For hourly jobs, Auto-Pay lets Elance processes payments to the freelancer automatically using the client's default payment method. Auto-Pay is enabled for all hourly jobs and is a handy feature for longer term engagements, where both parties want the regular payment cadence of predictable cash flow for the freelancer, and predictable expense flow for the client. Below is a summary of how Auto-Pay works:

1. Clients and freelancers agree to a number of authorized hours for the hourly job.
2. The client must have an credit card or PayPal account selected as their default payment method.
3. Timesheets are automatically submitted to clients at 7 AM ET on the Monday following the work week.  
4. Payment will be processed on the following Saturday at 12 AM ET.

Auto-payment amounts are limited to the number of hours previously authorized by the client. Clients will always have the option to manually pay their freelancer before Friday.