How to approve work or ask for changes (gig delivery or milestone).

When the freelancer delivers, the order or contract page shows Review the delivery (gig) or Review milestone (contract). Check the files against what you ordered, then choose Approve to release the payment, or Request a revision / Request changes with a clear list of what to fix. If the client does not approve the work or does not respond, the work is approved automatically after a set time.

Before you start

• Open the delivery files and check them against What's included or the milestone's deliverable.
• Note any changes clearly and specifically.

Steps

1Open the delivery

You get an email and a notification. Open the order or contract from Orders. Your next step shows the delivery message, the files and when it auto-completes.

2Check the work

Download and check each file. For gig orders, the seller's delivery shows the What's included checklist. For milestones, compare with the milestone's deliverable.

3aApprove

• Gig order: choose Approve & complete order, then Approve & release to confirm.
• Milestone: choose Approve & release.

The payment is released to the freelancer and you're asked for a review.

3bAsk for a revision (gig order)

Choose Request a revision. Under What needs to change? list each change (Add another change for more), add notes and Reference files, and choose Send revision request. The order shows how many revisions you've used.

3cRequest changes (milestone)

Choose Request changes, list what needs fixing and choose Send. When the freelancer resubmits, the review time starts again.

What happens next

After approval, the order shows Order complete with the amount released, and you can leave a review. For contracts, fund the next milestone or end the contract. See fund a milestone and end a contract.

Troubleshooting

• No revisions left. You can approve or Report a problem. Or ask the seller to offer an extra for more revisions.
• The delivery is far from what we agreed. Message the freelancer first. If that fails, use Report a problem; the money stays frozen while a specialist looks. See report a problem.
• "Add at least one change." Revision requests need at least one item.
• It auto-completed while I was away. You can still report a problem while the money is Pending. After it becomes Available, contact support.

Good to know

• Be specific: "Make the logo text larger and use the darker blue from the brief" gets a better revision than "Not good".
• Agency orders: your feedback goes to the assigned member automatically.
• Partial approval isn't possible on one milestone; if part is fine and part isn't, ask for changes on what's missing.

Tip: Review within a day or two. Quick feedback keeps the freelancer's context fresh and gets you better results faster.

Important: Only approve when you're satisfied. Approval releases money from Payment Secured to the freelancer.