✓ Keeping your contact information safe

It's against our Terms of Service (TOS) to share your contact information or to ask others to share theirs before a contract starts. That includes a phone number, user ID for communication tools (like Skype, Slack, or WeChat), email address, home or work address, and less direct sources, like:

• Sharing or filling in a form asking for contact information
• Linking to an applicant management system or another way of submitting a proposal or application outside of Upwork
• Sharing or asking for any social media handles

When we say 'before a contract starts', we mean before the start date on the contract or the date you accept the contract (if that's sooner). So, for instance, you shouldn't share contact information in your job post, proposal, or during an interview.

You also shouldn’t share contact information or ask others in your Upwork network to share theirs unless you are working on a contract together or already have a pre-existing relationship off Upwork.

Waiting to share this information protects you from potential fraud and scams. Here's more about staying safe on Upwork and more about sharing information.

Exceptions

There are three exceptions to this rule:

1. If you, or your client, is on an Enterprise plan, you're free to ask for and share contact information before a contract starts.
2. If you need contact information for specific legal reasons. For instance:
   • A non-disclosure agreement
   • A business license
   • Identifying information to confirm the right to do business with local authorities
   • Background checks
3. If you need to share an email address to get access to systems so you can scope a project. Examples would be:
   • Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab or other code repositories
   • Google/Facebook or other ad analytics programs
   • Quickbooks or other bookkeeping/accounting programs
   • Cloud drive folders
   • Online e-signature programs
   • Website host or builders

It's important to remember that even it's OK to ask for contact information, you'll still need to keep all your communication on Upwork until the contract starts. If someone asks for your contact information for one of the reasons above, but then uses it to communicate with you about the job or payment, they'd be breaking our rules.

We are always working to ensure that our products and services are accessible to all users, including individuals with disabilities. If you need an exception to share contact information due to accessibility issues, please contact our accessibility coordinator by sending an email to accessibilitycoordinator@upwork.com. For more information, please read Upwork’s Digital Accessibility Statement.

What happens if you break the rules?

Depending on what's happened, we'll take action on your account. Neither of us wants that, so it's always best to play by the rules.

Frequently Asked Questions