We know that trust and security are priorities when you collaborate through Upwork, and we take steps to protect our community and make Upwork as safe and secure as possible.
In a virtual work world, knowing that people are who they claim to be is a vital part of safety and security. That’s why we routinely ask freelancers and clients to verify their identities. Additionally, there are sometimes laws and regulations in different places that require us to confirm identities. This process is covered by the Upwork Terms of Service. We verify identity in several ways:
- Government ID Verification
- Government ID + Residency Verification
- Video Verification
- Phone number verification
Reasons you could be asked to verify your identity
- To determine ownership of an account (including the U.S. Government Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance program)
- To confirm your location to qualify you for location-specific jobs and to comply with local taxes and regulations
- To resume your account
- For other reasons that we may deem appropriate to maintain the integrity of the marketplace
Unable to verify
If you’ve received a notification that verifying your identity is required and you're unable to do so, you may not be able to continue working through Upwork. That means we will pause your contracts, will not allow withdrawals, and will return funds to your clients.
Deliberately uploading falsified documentation is a crime and violators will be permanently suspended. Upwork may report users who attempt to send fake or falsified documents. This is why it’s so important you don’t crop, rotate, touch up, adjust colors, or alter the images in any way.