How to troubleshoot withdrawal issues on Upwork

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Why can’t I withdraw my earnings?

A few things could be getting in the way. Let’s walk through some quick checks:

Have you set up a withdrawal method and entered your tax info? We need both to process earnings
Has your withdrawal method been active for at least three days? For security reasons, new withdrawal methods can't be used for three full calendar days
Have you checked your Financial overview to see if your funds are available? Earnings stay in review during the client’s review window and in pending during the five-day security hold
Are there any restrictions on your account? You may need to resolve any temporary hold or suspension to withdraw earnings. Check your emails and notifications for next steps
Did you get an error message when you tried to withdraw? Check Upwork’s status to see if our site has any known issues. If not, please contact support

Why hasn’t my withdrawal deposited to my account—where’s my money?

Start with a few simple checks:

Holidays: U.S. or local bank holidays could cause delays—see scheduled holidays that might impact you
Account details: Double check that you entered your account details correctly
Account status: Make sure your account is active and accepts transfer deposits
Processing time: Some banks take longer than others, and a few may put holds on incoming funds. Ask your bank or payment provider what to expect

Want details on how long each withdrawal method usually takes? These articles break it down:

Why don't I see my faster payment on Friday?

Cleared payments are released by 11:59 PM UTC on Fridays. If you live in another time zone, please calculate the time difference to determine when your payment will be available. We will also email you after your payment is applied and ready to be withdrawn.

Note that only your hourly contracts are eligible for faster payments. If you have both hourly and fixed-price contracts, only the payments for your hourly contracts are included in faster payments.

If you issued a partial refund for your client, the rest of their payment to you would not be released according to the faster payouts schedule. A payment impacted by a refund will be subject to the 10-day wait on payments.

Can I request a trace for my withdrawal?

We may be able to help track your missing withdrawal payment, and we don’t charge for a trace. Here’s how and when to ask for help, depending on your withdrawal method:

Direct to Local Bank

You can request a trace eight full business days after the withdrawal date
To request a payment trace, contact Upwork support and include a screenshot of your bank statement or online transaction history from the time the withdrawal was made up to the time you submit the request

ACH Direct to U.S. Bank

You can request a trace five business days after the withdrawal date
Contact support to request a trace

Wire Transfer

You can request a trace eight full business days after the withdrawal date
Contact support to request a trace

PayPal

If it has been more than 24 hours, please contact PayPal support and provide them with the email address that funds were sent to
If PayPal is unable to locate the payment, please contact us for further assistance

Payoneer

If you don't get an Upwork notification of your transaction in 24 hours:
- Log into your Payoneer account to confirm receipt of funds
- Check your email filters, such as your spam, trash and/or junk folders for these notifications and add both Payoneer and Upwork to your email contacts
- Check the email address connected to your Payoneer account for a notification that they’ve transferred the funds to your account
If these steps don’t resolve the issue, please contact Payoneer support and provide them with the email address that funds were sent to. If they’re unable to locate the payment, please contact Upwork support for further assistance

M-Pesa (available in Kenya only)

If it has been more than five business days, please contact us

What happens if my withdrawal is returned?

If your withdrawal fails and the funds are returned to your Upwork account, we’ll email you as soon as possible.

If it’s due to an error on our end: We’ll cover any fees resulting from the issue.

If the transfer fails because you provided incorrect information: The funds will be returned to you minus the following costs:

Original withdrawal fee
Any return fees incurred by Upwork
Any additional fees or penalties your provider may assess

How do I fix a "Bank not found" IFSC code error?

Click enter it manually
A pop-up will appear. Click enter it manually again
The page will update so you can manually enter your bank information — ensure all details are accurate

I work for an agency—why didn’t I get paid?

Please contact your agency owner to resolve any payment issues.

Agencies are responsible for all payments to the freelancers who are part of the agency. Payments from agencies to agency members are not protected or managed by Upwork.