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Upwork Fees for Freelancers

Upwork Fees for Freelancers

Last updated: September 28, 2026

Upwork fees for freelancers in 2026 are a variable service fee between 0% and 15% on each contract. The percentage is shown before you submit a proposal or accept an offer, and it stays fixed for the life of that contract. Connects, an optional membership, and the way you withdraw sit on top of that cut.

Service fee

0% – 15%

When it locks

Per contract

Where you see it

Before you bid

What Upwork charges freelancers in 2026

The freelancer service fee is a percentage of what you invoice the client. Upwork sets it per contract using its own pricing rules — category, supply, and the client relationship can all move the number. You do not pick the rate, and it does not drop automatically after $500 or $10,000 the way the old sliding scale did.

Read the percentage on the proposal or offer screen. That figure is the one that applies to every payment on the contract, including later milestones, until the contract ends. If a payment is refunded, the service fee on that amount is returned with it.

ContractFreelancer feeWhat to expect
Marketplace contract (since 1 May 2025)0% – 15%Shown before you propose or accept. Locked for that contract.
Contracts started before 1 May 2025Flat 10%Grandfathered on the previous structure.
Enterprise clientTypically 10%Set by the enterprise agreement, not the public slider.
Direct Contract (your own client)ReducedLower than a standard marketplace contract.
Any Hire or Upwork Payroll0%No freelancer service fee on those rails.

The older schedules, briefly

Before May 2023, Upwork used a sliding scale on each client: 20% on the first $500, 10% up to $10,000, and 5% after that. From mid-2023 the public rate became a flat 10%. On 1 May 2025 that flat rate was replaced by the variable 0–15% fee. Guides that still quote 20% / 10% / 5% as the current marketplace schedule are describing a retired model. Our older sliding-scale explainer covers that history; this page is the 2026 schedule.

Costs besides the percentage

  • Connects. You buy Connects to submit many proposals. Packs are priced per Connect (often about $0.15), and one job can ask for several. That spend never shows up on the client invoice.
  • Freelancer Plus. An optional monthly membership. It does not replace the service fee on contracts.
  • Withdrawals. After Upwork takes its cut, PayPal, Payoneer, Wise, or a bank wire can take another slice. See the payout comparison.
  • Client-side fees. A contract initiation fee is charged to the client, not deducted from your earnings.

What you keep on a $1,000 invoice

These figures are the marketplace fee only. They do not include Connects, withdrawal, or tax. On Fiverr, the same $1,000 leaves you $800 before payout.

Rate on the proposalUpwork keepsYou keep
5%$50$950
10%$100$900
15%$150$850

The UnFee calculator presets Upwork at 10%, a midpoint inside the current band. If your proposal shows a different rate, choose Other Platform and type that percentage. Then add your withdrawal method and tax. For the tax layer, use the Upwork fees and taxes guide.

Calculate your Upwork fees

The preset uses 10%. Switch to Other Platform if the rate on your proposal is not 10%, then add payout and tax to see take-home pay.

Calculate Fees

You Keep

$0.00

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