What changed with Upwork private feedback
For years the end-of-contract form asked clients for two things: a public star rating with written comments, and a private rating you never saw. That private rating fed your Job Success Score, which is why so many freelancers had a clean wall of five-star reviews and a JSS that still dropped for no visible reason.
That second part is gone. Upwork removed the private rating and review from the end-of-contract form. Clients now leave only a 1 to 5 star public rating with written feedback, plus an optional private note addressed to you.
End-of-contract feedback, before and after
| Old form | New form | |
|---|---|---|
| Public star rating and written review | Yes, shown on your profile | Yes, unchanged |
| Private rating you could not see | Yes, counted toward JSS | Removed |
| Private note to the freelancer | No | Optional, visible only to you, no effect on JSS |
Public reviews themselves have not changed. The star scale, the written comments and the way reviews display on your profile are all the same.
What the new private note is
The private note is an optional message a client can leave you when the contract ends. It is meant for direct, constructive comments the client would rather not publish. The rules are simple:
- Only you can see it (plus agency managers, if you work under an agency).
- It never appears on your public profile.
- It does not affect your Job Success Score or your reputation in any way.
- The client cannot edit it once it is submitted.
- It shows up in the contract workroom, where you can read it on future contracts with that client.
It follows the same double-blind timing as reviews. You see the note once you have submitted your own feedback, or once 14 days have passed since the client left theirs.
What now counts toward your Job Success Score
Upwork's position is direct: since private feedback is no longer collected, only public feedback is considered in your JSS. The rest of the formula is the same as before. Your score is calculated daily from your 6, 12 and 24 month history, and the best of those three is the one shown on your profile.
The factors that move JSS today
| Factor | How it works |
|---|---|
| Client satisfaction | Positive public feedback lifts the score, negative public feedback can lower it |
| Long-term relationships | A job counts as successful when payments run more than 90 days past the client's first payment to you |
| Higher earnings | Bigger jobs have a bigger impact, in both directions |
| Contract length | Every 90 days with payment counts as an extra job, up to a maximum weight of 8 jobs |
Two details that still trip people up. Contracts with no payment and no feedback do not affect your JSS, but a contract with no payment and negative feedback can. And if a client has been flagged for a history of poor collaboration, or suspended for Terms of Service violations, their feedback does not count against you.
A JSS of 90% or above is considered excellent and puts you on track for Top Rated. Below 79%, winning new work gets noticeably harder. The full playbook for climbing back is in [how to improve your Upwork Job Success Score](/blog/how-to-improve-upwork-job-success-score), and the badge thresholds are in [Upwork Top Rated badge requirements](/blog/upwork-top-rated-badge-requirements).
Testimonials are discontinued too
Separately, Upwork has stopped accepting new testimonial requests. Testimonials let you show feedback from clients you worked with outside Upwork. Any already published on your profile stay there, and you can switch their Visibility on or off, but you cannot request new ones and Upwork will not edit existing ones, not even to fix a typo. Testimonials never affected JSS.
If you were planning to seed a new profile with off-platform testimonials, that route is closed. Your Portfolio is now the place to show past work from outside Upwork. How I would build one from scratch is in [how to add a portfolio on Upwork](/blog/how-to-add-portfolio-on-upwork).
What I would do differently now
This change is good news for freelancers. The hidden channel that could quietly sink your score is gone, and what you see on your profile is now much closer to what Upwork scores. But it also concentrates everything on one moment: the public review. Here is how I would adjust.
- Ask for the public review on every contract, directly and before the contract closes. A contract that ends with no feedback is a missed signal now that there is no private rating behind it.
- Settle problems before the client opens the end-contract form, not after. Clients are still required to complete the review form when they end a contract, and the public rating is the only score they give.
- Get paid before the contract ends. If a contract ends without payment, the client can only leave a private note, and public feedback only shows on your profile once the client has paid you at least $1.00 USD and it is ready to withdraw.
- Leave your own feedback promptly. You have 14 days, the deadline is midnight UTC on the last day, and submitting yours is what unlocks the client's private note early.
- Never trade anything for a review. Offering free or discounted work in exchange for good feedback is against Upwork's Terms of Service, and so is swapping reviews with other accounts.
The exact wording I would use to ask for a review, without sounding needy, is in [how to get 5-star Upwork reviews that win more jobs](/blog/how-to-get-5-star-upwork-reviews-that-win-more-jobs). If a review has already gone wrong, start with [how to handle a bad review on Upwork](/blog/how-to-handle-a-bad-review-on-upwork). And for the closing sequence itself, see [how to end an Upwork contract professionally](/blog/how-to-end-an-upwork-contract-professionally) and [how to leave feedback for an Upwork client](/blog/how-to-leave-feedback-for-an-upwork-client).
How the feedback timeline works
The double-blind system did not change. Neither side sees the other's feedback until both have submitted, or until the 14-day window closes. Once that happens, both reviews become visible within 24 hours. If only one person leaves feedback, it is published when the window closes.
One thing to know: the client's review can affect your JSS before you can read it, because the score updates daily. So a dip in the days after a contract closes can simply be the review landing, not a glitch.
If a client wants to change a public review they already left, you can enable the edit option from your account, which gives them 14 days to update it. That is worth doing when you have since fixed whatever caused a lower rating.
Reviews are the compounding asset on Upwork, and now they are the only feedback that counts. Inside Upwork Income Club, members share the proposals, closing messages and review asks that are working right now. Join for $9/month at upworkincomeclub.com.
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Frequently asked questions
Did Upwork remove private feedback?
Yes. Clients are no longer asked for a private rating at the end of a contract. They leave a 1 to 5 star public review and can add an optional private note for the freelancer.
Does the private note affect my Job Success Score?
No. The private note is visible only to you, does not appear on your profile, and does not affect your Job Success Score or reputation.
What feedback counts toward Upwork JSS now?
Only public feedback. Your JSS also still reflects long-term relationships, higher-earning jobs and contract length, and it is calculated daily from your 6, 12 and 24 month history, showing the best of the three.
When can I see a client's private note on Upwork?
In the contract workroom, once you have submitted your own feedback or once 14 days have passed since the client left feedback.
Can I still request testimonials on Upwork?
No. Upwork no longer accepts new testimonial requests. Testimonials already on your profile stay, and you can hide or show them, but they cannot be edited. Use your Portfolio to show past work instead.
Why did my JSS drop when all my reviews are five stars?
Private ratings no longer exist, so look at the other factors: a big contract that ended badly, a contract with no payment but negative feedback, or a review that landed and changed your score before you could see it. Your Job Success insights page shows which factor moved.
Last reviewed by David Iya on November 2, 2026
