Earnings Dashboard

Understand your Opengates Earnings Dashboard, track pending and paid out earnings, review transaction history, generate earning reports, and monitor your freelance income over time.

What Is the Earnings Dashboard?

The Earnings Dashboard is your financial command center on Opengates. It gives you a complete view of all the money you have earned, are waiting to receive, and have already been paid out. Whether you have completed one contract or one hundred, the Earnings Dashboard helps you stay on top of your finances and plan your freelance income.

You can access the Earnings Dashboard from the main navigation menu by clicking on "Earnings" or "Dashboard" and then navigating to the earnings section. The dashboard is updated in real time as payments are processed, so you always have an accurate picture of your financial status.

Understanding Your Earnings Categories

Your earnings on Opengates are organized into three main categories. Understanding the difference between these categories is essential for managing your freelance finances.

Pending Earnings

Pending earnings represent money that has been committed but has not yet been paid out. This includes:

  • Funds in escrow: When a client funds a milestone or places a service order, the money is held in escrow by Opengates. The money exists, but it will not be released to you until the client approves your delivery.
  • Submitted work awaiting review: If you have submitted a deliverable and the client has not yet approved it, the payment is still in escrow and shows as pending.

Pending earnings are a good indicator of your upcoming income. If you see a large pending balance, it means you have work in progress or deliverables waiting for approval.

Important: Pending earnings will be paid out instantly once the client approves and releases the payment.

Paid out represents money that has been released by clients and instantly sent to your payout method (M-Pesa or bank account). This is a complete record of all payouts you have received.

The paid out section helps you track how much money you have actually received over time, which is useful for personal budgeting, accounting, and tax purposes.

The Earnings Flow

Here is how money flows through the system from the moment a client pays to the moment you receive it:

  1. Client funds the project. The client pays for a milestone or service order. The money is placed in escrow.
  2. You complete and submit the work. Your deliverables are sent to the client for review.
  3. Client approves the work. The money is released from escrow.
  4. Platform fee is deducted. Opengates deducts the service fee — 12% on the standard plan or 7% with Premium.
  5. Instant payout. The remaining amount is instantly and automatically sent to your payout method of choice (M-Pesa or bank account). The amount is converted from USD to KES (Kenyan Shillings) at the current exchange rate.
  6. Payout is recorded. The transaction appears in your Payout History.

When you open the Earnings Dashboard, you will see several sections:

Summary Cards

At the top of the dashboard, you will find summary cards showing:

  • Total Pending: The total amount currently in escrow or awaiting approval.
  • Total Paid Out: The total amount that has been paid out to you.
  • Total Earned (All Time): The cumulative total of all earnings since you joined the platform.

These cards give you a quick snapshot of your financial status without needing to dig into the details.

Earnings Chart

Below the summary cards, you will find an earnings chart that visualizes your income over time. You can typically view your earnings by:

  • Week: See your earnings for the current and past weeks.
  • Month: See your monthly earnings trends.
  • Year: See your annual earnings overview.

The chart helps you identify patterns in your income. Are you earning more during certain months? Has your income been growing over time? Are there slow periods you need to prepare for? The chart provides these insights at a glance.

Recent Transactions

The dashboard also shows your most recent transactions — a quick list of the latest payments received and fees deducted. Each transaction includes:

  • Date: When the transaction occurred.
  • Description: What the transaction was for (e.g., "Milestone 2 - Website Redesign" or "Payout to M-Pesa").
  • Amount: The transaction amount.
  • Type: Whether it was a payment received, a fee deduction, or a payout.
  • Status: Whether the transaction is complete, pending, or processing.

Transaction History

For a complete record of all your financial activity on Opengates, visit the Transaction History section. This is a detailed, searchable log of every transaction on your account.

What Is Included in Transaction History

  • Earnings from contracts: Every payment you have received from completed milestones, hourly contracts, and service orders.
  • Platform fees: The fee deducted from each payment (12% standard or 7% Premium).
  • Payouts: Every instant payout sent to your M-Pesa or bank account.
  • Gate key purchases: Payments you have made to buy gate keys.
  • Premium subscription payments: If you subscribe to Premium, those payments are also recorded.
  • Refunds or adjustments: Any refunds, chargebacks, or balance adjustments made by Opengates.

Filtering and Searching

You can filter your transaction history by:

  • Date range: View transactions for a specific period (last 7 days, last 30 days, custom range).
  • Transaction type: Filter by earnings, fees, payouts, or purchases.
  • Contract: View all transactions related to a specific contract.
  • Status: Filter by completed, pending, or processing transactions.

You can also search for specific transactions using keywords (like a client name or contract title).

Exporting Transaction History

Opengates allows you to export your transaction history as a CSV or PDF file. This is useful for:

  • Tax preparation: Having a downloadable record of all your earnings makes it easy to report income.
  • Accounting: Import the CSV into your personal accounting software or spreadsheet.
  • Financial planning: Review your earnings history to plan for the future.

To export, go to the Transaction History section and click the "Export" button. Select your preferred format and date range, and the file will be downloaded to your device.

Earning Reports

In addition to the transaction history, Opengates provides earning reports that summarize your financial performance over specific periods.

Types of Reports

  • Monthly earnings report: A summary of your total earnings, fees paid, and net income for a given month.
  • Quarterly earnings report: A broader view of your income trends over three months.
  • Annual earnings report: A comprehensive summary of your entire year on the platform.

What Reports Include

Each report typically shows:

  • Gross earnings: The total amount before fees.
  • Platform fees: The total fees deducted.
  • Net earnings: Your take-home amount (gross minus fees).
  • Number of completed contracts: How many contracts you finished during the period.
  • Average contract value: Your average earning per contract.
  • Top-earning services or categories: Which of your services or skill areas generated the most income.

How to Access Reports

  1. Go to the Earnings Dashboard.
  2. Click on the "Reports" tab or section.
  3. Select the report type and date range.
  4. View the report on-screen or download it as a PDF or CSV.

Tracking Income Over Time

One of the most valuable aspects of the Earnings Dashboard is the ability to track your income over time. This helps you make informed decisions about your freelance career.

Look at your monthly and quarterly earnings to spot trends:

  • Growth: Are your earnings increasing over time? This might mean your reputation is growing and you are attracting better-paying clients.
  • Seasonality: Do certain months tend to be slower? Many freelancers see seasonal patterns in their workload. Knowing this helps you plan ahead.
  • Service performance: Which services generate the most income? Consider focusing more on high-performing services and improving or retiring underperforming ones.

Setting Income Goals

Use your historical data to set realistic income goals. For example:

  • If you earned $2,000 last month, set a goal of $2,500 this month.
  • If a particular service brings in consistent income, consider creating similar services.
  • If you notice slow periods, plan to have savings to cover those months.

Understanding Fee Impact

Track how much you are paying in platform fees. If the total fees are significant, upgrading to Opengates Premium (which reduces your fee from 12% to 7%) might save you a substantial amount.

Example: If you earn $3,000 in a month:

  • At 12% fee: You pay $360 in fees. Take-home: $2,640.
  • At 7% fee (Premium): You pay $210 in fees. Take-home: $2,790.
  • Savings with Premium: $150 per month.

Over a year, that adds up to $1,800 in savings — likely far more than the cost of the Premium subscription.

Your Payout Method

To receive instant payouts when clients release payment, you need to set up your payout method.

How Payouts Work

Payments on Opengates are instant and automatic. Once a client approves your work and releases the payment, the platform fee is deducted and the remaining amount is immediately sent to your payout method of choice. There is no manual withdrawal step.

Payout Details

  • Currency conversion: Earnings are displayed in USD on the platform, but payouts are made in KES (Kenyan Shillings). The conversion happens at the current exchange rate at the time of payout.
  • Instant delivery: Payouts are sent instantly to your M-Pesa or bank account.

Setting Up Your Payout Method

Before you can receive payouts, you need to configure your payout method:

  1. Go to "Settings" > "Payment" or "Payout Settings."
  2. Add your M-Pesa phone number or bank account details.
  3. Verify your information as required.

Once set up, all future payouts will be sent automatically to this method.

Still need help? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to assist you.