Key Takeaways
You may spend Connects to apply, and optionally spend extra Connects to boost.
Boost Connects are often refunded if you get outbid and the client does not interact with your proposal while it is boosted.
In some cases, Upwork can also refund the Connects used to apply (for example, if a job is canceled or removed).
Lancer shows estimated net spend based on the Connects activity we can observe. Your true number may be about ~5% higher or lower.
The simple idea
When you apply on Upwork, there are two possible Connects costs:
Apply cost (the standard Connects to submit the proposal)
Boost cost (extra Connects you bid to appear in the boosted spots)
Boosting is optional. Your proposal is still sent if you do not boost.
When your boost bid is actually paid
Upwork only keeps your boost bid if one of these happens:
Your proposal is in a boosted spot when the auction ends, or
The client interacts with your proposal while it is boosted
If neither happens, Upwork refunds the boost Connects after the auction closes.
When Upwork returns Connects for the application itself
In most normal situations, the Connects used to apply are not returned (for example, if the client chooses someone else or the job expires).
But Upwork can return the Connects you used to apply in these cases:
The client cancels the job before hiring anyone (Upwork notes exceptions such as expired posts), or
Upwork removes the job for a Terms of Service violation
Those returned Connects go back to your balance for reuse.
Common outcomes
1) You boosted and the client opened your proposal while it was boosted
Your boost bid is kept.
2) You boosted, got outbid, and the client never interacted while it was boosted
Your boost bid is refunded after the auction closes.
3) You applied and the job was canceled or removed
Upwork may refund the Connects used to apply.
Why you might see charged, then returned, then charged again
Upwork can temporarily hold Connects during the auction, then return them while final results are processed, then charge the final winners. This can look confusing in history, but it is expected behavior.
Placebo boost auctions
On a small number of job posts, Upwork runs "placebo" boost auctions for testing.
If you boost on one of these, Upwork does not take the boost Connects. The job is still real and your proposal is still submitted, just ranked normally.
How Lancer estimates true spend and cost per reply
Lancer estimates your net Connects spend based on what we can observe in your Upwork Connects activity.
Refunds can happen for different reasons, for example:
you got outbid and the client did not interact while you were boosted
the job post was canceled or removed
other account, policy, or enforcement actions on Upwork's side
The important limitation is this: Upwork does not always tell us the exact reason for every refund, and we cannot always separate "job closed because they hired" vs "job removed" vs "policy action" using data we can access.
Because of that, Lancer's cost metrics are an estimate. In practice, your true cost per reply may be about ~5% higher or lower than what you see in Lancer.
Seeing refund events in Lancer
When Lancer detects that one of your proposals was outboosted or that a boosted job was cancelled, it shows a small colored badge on that lead. You will see these badges in the campaign feed, the lead detail drawer, and the Leads Overview table:
Outboosted — your boost bid was outbid. Boost Connects are typically refunded.
Job cancelled — the client cancelled the job. Apply Connects are typically refunded.
Hover any badge to see a short description. For the full list of proposal outcome signals (including Proposal declined), see Leads Overview & Bidding Queue.