The Trust & Safety team is committed to making Upwork a safe and trusted place to do business, enabling everyone in our community to thrive. This is why we ask you to follow a set of rules, including our Terms of Service, or TOS. Our team will identify and review anything or anyone that could damage trust in Upwork (whether the target is you, other users, or the platform itself) when not following the TOS.
Why might my Upwork account be suspended?
We may suspend accounts that violate our Terms of Service. You can read about our most important policies to learn which account activities and behaviors are off-limits.
Depending on the severity of the violation and its impact on the Upwork community and platform integrity, we may suspend your account by either restricting it with a temporary hold or permanently blocking you from using Upwork. Accounts may be suspended due to a single violation or repeated violations. You can learn more about Trust & Safety actions here.
If we suspend your account, we will send you an email with all the details to the email address you used to register with Upwork. You will also receive a notice when you try to log in. If you do not find an email from us but your account appears to be suspended, please make sure to check your spam folder. You may also contact Customer Support.
What happens while my Upwork account is suspended?
If your account is restricted with a temporary hold while we review it, you will still be able to log into Upwork and manage and complete any current work. Typically, we will reactivate your account when you fix the problem outlined in our email and commit to following our TOS in the future.
However, during the suspension, you may have several restrictions on your account. You may not be able to post any jobs, submit proposals, start any new contracts or withdraw funds, and any open offers you have sent or received may be canceled.
If the offense is serious enough or if you've repeatedly violated our TOS, we may permanently block your account. In this case, you will not be able to log into your account and are no longer allowed to use Upwork.
You may not open a new account if your account is suspended. Upwork does not allow multiple accounts without permission.
Can an account suspension be appealed?
Yes! If you believe we made a mistake, we hope you’ll reach out. The fastest way is to respond to the email we sent you. Can’t find the email? No worries. You can appeal using the link below. If you can still log into your account, you can also appeal by messaging us from the suspension ticket in your My Requests inbox. Here are the three ways to reach out:
- Reply to the email we sent you. This is the quickest way to start an appeal
- Use the File an Appeal Now link below to open the Submit Suspension Appeal page
- Complete a description of your appeal in the text box and select Submit
Important:
If it's an Enterprise account that's suspended, please reach out to us to appeal —the form will not work for Enterprise customers
- Go to your My Requests inbox under Help > Disputes
- Open the suspension ticket and reply to the message with your appeal request
- The suspension ticket will have information about your suspension
- Note: You'll need to be logged into your Upwork account to access your My Requests inbox. If you can’t log into your account, you’ll need to reply to the email we sent you or use the form below.
Keep in mind, submitting an appeal doesn’t guarantee reinstatement of your account. The appeal only ensures that we will review your account history and information to determine the status of your account.
What happens after I file an appeal?
Our Trust & Safety team will review your appeal and your account history, and email you with a final decision. We want to be thorough, so please give us at least 48 hours to review and reply back to you.
If we determine that your account will remain permanently blocked, the decision will be final, meaning you cannot appeal it.
Learn more about how our Trust and Safety team protects you (and how you can help) here.
Need help logging in?
If your account wasn’t suspended and you’re still having trouble logging in to Upwork, read our tips for common login issues.
Want to learn more about how we protect and store your personal information?
You can learn more and access the data request form in our Privacy Center.
