Upwork Ends 'Bring Your Own Client' Program – What Happens Now?

Upwork Ends 'Bring Your Own Client' Program – What Happens Now?

Morgan Overholt

Big news for freelancers on Upwork—starting February 18, 2025, the Bring Your Own Client (BYOC) program is going away. That means you won’t be able to onboard new clients through this program anymore. If you’ve already used BYOC to bring clients onto Upwork, don’t worry—you’ll still get the 0% service fee for those existing clients. But moving forward, any new clients will have to come through Direct Contracts, which comes with a 5% service fee, unless you’re a Freelancer Plus subscriber. In that case, you still get the 0% fee on Direct Contracts.

What Was the Bring Your Own Client Program?

Upwork’s Bring Your Own Client (BYOC) program let freelancers bring their off-platform clients onto Upwork without paying any service fees. This was a huge benefit for freelancers who wanted to take advantage of Upwork’s escrow and payment protections while keeping 100% of their earnings (minus processing fees).

With its upcoming removal, freelancers will have to use Direct Contracts to onboard new offsite clients.

How Direct Contracts Work

Direct Contracts are Upwork’s way of letting freelancers work with external clients while still keeping everything within the platform. Here’s how it works:

  • Freelancers can send fixed-price or hourly contract proposals to off-platform clients via email.

  • The client must create an Upwork account to accept the contract.

  • If the client already has an Upwork account, the freelancer won’t be able to send the invite.

  • Once accepted, the contract functions like any other Upwork job—just with a lower service fee than standard Marketplace contracts.

Direct Contracts Fee Structure

Here’s the breakdown of the costs:

  • Freelancers pay a 5% service fee on Direct Contracts (e.g., a $100 contract means a $5 fee).

  • Clients pay a Client Marketplace Fee and a Contract Initiation Fee.

  • Freelancer Plus members keep their 0% fee on all Direct Contracts, making the $20/month subscription a more attractive option.

What This Means for Freelancers

For freelancers who relied on BYOC’s fee-free onboarding, this change adds a new cost to consider. While the 5% fee is lower than Upwork’s standard 10% fees, it’s still something to factor into your pricing. If you frequently bring in outside clients, the Freelancer Plus plan might be worth the investment to avoid those fees.

With the February 18, 2025 deadline looming, now is the time to onboard any external clients under the BYOC program while it’s still available. After that, Direct Contracts will be your only Upwork option—unless you decide to work with clients off-platform.

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