Upwork fee calculator
Updated 23 October 2026
Upwork charges freelancers a service fee of 0% to 15% per contract, shown before you apply, plus Connects to send proposals. At a 10% fee a $500 contract pays you $450 before withdrawal fees. Enter your amount and fee below to see your take-home pay and Connects cost.
Upwork charges Connects to send proposals, at $0.15 each at the time of writing. The number per proposal varies by job.
How Upwork's freelancer fee works
Upwork charges a variable freelancer service fee of 0% to 15% per contract at the time of writing. The exact percentage is shown before you send a proposal or accept an offer, and it doesn't change during that contract. Put that number in the calculator.
The full picture, with withdrawal methods and memberships, is in our guide to Upwork fees.
Don't forget Connects
Applying for jobs costs Connects. The cost per proposal varies by job, and boosting a proposal costs more. The second calculator above estimates your monthly Connects bill. Read Upwork Connects explained for how to spend fewer.
Pricing an Upwork proposal so you keep your rate
Choose “What to charge”, enter what you want to receive and your fee, and the calculator gives the price to quote. If you don't know your target rate yet, start with the freelance rate calculator, then draft the cover letter with the free Upwork proposal generator.
Upwork fees compared with Freelancer.com and Fiverr
At the time of writing Freelancer.com takes 10% (or $5 on small fixed-price projects) and charges no fee to bid, while Fiverr keeps 20% of each order. Try the Freelancer fee calculator and the Fiverr fee calculator, or read Fiverr vs Upwork.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Upwork take from freelancers?
- At the time of writing, Upwork charges freelancers a variable service fee between 0% and 15% per contract. You see the exact fee before you submit a proposal or accept an offer, and it stays fixed for that contract.
- How do I calculate my Upwork take-home pay?
- Multiply the contract amount by your service fee and subtract it, then subtract any withdrawal fee. On a $500 contract at a 10% fee you keep $450 before withdrawing.
- How much do Upwork Connects cost?
- At the time of writing, $0.15 each. Each proposal needs a number of Connects that varies by job, so 20 proposals a month at 10 Connects each costs about $30.
- What should I charge on Upwork to receive $1,000?
- Divide by one minus your fee. At a 10% service fee that's about $1,111. Switch the calculator to 'What to charge' to work it out for your fee.
- Does Freelancer Plus change the fee?
- Freelancer Plus is a paid Upwork membership that includes 100 Connects a month at the time of writing. Check Upwork's own pricing page for what else it changes on your account.
- Is this calculator made by Upwork?
- No. It's a free tool from MoreGigs, which isn't affiliated with Upwork. Upwork's own figures always take precedence.
MoreGigs is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Freelancer.com. You're responsible for how you use your Freelancer account and for following Freelancer's own terms.