How to withdraw money from Upwork

Upwork holds earnings in your account balance after a security period — here is how to actually get paid.

When funds become available

Hourly contracts run on a weekly billing cycle: work logged one week is invoiced the next and becomes available about 10 days after the billing period ends. Fixed-price milestones clear 5 days after the client approves them.

Withdrawal methods

Upwork supports direct deposit (US), wire transfer, Instant Pay, PayPal, Payoneer, and M-Pesa depending on your country. Bank-adjacent methods usually have the lowest fees — wire transfers cost a flat fee that only makes sense for larger amounts, while PayPal and Payoneer charge their own conversion margins on top.

Set a schedule and minimize fees

In Settings, choose a withdrawal schedule (weekly, twice monthly, monthly, or on-demand) and a minimum balance so small amounts are not eaten by per-withdrawal fees. If you work in a non-USD country, compare what each method really pays out after currency conversion — the cheapest option differs by country.