Upwork Fixed-Price Protection allows freelancers and agencies to file disputes under two circumstances.
- A client ends the job with an escrow balance
- A client fails to release a milestone payment despite the delivery of work
In this video you can see how to view the already put-up request for the disputes i.e the closed and the open ones.
But in order to file the dispute please see the below-mentioned steps
To file a dispute on an ended contract
- Go to My Jobs and click on View Request in Ended Contracts
- Choose Do Not Approve and click Next
- Specify a reason for the dispute and give details to support your claim that the work is complete and payment due. Explain the situation so the dispute specialist understands your claim
- Click Continue and review what it means to initiate a dispute. If you agree, click Continue to Dispute
Alternatively, to approve a return of escrow funds to your client
- Go to My Jobs and click on View Request in Ended Contracts
- Choose I Approve and click Next
- The escrowed funds will be returned to your client immediately
To file a dispute on an active contract
- Submit a request by going to upwork support page
- Give details to support your claim that the work is complete and payment due. Explain the situation so the dispute specialist understands your claim
- The agent will open a case with a dispute specialist to review your situation
Dispute Center
Once a dispute is submitted you may review or update the request by logging into your Upwork account and going to the Dispute Center
Mediation
Under Upwork Fixed-Price Protection, disputes enter a mediation process with an Upwork dispute specialist. If your client fails to respond to mediation after two contact attempts, the dispute will be resolved in your favor and all funds will be released to you.
Users can usually come to an agreement among themselves, but if the parties are unable to agree in a reasonable period of time, the dispute specialist will make a non-binding recommendation. If that recommendation is rejected, the final option is to proceed to arbitration. See the Upwork Escrow Fixed-Price Instructions for more details, including the Escrow Dispute Assistance Policy.