it in your contract details and transaction summaries. Upwork publishes no formula, so enter the percentage it shows you.

A Direct Contract is one you start with a client you bring to Upwork. You pay a flat 5%, or 0% if you are an active Freelancer Plus member. On the same $1,000.00 that is $50.00 of fees, or $0.00 with Freelancer Plus. Future contracts with that client must also go through Direct Contracts.

Clients on the Basic plan pay a client marketplace fee of up to 7.99%, or 3% for eligible U.S. clients who pay by bank account, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. On $1,000.00 the client pays up to $1,094.89 in total. None of this is deducted from you.

Connects cost $0.15 each. Upwork shows how many a job needs on the job post, and the number varies by job. Spending 16 Connects costs $2.40. Count the Connects you spend on proposals that do not win too.

A withdrawal direct to a local bank costs $0.99. A transfer to a US bank is free with a US tax address, and $2.99 with a tax address outside the US since 1 September 2026. A USD wire costs $50.00. On the default contract you keep $896.61 by local bank, $897.60 by US bank with a US tax address, $894.61 with a tax address outside the US, or $847.60 by wire.

Upwork charges a small fee per transfer for these and shows the amount only inside your account. Choose "PayPal, Payoneer or other" in the calculator and enter the fee you see. PayPal and Payoneer can add their own fees too.

Divide by one minus your fee. At 10%, taking home $20 an hour means billing $22.22 an hour. Switch the calculator to "Find price" to include Connects, withdrawal fees and your costs as well.

Yes. Upwork says you pay the fee on all earnings, including bonuses. If money is refunded to the client, the fee on that money is refunded to you.

Hourly work is billed each Monday for the week before, and after the review period a five-day security period applies. On fixed-price contracts the client has up to 14 days to review your work, then a five-day security hold applies. Withdrawal times then depend on the method.

They are Upwork's legacy tiered pricing, which now applies only to older contracts where Upwork confirmed it in writing. New contracts use the variable 0% to 15% fee.