What does "unverified billing method" mean on Upwork?

What does "unverified billing method" mean?

One of these two things:

• The client hasn't verified their billing method on Upwork yet OR
• There's an issue with their existing billing method, such as it has expired.

How will I know if a potential client's billing method has been verified?

When you open a job posting to review the details or submit a proposal, you'll see whether we have verified the client’s payment method in the first line of the "About the client" section. In Project Catalog, you can see this on the client’s order in the first line of the "Company Information" section.

Is it OK to work with clients who don't have a verified billing method?

You don’t have to avoid these clients, but you should know that:

• We can't process payments to you until the client successfully completes billing method verification
• Even if you have an hourly contract, we do not provide Upwork Hourly Protection when the client doesn’t have a verified payment method

It's up to you to decide if beginning work before we finish that process is worth the risk.

How can the client have an unverified billing method when they already have active or paid projects on Upwork?

This can happen when the client hires during the verification process or there’s an issue with their existing billing method, such as it has expired.

How can I check if a client's billing method has been verified?

1. Go to Deliver Work > Your active contracts
2. Open the contract you want to check
3. Select the Contract details tab
4. In the "Description" section, select View the original offer
5. You can see whether the client is verified in the "About the client" section of the offer

What happens if Upwork pauses the contract because of an unverified billing method?

1. Stop working (or if it’s a new contract don’t start working) and do not submit your work product until we resume your contract
2. Contact your client to find out when they will verify their billing method