What manual time on Upwork is
Manual time is hourly work you type into your Work Diary yourself instead of logging it with the time tracker in the Upwork Desktop App. You enter the time range and a description of the work, and it bills to the client on the same weekly cycle as tracked time.
It exists for work the tracker cannot see: phone and video calls, planning sessions, paper sketches, file transfers, anything you do away from the computer. The tracker measures keystrokes, clicks and scrolls, so time without mouse or keyboard activity may not be recorded at all. Manual time is how you bill it.
In your Work Diary, tracked time shows in green and manual time shows in light green. Both are billable. The difference is that manual time has no screenshots and no activity data attached, which matters a lot if a client ever disputes the hours.
Before you start: the four conditions
Most "I can't find the button" problems come down to one of these. Manual time can only be added when:
- The contract is hourly and the client has manual time enabled. Fixed-price contracts have no Work Diary to add to.
- The billing period is still open. Once the diary week locks, you cannot add or change anything in it.
- The time slot is empty. You cannot add manual time on top of a slot where you already tracked time.
- The contract is not paused. Manual time cannot be added to a paused contract.
How to add manual time on Upwork, step by step
From your computer, on the web:
- Go to Deliver work, then Hourly work diary.
- Select the contract from the dropdown menu.
- Choose the day you want to log time for, then select Add manual time.
- Enter the time range, write a short description of the work, and select Save.
From the Upwork Desktop App:
- Open the Upwork Desktop App and select your contract.
- Select Add manual time.
- Choose the date and time, write a short work summary, and select Save.
In the app you will see a reminder to align with your client, and you have to confirm that you understand manual time is not eligible for Hourly Payment Protection before the entry goes in.
On the description: write it the way you would write a tracked-time memo. "Call with Sam re: homepage copy, agreed three revisions" is useful. "Meeting" is not. Since there are no screenshots behind a manual entry, the description is the only evidence the client sees of what you did.
How to edit or remove manual time
On an active contract you can edit or remove manual entries in the current week's Work Diary:
- Go to your Work Diary and select the contract.
- Select the day that has the entry you want to change.
- For a single entry, hover below it to show the checkbox and select it. For a group of entries, open the three-dot menu.
- Choose Edit to change it or Remove to delete it, then Save or Confirm.
If the Edit or Remove options will not work, it is almost always one of three things: the contract is paused (entries may not be editable until it resumes), the contract has ended (manual time can no longer be changed), or the week has locked.
The Monday lock and the UTC trap
This is the deadline that costs freelancers money. The previous week's Work Diary locks every Monday at 12 pm UTC. After that you cannot add, edit or remove time for that week. If you did a two-hour call on Friday and forget to log it until Monday afternoon, that time is gone from this billing cycle.
The second trap is time zones. The Work Diary runs on UTC by default, even if you switch the view to your own time zone. The week boundary follows UTC, not your local clock.
Which week does my manual time land in?
| Where you are | What can surprise you |
|---|---|
| Behind UTC (for example the Americas) | Late Sunday evening locally can already be Monday in UTC, so that time counts toward the new week |
| Ahead of UTC (for example Asia and Australia) | Early Monday morning locally can still be Sunday in UTC, so that time counts toward the previous week |
My habit recommendation: log manual time the same day you do the work, and treat Sunday night as your personal deadline. It also keeps your weekly invoice clean, which matters because hourly earnings follow a fixed schedule after the week closes. The full timeline is in [how long does Upwork take to pay](/blog/how-long-does-upwork-take-to-pay).
Why manual time is not protected, and when I would avoid it
Hourly Payment Protection only covers time tracked with the Upwork Desktop App. Manual time is explicitly excluded, along with bonuses and fixed-price work. If a client disputes manual hours, there are no screenshots or activity logs to back you up. Upwork's own wording is that manual time is based on mutual trust.
So my rule of thumb is simple. Manual time is fine for small, clearly agreed blocks with a client who has already paid you without friction. I would avoid leaning on it in the first weeks with a new client, and I would never let it become most of the invoice. If a lot of your work genuinely happens offline, that is a sign the contract should probably be fixed-price with milestones instead, where funds are deposited before you start. The trade-offs are in [Upwork fixed-price vs hourly contracts](/blog/upwork-fixed-price-vs-hourly-contracts).
- Agree on it in writing in the contract messages before you log the first manual hour.
- Keep entries short and specific, and match them to things the client can see, like a call on their calendar or a file they received.
- Track everything you can with the desktop app, and keep manual time for what genuinely cannot be tracked.
- Stay inside the weekly hour limit. Time over the limit shows in red and is not billable.
What qualifies tracked time for protection, segment by segment, is covered in [Upwork work diary and hourly protection](/blog/upwork-work-diary-and-hourly-protection). If a client does push back on hours, [Upwork client opened a dispute](/blog/upwork-client-opened-a-dispute) walks through what happens next.
How to ask a client to allow manual time
Clients set this when they create the offer, with a checkbox that reads "Allow talent to log time manually if needed." Left unchecked, the contract allows tracked time only. So the cleanest moment to raise it is before you accept: use Request changes on the offer to ask for manual time, as covered in [how to accept an offer on Upwork](/blog/how-to-accept-an-offer-on-upwork).
If the contract is already running, message the client. When they agree, they can open the contract's settings from the link in your message, or go to Manage work, then Your active contracts, open Contract details, and choose Manual time allowed. A short ask works best:
Getting paid cleanly for every hour is one of the habits that separates freelancers who stay on Upwork from those who burn out on it. Inside Upwork Income Club, members share the contract setups, proposals and client messages that are working right now. Join for $9/month at upworkincomeclub.com.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I add manual time on Upwork?
On the web, go to Deliver work, then Hourly work diary, select the contract, choose the day, select Add manual time, enter the time range and a description, and Save. In the Upwork Desktop App, select the contract, choose Add manual time, set the date and time, write a summary and Save.
Why can't I add manual time on Upwork?
Usually because the client has not enabled manual time on the contract, the billing week has already locked, the slot already has tracked time in it, or the contract is paused. Fixed-price contracts do not have a Work Diary, so manual time does not apply to them.
Is manual time covered by Upwork Hourly Protection?
No. Only time tracked with the Upwork Desktop App qualifies for Hourly Payment Protection. Manual time has no screenshots or activity data and relies on trust between you and the client.
When does the Upwork Work Diary lock?
The previous week's Work Diary locks every Monday at 12 pm UTC. After that you cannot add, edit or remove time for that week. The diary runs on UTC even if you view it in your own time zone.
Can I edit or delete manual time after adding it?
Yes, on an active contract and within the current, unlocked week. Select the entry in your Work Diary and choose Edit or Remove. Removed time cannot be restored, and entries on paused or ended contracts may not be editable.
Does the client have to approve manual time?
The client has to enable manual time on the contract, either when creating the offer or later in Contract details. They can turn it on or off at any time, so confirm with them before you log manual hours.
What color is manual time in the Upwork Work Diary?
Manual time shows in light green, tracked time in green, and time over the weekly limit in red. Green and light green are billable. Red is not.
Last reviewed by David Iya on November 1, 2026
