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How do I get a refund from UpWork?

Nov 14, 2023

Requesting a Refund

Before contacting the freelancer or agency, make sure it wasn't a fixed-price contract or a refund from a previously funded escrow. Any time-logging issues with an agency or freelancer must also be resolved before closing a contract. 

Below are the steps to get a refund from a freelancer:

  1. Log in to your account, go to Jobs then My Jobs and choose the contract title. 
  2. Select the "..." option and choose Request a Refund. 
  3. Fill out the request form and hit Send Request. 

To get a refund from an agency, you'll need to contact Upwork Customer Support. 

Approved refunds are automatically credited to your billing method, but it may take 3-5 business days to receive your funds. Check your refund status by logging in to your account, going to Reports and then clicking on Transaction History. 

What To Do With Refused Refund Requests

For hourly contracts, if the agency or freelancer doesn't respond or declines the refund request, you may be eligible to file for a dispute as long as you request a refund within the review period. Any dispute must be filed by Friday after a billing week closes. Keep in mind that you can only dispute a current invoice. For past invoices, you have to work with the agency or freelancer to discuss and resolve refund issues. 

For fixed-price contracts, you'll need to request an escrow refund. Here's how:

  1. Log in to your account and go to My Jobs. Look for the escrow contract. 
  2. Select the "..." option and choose End Contract. 
  3. Select Pay Another Amount if you want to end the contract or Pay Nothing and request a refund.

An escrow refund request is sent to the agency or freelancer if the final payment is less than the escrow amount. They're given up to 7 days to respond to the request. You automatically get the refund if the agency or freelancer doesn't respond within 7 days, and the refunded amount can take up to 5 business days to appear on your account. 

If the agency or freelancer disputes the escrow refund, you get an email and are given the option to reject or accept their response. Funds are released to the agency or freelancer if you accept the response. If you reject it, a dispute is submitted and a mediation specialist can help you resolve the problem. For answers to further questions about Upwork refunds, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Customer Support.

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Jeff truly believes that all customers deserve good service. He’s been building tools, inventing phone tree hacks and helping customers since before his days at GetHuman. He's also a Google GDE and involved in the Angular community.

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UpWork

Asked 2 years ago
Updated 2 years ago
Viewed 1,001,596 times
Requesting a refund
Get a refund from a freelancer
Get a refund from an agency
Upwork Customer Support
Refund status
File for a dispute
Request an escrow refund
End the contract
Escrow refund request
Meditation specialist
Upwork refunds

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