How to Make Money on Upwork – Turn Your Passion Into FT Work
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Fast Facts
Service Fee:
10% of earnings
Cost:
Free; $20 per month for Freelancer Plus
Earning potential:
Unlimited
Payment frequency:
4; Weekly, Bi-weekly, Quarterly, Monthly.
Minimum withdrawal:
$100
Commitment:
Flexible
Despite its initial limitations (and growing pains), the COVID-19 pandemic improved workplace culture. Being forced to go on lockdown encouraged many creatives and traditional 9-to-5ers to reflect on their goals and needs as employees.
The “new normal” gave many the courage they needed to request more WFH days and to be upfront and honest about their physical limitations (e.g., chronic illness, weakened immune system, etc.). Others decided to quit their job and pursue a freelance career. Some changed their career path entirely.
It’s pretty amazing, right? If you want to gain independence and pursue your dreams, Upwork may be one way to do that. In fact, according to Upwork’s industry research, more than 60% of freelancers who left their full-time jobs to become freelancers make even more freelancing than they did in their previous positions.
Read on to learn how to transform your passion into a full-time job.
Jump To
Getting started on Upwork as a freelancer
Step 1: Create an Upwork account
Before you can use Upwork’s job marketplace, you’ll need to create an account. To do this, visit Upwork.com and click “Sign Up.” (This button is located in the upper-right-hand corner of the website.)
To make things easier, you can sign up using your work email, Apple, or Google account. Either way, signing up is free and only takes a few minutes. If you’d prefer a preferred email address and a brand-new password (that isn’t connected to any of your other accounts), you can do that, too.
Once you’ve set your login info, you’ll be asked to add a few details, including your first and last name and location. You’ll also need to choose “Work as a freelancer” and accept the website’s terms of service, user agreement, and privacy policy.
Then, click “Create My Account.”
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- Get $5 to Make Your First Investment
- Invest in Stocks and ETFs with $1 or Less
- Receive Your Paycheck up to 2 Days Faster
- No Overdraft Fees or Minimum Balances
Step 2: Beef up your profile
Your Upwork profile is like a digital resume, and according to the Upwork website, you’ll need to complete at least 60% of it before you can start applying for jobs or reaching out to potential clients.
With that being said, you’ll have a better chance of getting work with a complete profile (e.g. one that’s 100% filled out).
Although filling in your entire work history may be a bit time-consuming, actually taking the time to do it is easy. You’ll also need to add a professional headshot, your title (e.g., Graphic Designer), a short overview, and at least one skill tag (e.g., web design, virtual assistance, SEO, social media, digital marketing, etc.). You can also list your rate and include links to your portfolio or work samples.
When choosing your rate, be sure to check out the rates of other freelancers first. You may also want to do a bit of research on Glassdoor to ensure you’re asking for a fair rate. Note: You can set an overall rate or customize your rate each time you submit a proposal–this can be set as an hourly rate or a fixed price per project.
According to the Upwork website, it takes approximately 10 minutes to become a verified Upwork member.
Step 3: Choose a membership plan
It’s free to join Upwork via its Freelancer Basic plan (which includes setting up your profile, creating projects, and searching for work); however, the platform charges a service fee of 10% based on your earnings with each client.
In addition to its service fee, Upwork charges freelancers “Connects” to reach out to potential clients. The Freelancer Basic plan includes 10 free Connects per month. One Connect costs $0.15; Connects are sold in bundles of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80.
Those who are interested in upgrading their account can sign up for Upwork’s Freelancer Plus plan for $20 per month.
According to Upwork’s website, Freelance Plus members receive the following perks:
- Better visibility: Upwork keeps Plus members’ accounts “active,” even if you decide to take a break from freelancing for a while.
- Insights: With Plus, you can see what bids your competitors are making on a posted job.
- Better engagement: Plus, members receive 100 Connects per month.
- Customized URL: Plus, members get a customized profile URL.
- Private Earnings: If you want to keep your earnings private, you can do so with Upwork’s Plus plan.
Step 4: Choose how you’d like to be paid
Upwork gives members (both Basic and Plus members) the option to set up automatic payments. To set your preferred payment method and payment settings, go to Settings > Get Paid.
Payment schedule options include:
- Quarterly (last Monday of each quarter)
- Monthly (last Wednesday of each month)
- Twice per month (1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month)
- Weekly (every Wednesday)
Upwork only allows automatic withdrawal when your payment exceeds $100 or more on the scheduled withdrawal date. If your earnings do not exceed this amount, you can use Upwork’s Get Paid Now feature to manually withdraw your funds.
Step 5: Bid and get hired
Once you’ve filled everything out and entered your preferred payment method, it’s time to do the real work. That’s right: Getting your first job isn’t be a cakewalk. But don’t worry! Once you get your first client and rack in some positive reviews it’ll be easier and easier to find work and create relationships with new clients.
Step 6: Get paid and repeat
Upwork freelancers are paid via PayPal, direct deposit, Payoneer, or wire transfer. As mentioned, freelancers can choose when they’re paid using Upwork’s automatic withdrawal feature.
Payment schedule options include:
- Quarterly (last Monday of each quarter)
- Monthly (last Wednesday of each month)
- Twice per month (1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month)
- Weekly (every Wednesday)
You must have a minimum of $100 in earnings before signing up for automatic payments. If you’d rather do a manual withdrawal, you can use Upwork’s Get Paid Now feature.
Reasons To Use Stash For Investing
- Get $5 to Make Your First Investment
- Invest in Stocks and ETFs with $1 or Less
- Receive Your Paycheck up to 2 Days Faster
- No Overdraft Fees or Minimum Balances
Ways to find work on Upwork
Proposals
Your Upwork account features a dropdown menu that reads “Find Work.” If you click on this, a new page will open with a section that reads “Jobs you might like.” Here, you can browse available job postings. Choose between the following options: “U.S. Only,” “Best Matches,” “Most Recent,” and “Saved Jobs.”
Once you find a job that interests you, click on it to open the project details.
The project page should include the following:
- Post date and time: Each project will list the date and time it was posted.
- Location requirements: Some jobs may require you to be in the U.S. If this is the case, you will see a note that reads, “Only freelancers located in the U.S. may apply.”
- Proposal cost: Most proposals cost 2 Connects.
- Available Connects: Underneath the proposal cost, you should see how many Connects you have in your account.
- Description: Each project should have a detailed description of what the client wants. Some project descriptions will also include information about the client or company itself.
- Experience level: Here, the client will list a preferred experience level (e.g., intermediate).
- Rate: The client will post a rate range here. It may be hourly or a fixed rate.
- Project type: Some projects are ongoing, while others are one-time projects. You’ll be able to see that info here.
- Questions: If the client wants you to answer specific questions in your proposal, they’ll put that info here.
- Skills and expertise: Some projects require very specific skills. The client will list their ideal candidate's skill set here.
- Preferred qualifications: In the Preferred Qualifications area you should see the Talent Type (e.g. independent), Job Success Score, and English level.
You’ll also see how many proposals they’ve received for the project. If everything looks OK, you can “Submit a Proposal” or click “Save Job” to save it for later.
Note: A proposal is kind of like a cover letter. This is your opportunity to show the client you’re the right person for the job.
Be sure to read up on the client before submitting. Underneath the project details, you should see the client’s location, how many jobs they’ve posted, how much they’ve paid to date, and their recent review history. If they lack 5-star reviews, you may want to choose a different client to work with.
Don’t see a job you like? You can also visit upwork.com/freelance-jobs/ to browse Upwork’s Talent Marketplace. Here, you can find different types of jobs daily.
Projects
With Upwork, clients can find you via the Project Catalog. The Project Catalog is a place where potential clients go to discover Upwork freelancers. You can create up to 20 unique projects with a set cost, timeline, and package of deliverables. Those who are interested can then browse the listings and make a purchase.
To create a project in the Project Catalog, open your Project Catalog dashboard; click “Find Work” and then “My Project Dashboard.” Choose the green “Create Project” button to start a new project. You’ll then be asked to add a project overview and choose a category. Upwork will also ask you to decide on a pricing model. Many freelancers choose to provide potential clients with options via package tiers.
In the example below, freelance writer Keren D. offers three pricing tiers: Starter ($30), Standard ($60), and Advanced ($90). Each tier is priced differently and includes different deliverables with a different delivery time. She also offers optional add-ons for a fixed price (e.g., additional words for $5, faster delivery for $10, etc.).
In addition to the project itself, Upwork encourages freelancers to showcase samples of their work or highlight their accomplishments using a gallery.
According to the Upwork website, many projects are rejected due to issues with the project’s gallery. To ensure your gallery isn’t flagged, take a second to review the guidelines.
Job invitations
Another way to get work on Upwork is via invitation. This is when a potential client comes to you for a specific project or creative need.
You can find your “Invitations to Interview” using your dashboard's “Find Work” tab. From there, you can accept, decline, or ignore the invitation.
Note: New freelancers may have difficulty getting job invitations until they’ve completed their profiles and received positive feedback.
Reasons To Use Stash For Investing
- Get $5 to Make Your First Investment
- Invest in Stocks and ETFs with $1 or Less
- Receive Your Paycheck up to 2 Days Faster
- No Overdraft Fees or Minimum Balances
Upwork vs. Fiverr
Platform | Service fee | Free plan | Customer support |
Upwork | 10% of earnings | Yes | 24/7 |
Fiverr | 20% of earnings | Yes | 24/7 |
Fiverr
If you’re looking for even more freelance work Fiverr is another popular option amongst freelancers. Unlike Upwork, Fiverr doesn’t charge a membership fee. However, there is a 20% service fee per gig. So, if you make $5 on a one-off project, Fiverr will take $1.
Fiverr works on a tier system. The more jobs you complete, the better your seller level. Beginners are listed as New Sellers. After completing 10 highly rated gigs within 60 days, you can earn Level 1 seller status. Level 2 follows with 50 highly rated gigs within 120 days. To become a Top-Rated Seller, you need 100 highly rated gigs at a minimum of $20 each that are always on time during 180 days. The higher the rating, the more likely you'll get gigs and higher earnings, but take whatever you can get, do a good job on time, and work to improve your tier.
Cost and fees
Upwork is free to join and use. For $20 per month, users can purchase Freelancer Plus, an upgraded membership.
Upwork charges a 10% service fee on your earnings.
Related: Want to Make $700 Fast? Here’s How.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Easy to find new jobs. Thanks to the Talent Marketplace, Upwork makes it easy to find work.
- Skill certifications. In addition to adding your employment history and samples, Upwork gives freelancers the option to add certifications to their profile via Credly. Those who do not have a Credly account can add certifications manually.
- Remote work. Being a full-time freelancer means you can work from home! Or, on a tropical island (as long as you have Wi-Fi).
- Upwork offers high-paying projects: Unlike other “budget” freelancing platforms like Freelancer.com or Fiverr, with Upwork you can charge higher rates for your services. Of course, this means you’ll need to dish out high-quality deliverables (but that’s a given if you want to succeed).
Cons
- Upwork fees: Compared to other freelancing platforms (the budget sites we mentioned above), Upwork’s fees are a bit higher.
- Screenshots: Upwork takes a screenshot every 10 minutes via its Upwork Desktop App. These screenshots are auto-loaded into the Work Diary. For some freelancers, this invasion of privacy may be a deal-breaker.
Reasons To Use Stash For Investing
- Get $5 to Make Your First Investment
- Invest in Stocks and ETFs with $1 or Less
- Receive Your Paycheck up to 2 Days Faster
- No Overdraft Fees or Minimum Balances
FAQs
What are Connects and how do they work?
Connects are tokens used to submit job proposals. Freelancers receive a set number each month and can purchase more if needed. Each job application requires a certain number of Connects.
How do I create a successful profile on Upwork?
Complete your profile with a professional photo, detailed work experience, and relevant skills. Write a compelling summary, showcase your portfolio, obtain testimonials, and set a competitive rate.
How can I improve my chances of getting hired?
Specialize in a niche, deliver excellent work, maintain good communication with clients, and consistently update your profile with new skills and experiences.
The bottom line
If you’re new to freelancing, you’ll unlikely be able to replace your full-time income overnight. But if you do the work, it won’t be long until you see the results. Before you begin, look at Upwork’s fees and guidelines to see if it’s your right freelancing platform.
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Writer
Tabitha Britt is a New York-based freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared on INSIDER, the Huffington Post, and Taste of Home. When she's not glued to her computer screen, she can be found walking her beloved pooch, Biscuit.
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