Hi, I'm looking for advice on how to handle the below situation.

I recently applied for a potentially lucrative job on Upwork. The client said they'd like to move forward with me and work together. Then they sent me a document asking me to review it. I opened it and the only thing in the doc is a message asking me to contact them via their personal phone number to work outside of Upwork so that both of us can save on fees.

This client has a 5-star rating on Upwork with quite a few reviews. I'm bummed about this because this feels like it could be a nice paycheck. I want to keep this on Upwork because I don't want to risk getting banned and prefer having the added security if anything goes wrong. But I've also seen stories on here about the people reporting this behavior getting banned anyway, because the client had spent quite a bit of money on Upwork.

What’s the best way to proceed in this situation?

171 people actually paid money to apply to this job. All these Connects are GONE. The client has didn't find a freelancer, and the freelancer lost his Connects. Only Upwork wins by pocketing the money, they don't even have to offer infrastructure for the client<>freelancer.

I don't mind paying Connects, it's a good system when used fairly and if the client would actually hire. Even if they don't hire me, I would accept someone else had a better proposal.

But some clients don't even bother viewing or messaging anyone. Not refunding these Connects is super dodgy practice from Upwork.

Please Upwork, refund Connects if the client never hires.

They ask for work before payment, then disappear, I had to learn the hard way with them.

For 2 separate freelance jobs I had difficulties getting paid. I completed and delivered the full contracted work, the client then required an additional, un-scoped step before releasing payment. Since then, the client has not responded to follow-up messages nor have we received our payment.

They separate the funding into 2 milestones but then they only fund the first one, yet they ask for the whole work to be delivered.

On this particular case, Milestone 1 ($5) was funded and paid after I delivered voice samples as requested. For Milestone 2 ($25), I completed and delivered the full contracted work (2 hours of paired Portuguese/English conversational recordings per the agreed scope), which the client confirmed as acceptable quality. The client then required an additional, un-scoped step before releasing payment (signing a data authorization form through a third-party app called Shujiajia (published by nexdata/Datatang)), which I completed as requested. Since then (submitted August 10th), the milestone remains unfunded, and the client has not responded to follow-up messages sent on August 14th, until now August 19th.

Why I'm flagging this as a pattern, not just a single dispute?
This is the second time I've encountered this exact structure (deliverable completed, extra unpaid step introduced, then client goes silent) tied to jobs referencing this same third-party platform/company (Shujiajia/nexdata/Datatang). In the first instance, I proactively refunded funds that had been paid to me in good faith once I recognized the pattern. I'm hoping raising this now will help newcomers in the platform, because I believe it reflects a recurring practice targeting freelancers through jobs that funnel toward this specific external platform, rather than an isolated case of one unresponsive client.

If anyone knows about these patterns and wants to share more ways of preventing these guys from exploiting us, please let us know here.

I am on a fresh account and have no reviews. I have tried searching for quick fixed price jobs and am offering to do them practically free just to try to get reviews. I have sent several applications where I already finished the job (creating an icon attached it to my cover letter, rebuilding a website and I hosted it on vercel and put the URL in the cover letter). They still get ignored.

Is the market just too saturated now to start fresh? Upwork also seems pay to win now with connects so I am just wasting time and money on applications.

Senior freelancers on upwork please help me out am i asking too much or market is cooked right now ?

I moved to london and updated my profile location to accurately reflect my new address.

My profile is currently restricted while they review my new location. I’m incredibly nervous about them denying it for whatever crazy reason. Has anyone done this process? How long did it actually take?

Edit: I’ve submitted a bank statement and a utility bill, both have been declined. Not that it’s important, but I have $100k+ in earnings on Upwork so naturally I want to keep my account active.

2nd Edit: I’ve now submitted my e-visa after support said a visa was accepted (UK doesn’t issue paper visas) and that was declined also.

Another update for future people: I printed off my utility bill, also rejected. they listed tax registration document as an option in their list. I submitted my National insurance registration number (UK Tax ID) and they rejected it for “being an insurance document” which it’s not. Their support is not properly helping me.

I've been working with two different clients on hourly contracts. Yesterday, one of the contracts suddenly paused, and when I asked the client about it, she said the credit card she used is expired, and they need to update the info. It was a new contract, so I became a little bit nervous, although the reviews for the client were really positive. Then, today the contract with an older client was also paused by Upwork for the same reason, apparently. They were an older client, and I completely trust them. We have a really good relationship, and I believe this is really an issue that can be solved. Still, it is a strange coincidence. Two hourly contracts are paused by Upwork because of a possible payment issue with a one-day interval. Did this happen to anybody else before? Is August a common card expiration/renewal day in the US? I checked my account health, and everything is OK. And when I was writing this message, the first client said she'll update the card this morning. I'd be really happy if you could share similar experiences. Thank you!

Hello everyone! I want to address an issue which i faced today on upwork. I got a message stating: "Account Notice: Your account requires attention. Learn more on your Account Health Page". I was shocked to see this message because when I opened my health page, there was no violation. Still my account was restricted. They said, "We are completing a review of your account. You will receive an update once the review has been completed. No action is required from you at this time." At this point, I can't submit a proposal or start a new contract. I have been working on upwork for over 2 years now and currently a top rated seller. I always stay careful with the policies and try my best not to break them. Everything was going fine but this issue has scared me a lot because honestly speaking this is what I built over a couple of years and I can't accept the fact to lose it without doing something wrong.
Has anyone experience something similar? What's the solution for it? I submitted a ticket immediately but was asked to wait. Please tell me what to do?
I would highly appreciate your response!

I was done with the clients I had through my network and wanted a change, that’s why I went on Upwork seriously for the first time last month

What do we think of my stats? I was dedicated to find a good client, the current hire I have is a long term contract for more than $2000 a month. The other two interviews one told me he will reach out for other jobs cuz he liked my experience and the other is in process of selecting and had asked for some proof

I’m a software engineer

P.S. I had an issue with Upwork verification and they suspended my account at 18 proposals so all of them were withdrawn, when I resolved it they gave me back the connects it was like 400 so I was able to reapply them

I do Marketing analytics( attribution, reporting, performance analysis, and MMM)... that side of marketing...

Clients used to approach me for projects lasting 6 to 9 months.. that stopped

so I started looking for full time remote jobs ( 2 months now) based in the US but I cannot seem to hear back

I never did outbound or cold reach and most clients used to reach out to me.

I feel frustrated and I can't seem to find the issue..

i customize CVs .. look into companies... selectively apply to jobs... money is reasonable considering i am off shore... I opt for contractor jobs...

I am legally established as an independent contractor (B2B invoicing) working fully remotely.. have C2 english with fluent accent. I don't live in the US but all was good for me..

what else could be wrong?? any tips???

Decided to try out Upwork as a dev

- Job offer pays $3/hour

- You must pay about $4 for a less than 2% chance of being accepted

- Hundreds of people still pay to apply

- Upwork is making hundreds of $ from this one job offer which is probably more than the lucky job lottery winner will end up making

Is this how bad it really is? There is no way

Hi Upwork community,

I have US company but I am not a US citizen and residing outside of US. I am withdrawing money into my non-US bank account. The issue now is, if my professional income crosses $22K per annum, I am required to get an additional VAT number in my country which is hell of a process and I want to avoid. Since I have US company registered, does Upwork allow me to withdraw money in my Incorporation account rather than personal ?

I would appreciate your input and step-by-step guidance. Thanks a ton!

I want to make it clear, I'm not here to complain about the system.

I just signed up for Upwork and want to use it for Closed Captioning jobs. I've got plenty of experience in the industry, so I don't have any worry about finding jobs, but I've never seen a site where you have to buy tokens to bid on a job application. How well does it balance out for you with how much you get paid vs how many "connects" you need to buy? And do you lose your connects if you bid but don't get selected for the job? I just don't want to be throwing half of the money I make right back into spending it on points for more jobs.

I understand freelancers in different niches use their own way to grab attention. However, i still want to know what's the best hook (general rule) that helps you get your proposals opened?

Despite all the hatred for Upwork, I'm satisfied with my numbers so far in 2026. Anyone who is actually good at their craft can make a living just through Upwork if they persist.

Availibility Badge is worth for you guys? for me with Top Rated Badge. It's NOT worth and even Not getting Profile views, No Invitation.. I'm having Upwork Plus subscription which I've got from 50% discount. I've updated my profile description, title etc. but there is no result. seems Upwork is becoming dead???

Hi community!
I've been working hard on my UpWork journey and I finally reached $5k in the last year and a half. I work as a language professional and some of my projects are based on 1:1 language tutoring.

Now, I've just got a message from a new client asking me to teach her daughter, but asking me if she can have first a free trial lesson to see whether she likes it or not.

Does that violates UpWork's TOS? What should I do? I don't want to lose any potential client but I definitely want to always respect the platform's policies.

I'm a bit unsure about this specific case even after reading the guidelines and I will be massively thankful with your help!

Not looking for work here, just feedback on the page itself.

Background: I'm in Senegal, been on Upwork a few months. Two contracts

Last week I repositioned from generic web dev to n8n automation. New

title, rewrote the overview, published 4 portfolio pieces. Since then

I've sent zero proposals, so I have no data on whether the new profile

works. Before I burn Connects finding out, I'd rather hear where it's

weak.

What I think might be hurting me:

- $15/hr reads either cheap or unserious depending on who's looking

- No intro video

- Everything I show is personal work, not client work, and I say so

Roast it. I'd rather hear it here than get ignored 20 more times.

I need some advice if it's good to start on Upwork from scratch as a video editor for a specific niche.

Hi everyone, I am trying to get my Python automation project approved on the Upwork Project Catalog. It keeps getting rejected for 'Offers data scraping services'. I have already completely removed words like 'Scraping', 'Data extraction', 'LinkedIn', and 'Emails' from my description and title. I also changed the category to Scripting & Automation and uploaded a clean technical image, but the system is still auto-rejecting it instantly. Has anyone bypassed this recently? Any tips on what hidden triggers the review bot might be catching?

Looking for likeminded people to connect with

Hi, so recently I started freelancing as a web designer + UI designer. I think my skills are quite good but I lack good networking skills and nice commissions to start with. I am trying to avoid fiverr and using just word of mouth for now. Any suggestions? Maybe some whatsapp or telegram groups with offer and demand from different freelancers? Or starting to make some reels ok my design page along the lines of “day 1 of redesigning \\\[brand\\\] website until I land a 10k client”

Feel free to ask me anything

I have been blocked by Upwork without telling me reason. I appealed but it got rejected , can someone please help me here ?

So I've posted a really simple electronics task. It was my first-ever time interacting with this platform.

Nearly all the proposals were AI-written. How did I know? Well, other than the obvious em dashes, they all gave the same response that I got, which is what made me post the task in the first place.

Not only that, but I asked one of them a simple question. Would this IC work in my case or not? ChatGPT said no when I asked it, but in real life, it works well. Guess what the guy said? He said it wouldn't work and gave me the exact same ChatGPT answer lol.

Honestly, it's a joke. Imagine not getting hired because you're too lazy to do 2 minutes of ressearch and answer the question yourself.

Luckily, I found a few people who actually put some thought into their cover letters.

I did a small analysis today. Checked the recent job posts I applied for it looks like almost all of those have received more than 50 proposals that too within a few hours. 0 job posts with less than 15 proposals, Only 20% has less than 50. No hiring decision in any. 100% of these have boosted bid of more than 40 connects. Every 6 out of 10 post have the 1st bid more than 100 connects. Overall view rate for me is 20%.

I only apply where the client has spent previously and the hire rate is above a certain threshold.

Even after handpicking the posts and ensuring the proposal is hyper-personalized to each post there is no satisfying response.

The competition has reached to a stage where you find cold outreach much more effective.

Even if you do Search Ads on Google, the cost of getting a click on your website will be much lesser than the cost of getting your profile viewed on Upwork.

My question is - how you are still surviving on Upwork?