PeoplePerHour rules and policies explained in plain English

By FastBuySale Newsroom · 9 Nov 2026 · 28m ago

Why the rules matter

PeoplePerHour connects businesses with freelancers for projects ranging from logos and websites to marketing and admin. To protect both sides and its own business model, the platform sets rules in its terms of use and community policies. Many freelancers only read them after a problem, such as a disputed project or a suspended account. This guide explains the main rules in plain English. It is a summary rather than a legal reading of the terms, and policies change, so check the current versions in your account and support centre before relying on any detail.

Profiles must be honest

Profiles are reviewed before they go live. Your name, photo, skills, experience and portfolio must be genuine. Using someone else's work in your portfolio, inventing qualifications or creating multiple accounts breaks the rules. Profiles that are incomplete, vague or misleading may be rejected or removed. Honest profiles also reduce disputes, because clients know what to expect.

Communication stays on the platform

Discuss projects through the platform's messaging and workstream tools. The platform restricts sharing personal contact details, such as email addresses, phone numbers or external links, to take work elsewhere, especially before a client hires you. This protects the platform's fees, but it also protects you: messages in the workstream are your evidence if a dispute arises.

Payments stay on the platform

For clients you meet through PeoplePerHour, payments should go through the platform. Asking a client to pay you directly to avoid fees is a breach of the terms and can lead to account suspension and loss of earnings. It also removes the protection of upfront funding and the dispute process. If a client suggests paying outside the platform, decline politely.

Fees

The platform keeps a service fee from freelancer earnings, which has been tiered so a higher rate applies to the first part of earnings from each client and lower rates as you earn more with them. Extra proposal credits and some withdrawal methods may also carry fees. Check the fee page before quoting and include fees in your prices.

Worked example: fees and honesty

Rachel quotes a client 300 pounds for a brochure design. If a 20 percent fee applies, she receives 240 pounds. The client suggests paying 270 pounds by bank transfer instead, saying both would save money. Accepting would breach the terms, remove her payment protection and risk her account and reviews. Rachel declines and keeps the project on the platform. The percentage calculator on this site helps her check fees.

Proposals

Freelancers usually receive a limited number of proposal credits each month to bid on projects, with more available to purchase. Proposals must be genuine and relevant to the project. Spamming copied proposals, bidding on projects you cannot deliver or using misleading claims can lead to restrictions.

Upfront funding and milestones

Clients fund projects upfront, and the money is held until they accept the delivered work. For larger projects, you can agree milestones, so funds for each stage are held and released as each stage is accepted. This reduces risk for both sides. Do not start work until funds are in place.

Scope and revisions

Agree the scope, deliverables, deadlines and number of revisions in the workstream before starting. If a client asks for work beyond the agreed scope, you can quote for the extra. Clear written agreements are your strongest protection.

Cancellations

Projects can sometimes be cancelled by agreement, for example if the client's needs change. If work has been partly done, try to agree a fair partial payment. Cancelling often, or abandoning projects, can harm your standing.

Disputes

If you and a client cannot agree, either side can raise a dispute. The platform reviews the workstream messages, files and agreements and decides how held funds should be released. Respond promptly, stay professional and provide clear evidence.

Intellectual property

Generally, the client receives ownership or usage rights to the deliverables once they have paid, unless you agree otherwise in writing. Do not deliver work that infringes others' copyright, such as unlicensed images or fonts. You may want to agree whether you can show the work in your portfolio.

Prohibited work

The platform prohibits illegal work, such as hacking or fraud, work that infringes intellectual property, adult content outside allowed categories, fake reviews and academic dishonesty, such as completing assessed coursework for students. Decline and report such requests.

Reviews must be genuine

Reviews must reflect real projects. Paying for reviews, swapping reviews or creating fake client accounts is prohibited. Respond to negative reviews professionally.

Conduct

Treat clients respectfully. Harassment, discrimination and abusive messages break the rules. Meet deadlines or communicate early if delays arise.

Suspension

Accounts can be suspended for off-platform payments, misleading profiles, prohibited work, fake reviews, repeated disputes or abusive behaviour. Earnings may be held during investigations.

Tax

UK freelancers earning above the 1,000 pound trading allowance register for Self Assessment and report their income. Platform fees are allowable expenses.

Offers and their rules

Fixed-price offers must describe exactly what the client receives, the delivery time and any extras. If a client buys an offer, you are expected to deliver what the listing promises within the stated time. Changing the terms after purchase, or delivering something smaller than described, can lead to disputes and refunds. Keep offer descriptions accurate and update them when your services change. If a client needs something different from the offer, agree the changes in the workstream before starting so the record matches the work you deliver.

Late delivery

Deadlines matter. If you cannot meet a deadline because of illness, unexpected complexity or missing information from the client, tell the client as early as possible and propose a new date. Silence is the quickest way to lose a client's trust. Repeated late deliveries can affect your reviews and your standing on the platform, and clients may be entitled to cancel and request a refund when work is significantly late.

Using subcontractors

Some freelancers bring in help on larger projects. If you do, you remain responsible for the quality and confidentiality of the work. Make sure anyone helping you respects the client's intellectual property and confidential information, and check whether the terms allow subcontracting for the project. Clients expect the person they hired to be accountable.

Confidential information

Clients often share business plans, customer data, passwords or unreleased designs. Use this information only for the project, store it securely and delete it when no longer needed. Breaching confidentiality can damage your reputation and break data protection law.

Worked example: avoiding a dispute

Ahmed agrees to build a five-page website with two rounds of revisions. Halfway through, the client asks for an online shop as well. Ahmed replies in the workstream that the shop is outside the agreed scope and sends a separate quote. The client accepts and funds a new milestone. Because every change is recorded, both sides know exactly what was agreed when the project ends.

Spotting scams on the platform

Scammers sometimes pose as clients. Warning signs include asking you to move to another messaging app, sending cheques or payment links outside the platform, requesting your bank login details, or asking you to pay for test materials or software before starting. Genuine clients fund work through the platform. If something feels wrong, stop, keep the messages and report the account to the platform's support team. If you have lost money, you can also report fraud to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A simple compliance checklist

Before each project, confirm the scope and deadline in writing, check funds are in place, decline any request to pay outside the platform, use only licensed images and fonts, keep client data secure, and deliver on time or explain delays early.

Reader questions

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Disclaimer

This article is for general information only and is not legal or tax advice. Terms change; read the current terms on the official support centre.

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