Upwork Removes Private Feedback From Job Success Score
A reported change to the review system means only public ratings now affect a freelancer's JSS.
The short versionUpwork has reportedly changed its documentation and review flow so that private client feedback no longer impacts the Job Success Score. Only public star ratings and feedback are said to count, while optional private notes remain visible in the workroom. This directly affects how a freelancer's main profile metric is calculated.
What changed
- Private client feedback is reportedly removed from JSS calculations.
- Only public feedback and star ratings now count toward the score.
- Optional private notes left by clients remain visible in the workroom but do not affect JSS.
What it means for freelancers
- A single negative private comment can no longer silently drag down your score.
- Your JSS becomes a more transparent reflection of what clients say publicly.
- Disputes or misalignments that a client only mentions privately may carry less hidden risk.
What to do now
- Focus even more on delivering work that earns strong public star ratings.
- Continue reading private notes in the workroom for improvement signals, even though they don't affect JSS.
- If you use SnipeWork to monitor your profile, check whether your JSS trend changes after this reported update.
Live market context — Aug 10 – Aug 16, 2026
6,201jobs scanned this week
$996avg fixed budget
$23/hravg hourly rate
Source: SnipeWork Upwork Market Index — weekly data from live Upwork job posts.
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Based on reporting by r/Upwork (August 12, 2026). Analysis is SnipeWork's own; we do not reproduce source text. Spotted an error? Tell us at hello@snipework.com and we will correct it.