That might be a weird question, let me explain: For the past 2+ years I’ve worked with/for the same client. We have agreed on my earnings, but they decide my tasks and schedule - they at least let me choose from the few options available. We also have a team meeting every Monday, work 40 hours a week and paid holidays.

Am I still a freelancer or independent contractor?

I’m not from the US, but have moved to the country very recently and I’m trying to understand how to do my taxes

I got a direct message from a potential client & after talking with him, he seems really nice. I'm about to accept the contract, but his stats are a bit worrying:

• Total spent: $3K
• Average hourly rate: $11
• Total hours: 368

These numbers don't add up. How can someone spend an average of $11 per hour and get 368 hours of work done with just $3K? Should I be concerned or take this as a red flag? Also, he keeps bringing up issues he's had with other freelancers. That part doesn't bother me as much, but his stats do. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

EDIT: I thought it’d be helpful to share a bit more context to clarify things. He did mention some problems he had with other freelancers, but honestly, I found those concerns pretty valid. He’s had a tough time overall. From what I gathered, he was trying to get things done on the cheap, but it turned into a total mess.

He initially tried to do the same with me, but eventually decided to hire me at my rate. It was clear he wasn’t fully prepared to invest, so he cut back on the total hours I can work. He did say there might be a chance to increase those later, but that all came after a lengthy back & forth conversation.

When I say he was nice, I mean he really shared the whole story with me. It felt like he genuinely trusted me, which is a nice change from the typical clients. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I got a good feeling about him. My main concern is still the stats and whether there’s a refund possiblity, especially since this is a long term contract. I'm still feeling a bit unsure about what to do next. Should I take the plunge or just back out?

As an entrepreneur I know that there is always a cost to doing business.

Simply with Upwork your cost of doing business is buying connects to get access to a pool of potential clients that you’d otherwise have to:

1. Pay Ads to Reach or
2. Do large volume of cold outreach.

With these leads being warm on Upwork there also more in a buyer mindset. I have to still sell myself but way less than a customer acquired from paid ads or cold outreach. That’s a win in my eyes.

I understand why some people get upset, when they charge connects for the things like invites, but everything else seems valid to me. Upwork helped me get my agency going when I first started 3 years ago.

If you agree or disagree share your thoughts.

Stay respectful, I’ve seen how hot headed this community gets 😂

When interviewing potential freelancers for a project, how much information should a client disclose?

Beyond outlining the project scope and expectations, what other details should a client share with freelancers?

In a development project, especially one involving intellectual property, how can a client provide enough information at the interview stage without revealing sensitive details?

If I’m looking to hire someone to develop an app based on my wireframe, how much should I share without disclosing the actual wireframe to every candidate? While the chosen freelancer will receive full project details, I’d prefer to keep intricate aspects confidential during the interview phase.

Is it sufficient to mention the number of wireframes or Figma files involved? What additional information would be helpful at this stage?

Hello!

As the title suggests, I recently responded to a freelancer proposal in which I asked if he would sign an NDA before we speak. He said sure, and I said I could send it as a PDF or if email if he separates the @ from the username. After doing so, he withdrew the proposal with the reason of "Inappropriate Client Behavior".

I was told to do this "username @ domain.com" method by multiple other freelancers and thought nothing of it, especially because Upwork has said it is acceptable to exchange personal contact information in the case of legal paperwork such as NDAs.

I am now wondering if this "Inappropriate Client Behavior" is going to hurt my chances of securing a contract with other freelancers? Is this information visible to freelancers?

The Upwork community page which made me think this was acceptable: https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Is-it-allowed-to-share-sharing-contact-details-for-NDA-document/m-p/1651837

I'd like to avoid this treatment in the future, so what is the preferred method of sending an NDA through something like Docusign if we can't exchange email addresses?

Thanks in advance.

Just curious if a client (since they've become so bad) decides she doesn't want to pay my weekly salary from the last year, would I have any protection?

I want to work as a YouTube script writer on Upwork. You might ask why. Well I love reading and I know I can write pretty decent. I think script writing on Upwork is going to work out for me. So can any help me? Like how do I start?

My contract with my client was paused October 30 by upwork. Na inform ko agad client ko about it and she said she have a problem with her billing but she added na the new card from bank to update it. It was fixed na, she even sent me this which clearly states in the picture na fix na talaga. May experience po ba kayo neto? Up until now di parin na unpause ng upwork ang contract namin with client. Helpppp. How long will this take po ba? Or dapat ba meron gawin si client para ma unpause to?

Is it just me or the "Seen" status is not available anymore in chat?

I got negative review some time ago and now my JSS is 80%. I have five active contracts however. How long do you think will it take for active contracts (which have ongoing work billed) to make it back to 100%?

Hey! I've been wondering if a client can file a dispute even after ending a fixed-price contract with left feedback from him (probably, he can), and if so, how long he has such a possibility? I wasn't able to figure out this myself.. Thanks!

I specialise in web development and this year I saw very low profile views compared to previous years. I am Top Rated Plus and among the high earners. I know there is the rotation system but for the entire 2024 profile views have been low.

Profile is fully completed and I also have projects in project catalog.

What are your strategies for getting a good amount of views?

For example I get under 10 views per day

Is it me or have the quality of jobs on upwork been very bad recently? By bad, i mostly mean low budget. But, even topics/industry, I'm not seeing a lot i am interested in or a fit for.

Is it because the end of the year is approaching?

The same thing happens everywhere, freelancers are “sellers”, and “clients” are the root source of income for everyone (platform, and us).

We have no big differences than sellers on Amazon or E-Bay. If you have a chance, you can ask a seller on these platform about their feelings. Once the platform grows to a certain level, they & clients have more power than “sellers”, they can change the rules for their benefit. Same goes for this sub reddit.

Can anyone explain to me what is the problem if my application fits the requirements 100%?

Still nothing many of them don't even react?

I'm new in upwork so need some advice.

Hi everyone,
I've recently been rethinking my hourly rate strategy on UpWork. A post I saw on Reddit intensified these thoughts. To briefly summarize, a graphic designer who just received the Rising Talent badge managed to secure a $30,000 project from their first client with an hourly rate of $15.

I've been on UpWork for about four years now, and a few times a year, I get projects in the $2-3k range. However, breaking beyond that range rarely happens. Lately, I've been mostly working with returning clients. My proposal-to-job conversion rate seems decent, but despite being on this platform for over three years, I still feel like there’s something I’m missing.

I work on 3D architectural visualizations, and my hourly rate is $35. However, my project volume is almost non-existent. In the group, I often see recommendations to focus on niche areas and keep hourly rates high, but recently, I’ve been considering lowering my hourly rate slightly to increase project volume and then potentially raising it again in the future.

What do you think? Would lowering my rate to boost workload be a reasonable strategy, or do I need a different perspective? I’d genuinely appreciate your insights

https://preview.redd.it/h9ec18ajokyd1.png?width=429&format=png&auto=webp&s=3def25de7b83208a699111b8f8c58dd195f4be46

https://preview.redd.it/98dep4bjokyd1.png?width=549&format=png&auto=webp&s=e06d4c7671bfbbb0da1dfaa263d5bf5d25b9334a

How GetEstimate.ai Helped Me Win More Projects on Upwork – A Freelancer's Tool You Should Know About

Hey fellow Upworkers,

I’ve been freelancing on Upwork for a while now, and one of the toughest challenges I’ve faced is estimating project costs accurately. I either spent too much time figuring it out or ended up underpricing my work. That’s when I started using a tool called GetEstimate.ai, and I wanted to share my experience with you all in case it helps anyone struggling with the same issue.

My Use Case:

As a web developer, I often have to juggle multiple projects and clients. Estimating how long a project will take and what to charge was always a tricky balance. I was either spending too much time on this or offering inaccurate quotes.

GetEstimate.ai changed that for me by providing:

1. Fast, AI-powered estimates that took into account project scope and industry data.
2. The ability to customize estimates for different client needs and project types.
3. Professional, clean estimates that impressed clients right from the start.

With this tool, I’ve been able to:

• Respond to job postings faster and with more confidence in my pricing.
• Win more proposals by presenting accurate and well-structured estimates.
• Spend less time on admin work and more time on actual project delivery.

I use this tool for estimations and you what tool you use to estimate to spend quick answers for the clients?

just finished negotiating all project details with a previous client, and asked me to start a contract and says he'll accept it and fund it.
am I still protected when I propose a contract?

Hello everyone, I recently began working as a freelancer, and I would appreciate any advice you could provide to assist me in my journey. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE 😊

I really don't see myself constantly updating my resume with obscure new startups every month so I can offer an updated one to the 2-3 potential clients per year who ask for it.
I work in design so I keep my portfolio well updated instead.
What would you do?

I'm American. My partner isn't, and we live outside the US.

My partner, who's a native English speaker and extremely well qualified for the freelance work she seeks, hasn't had success on Upwork as most employers seem to want their freelancers to be American.

I have a question and a followup question.

My partner and I suspect that the nationality requirement has to do with bank accounts and work rules in the US. Do you think that's correct?

If that's correct, if I were to set up a company based in the US (sole proprietorship or similar), with an American business bank account, do you think my partner could sign up for work on Upwork through this company and potentially get this freelance work that has US citizenship requirements?

I've done some reasonable amount of Google researching of the above, but didn't find any information.

Thank you very much for your help!

so i recently made a bank account (maybank) i’m in Phillippines and i deposited the payment i got there but it hasnt shown up yet, is there like a holding period? how long does it take for it to show up?

i’m kinda new in upwork but has been a freelancer for years now and only took paypal as a payment method before.

I was doing a ton of extra work for my client and she's super happy. I just realized she set a due date on both milestones. One was an extra milestone she made just as a way to give me a bonus.

One was due Oct 29 and one was due yesterday on Nov 1. She just approved them today on Nov 2.

Tia

For $8, they want you to remove all filler words, fix interruptions, polish the audio to a professional level, and add their intro/outro.
Oh, and it’s a video podcast too. Wow! I guess it’s a fantastic gig… if the podcast is 1 minute long. 🤪

https://preview.redd.it/f5307tahhiyd1.png?width=1290&format=png&auto=webp&s=a62573bb4485d0d9f50efbbf62c7b9d599d7d49a

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience in case it helps others avoid a potential scam. I was recently contacted by a man named Predrag Sipak regarding a position for a Content Editor for a new app called "Toast Videodating." The responsibilities included editing social media posts, creating memes, and producing informative dating tips and videos.

A few red flags immediately popped up:

1. Lack of Information: There’s very little information available about Toast Videodating. I couldn’t find a LinkedIn profile for the app or the person reaching out, which felt off.
2. Strange Communication: After looking up Predrag Sipak, I found two LinkedIn profiles with that name but no clear connection to the app. This made me suspicious.
3. Unreasonable Scheduling: They wanted to set up a Zoom call right away, despite me being in the U.S. and them claiming to be in Switzerland, which has a significant time difference. The urgency felt excessive.
4. Interview Process: During the call, a woman claimed to be interviewing on behalf of Predrag. She mentioned needing 60 posts a week and an hour-long video, which seemed like a massive workload for a new app.
5. Test Work Request: The kicker was when she asked me to do a “test” post. I expressed that I don’t do free work, and she insisted it was just “one post.” Then she added a request for a branding test. I’ve done tests in the past, but they were always compensated in some way.
6. Vague Payment Structure: When I asked about the pay, she said it depended on how fast I worked and wanted the tests submitted by the next day, which felt really off.

Overall, the combination of these factors raised a lot of red flags for me. I decided not to pursue this opportunity any further. If you receive a similar message or job offer, I recommend proceeding with caution and doing thorough research before committing to any work, especially if it involves unpaid tests.

There was also no option to flag this person!

Stay safe out there!