Freelancing for beginners: how to start earning and what platforms take

What freelancing is and who it suits

A freelancer works not for one employer but for different clients, project by project. You choose which jobs to take, how much to charge and when to work. In exchange there is no fixed salary, no paid holiday from a company and no guarantee of work next month.

Freelancing suits people who have a skill others will pay for: writing, translating, drawing, editing video, programming, setting up ads or websites. If you do not have such a skill yet, you can start with simpler tasks or other ways of earning online, and develop the skill in parallel.

Platforms compared: fees and payouts

A platform is an intermediary that brings client and freelancer together and protects the payment. It charges a fee for this. Here are the terms of the best-known platforms as of 19 September 2026.

Upwork: international clients

Upwork is a well-known international freelance marketplace. You can sign up at 18 or at the age of majority in your country, if that is higher. The freelancer fee is between 0% and 15% per contract; you see the percentage before you send a proposal, and it is fixed once the contract starts.

To apply for a project you need Connects, internal tokens costing $0.15 each. So every proposal costs a little, and sending out templated proposals in bulk does not pay. It is better to apply for fewer projects but with a personalised proposal for each specific task.

Fiverr: you sell a ready-made service

Fiverr works differently: you do not bid on projects but create a "gig", a service at a fixed price that clients buy themselves, for example "a logo in three days" or "translation of 1,000 words". Fiverr keeps 20%: the seller receives 80% of a completed order.

Money for an order usually becomes available to withdraw after 14 days, the so-called clearing period; for some programmes it can be shorter. So your first Fiverr earnings are not instant either.

Freelancehunt and Kabanchik: Ukrainian platforms

Freelancehunt is a Ukrainian marketplace with a "Safe" service: the client reserves money on the platform, and the freelancer receives it once the work is accepted. If there is a dispute, arbitration applies. In the currency Safe the freelancer pays a 9% fee, and the client has three business days to review the work.

Kabanchik works differently: it is a platform for household and small services. The client creates a task, a specialist contacts them, and after the job both leave reviews. We did not find a fixed freelancer fee on the service’s public page, so check the terms in your account before you start.

What a beginner can sell: easy directions to start

It is easiest to start where the result is easy to show and check: translating and editing texts, transcribing audio, simple banners and covers, editing short videos, filling in product listings, setting up simple websites, customer support in chats. For these tasks a client only needs to see a few examples of your work.

It is harder to start where the cost of a mistake is high: complex programming, finance, legal texts. There clients choose freelancers with reviews and experience. If that is your strength, start with small parts of bigger tasks to collect your first reviews.

How to set your price

Work out how many hours the job will take and multiply by a rate you would be happy to work for. Add the platform fee: if it is 20%, then to receive $80 in hand the client’s price needs to be $100. Look at what other freelancers in your niche with similar experience charge, and do not price yourself many times lower.

For your first jobs it makes sense to offer a small amount of work at an honest price rather than a large amount cheaply. Once you have reviews, you can raise your rate gradually.

How to set up a profile that gets you picked

A beginner has no reviews, so the profile does all the persuading. In a few seconds a client should understand exactly what you do and for whom.

• choose a narrow specialisation: "translating technical texts from English", not "any texts"
• show a portfolio: 3–5 pieces of work, even practice pieces or ones done for friends
• write your description in the client’s language: what problem you solve and how fast
• use a real photo and fill in every field of your profile
• start with small jobs to earn your first reviews

First jobs: how to get your first review

The hardest part is the first job. Three things help: replying to fresh projects straight away, writing a personalised proposal for each task, and taking small jobs where the risk for the client is low. One well-done job with a review opens more doors than a dozen templated proposals.

Do not undercut your price too much: clients often see a very cheap offer as a sign of low quality. It is better to quote an honest price for a small piece of work and deliver it flawlessly.

Scammers on freelance platforms: the main rule

Upwork warns directly: do not move communication and payment off the platform before a contract starts. This is exactly how scammers operate — they suggest "discussing it on Telegram", send a "test task" with a link to an outside site, or promise to pay directly. Off the platform you lose payment protection.

Other warning signs: the "client" asks you to pay for access to the project, "training" or "verification"; sends a cheque and asks you to return part of it; or asks for your card details. A real client pays you, not the other way round.

Freelancer tax in Ukraine

Most Ukrainian freelancers work as third-group sole traders (FOP). In 2026 the single tax rate for this group is 5% of income. A social contribution is also paid: the minimum is 1,902.34 hryvnias a month. Third-group sole traders who are not VAT payers also pay a 1% military levy on income in 2026.

If you receive money from foreign clients as a private individual without registering as a sole trader, it is foreign income that you declare yourself, at the personal income tax and military levy rates. Before your first large jobs, it is worth asking an accountant which option suits you. If you live outside Ukraine, check the rules for self-employment in your country.

If you do not have a freelance skill yet

Freelancing needs a skill someone will pay for. If you do not have one yet, you can earn from things that need no experience: paid research, website testing and microtasks. There you sell not a skill but your opinion and your time.

On 19 September 2026 our catalogue had 769 live studies, 621 of them with known pay. Typical pay was $40, half of studies paid between $25 and $100, and the typical length was 30 minutes. It is a good way to have some income while you develop a skill for freelancing.

A plan for your first month

Week one: choose one service and put together 3–5 pieces for your portfolio. Week two: fill in your profile on one or two platforms and study which jobs in your field are posted there. Week three: every day, reply to a few fresh projects with a personalised proposal. Week four: complete your first small jobs and ask for reviews.

In parallel, set up how you will receive money and sort out your tax. The first month rarely brings much, but it is what creates the reviews that later bring clients to you on their own.