Since its inception, Upwork has been helping freelancers find work and clients find talent. With over 10 million registered users on the platform, it’s no secret that many people have made use of Upwork to get their jobs done.
However, there are some situations where your account may be suspended due to some unforeseen circumstances or mistakes on your end. When this happens, you’ll want to know what caused it and how best to rectify the situation so you can continue using their services without any further complications.
To help guide you through these situations and answer all of your questions about what happens when an account gets suspended on Upwork, we’ve compiled all of our research into one comprehensive guide.
| Takeaway |
|---|
| 1. Suspicion of Account Suspension: If you suspect that your Upwork account is suspended, try logging in or contact Upwork support for confirmation. |
| 2. Common Reasons for Suspension: Account suspension may result from violating Upwork’s terms, low job success scores, or payment issues. |
| 3. Possibility of Account Recovery: Depending on the reason for suspension, you may have the chance to recover your Upwork account through the appeal process. |
| 4. Appealing a Suspended Account: To appeal a suspension, submit a detailed ticket to Upwork support, providing relevant information and explaining your situation. |
| 5. Response Time for Appeals: While response times vary, you can typically expect to receive a reply from Upwork within a few business days. |
Your Profile Cannot Be Seen By Other Users
You can search for your profile on Upwork. If you can’t find it, this is weird but it could also mean that your account was suspended and deleted.
If you do find your profile in the search results, take note of its URL. The URL will have something like [your username].upwork.com after the domain name www.upwork.com. If there’s “/suspended-account” in there instead of just /, then that means that your account has indeed been suspended!
Don’t fear the unknown! Upwork’s permanent ban might seem daunting, but understanding how to handle it positively is crucial. Check out our article on Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Upwork’s Permanent Ban to gain insights into facing challenges head-on.
Your Profile Is Visible, But You Can No Longer Send Proposals
This is common with the suspension of the account. If this happens to you, the first thing you should do is check your email for a message from Upwork or an invitation from another client via your inbox.
If there aren’t any, then it’s time to check your messages section in Upwork and see if there are any notifications about your account being suspended.
If nothing shows up here either, then it’s safe to assume that your account has been suspended and not simply put on hold temporarily by an administrator due to some issue with payment or something similar (which we will discuss later).
Time management is a game-changer for freelancers, especially when facing account issues. Discover 18 advanced time management tips in our blog post 18 Advanced Time Management Tips for Freelancers and maximize your productivity while dealing with challenges.
Your Earnings Are On Hold
If you are unable to withdraw earnings from your Upwork account, it is likely that it has been suspended.
In most cases, this means that your profile has violated the Upwork Terms of Service (TOS). You can contact them and ask them why your account has been suspended. They will review your case and if they find out that the violation is valid, they may reinstate your account.
However, remember that this process may take several days or weeks depending on how busy their customer support team is at a particular time.
When Upwork Tells You Your Account Is Suspended
The first thing you can do is check your account and see if it has been suspended. If it is, Upwork will send you an email letting you know. The email will detail the reason for the suspension and instruct you on when to expect its resolution.
If your account is suspended, there are many reasons why this could be happening:
- You might have violated Upwork’s Terms of Service or Prohibited Actions section by using bots or other automated software;
- Your profile might not meet our standards of quality or accuracy;
- Or it could be something else entirely!
- Upwork gives you a reason why your account was suspended
- Upwork will send you an email or text message that explains why the suspension occurred.
- If there is a problem with your account, Upwork will tell you what it is and how to fix it.
For example, if your payment method has expired or been canceled, they’ll let you know how to add another method of payment in order to be able to continue using the site again.
Did Upwork suspend your account? Don’t panic; there’s hope! Learn about the necessary steps to take in our comprehensive guide on Upwork Suspended Your Account – What You Need to Know, and get your freelancing journey back on track.
You Are Not Able To Withdraw
If you are not able to withdraw your earnings from Upwork, this is one of the most common signs that your account has been suspended.
If you find that you are unable to withdraw funds from your Upwork account and it’s been more than two weeks since your last withdrawal, contact the Upwork support team immediately. Let them know about this issue and ask them if there is anything they can do to help.
They will likely ask for a copy of your payment history and/or invoices from clients in order to determine why it’s taking so long for any payments to be processed through their system.
They may also ask for proof of identity so as not to fall victim (again) to fraudsters claiming they’re working on behalf of another individual who does not exist at all but simply wants access to certain accounts without their knowledge or permission.
Embarking on a freelancing career? Here’s the most crucial advice you need to know: be persistent and adaptable. Explore our article on The Most Important Thing You Need to Know About Freelancing to gain insights into thriving in the ever-evolving world of freelancers.
You Receive An Email From The Upwork Team Regarding Your Suspended Account
If you receive an email from the Upwork team regarding the suspension of your account, it means that your account is indeed suspended. To be able to receive emails from Upwork, your registered email address must be active. If it’s not, you can always add another one with your current credentials.
There’s nothing to worry about because there are several ways in which you can get back on track and use the platform again if your account has been suspended.
You Are Repeatedly Getting An Error Code Instead Of Being Able To Log In
If you are repeatedly getting an error code instead of being able to log in, then your account is most likely suspended.
The error code will be specific to the reason for the suspension, so if you see a generic message that doesn’t mention anything about your account or what happened, it could be due to another issue.
Honesty and integrity are the keys to success on Upwork. If you want to attract more clients without compromising your principles, read our blog post on How to Get More Clients on Upwork Without Lying, Cheating, or Stealing and discover ethical strategies for growing your freelance business.
If You Know These Things, It Will Help You Figure Out If Your Upwork Account Has Been Suspended
Check for error codes by logging in to your Upwork account and looking at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. If there is an error code listed, it means that either something went wrong with the application process or your payments are being held while they investigate something.
Check for an email from Upwork by going to Settings then click on “Notifications” and see if there’s an email from them confirming a hold on earnings or asking for more information about your work history.
Conclusion
If your Upwork account is suspended, there are a variety of possible reasons why this could happen. It could be due to a low approval rating, having too many proposals rejected, or too many invoices not paid.
If you think that your account was suspended for one of these reasons and want to take action on it, then contact the Upwork team.
If you have been given an email from the Upwork team regarding your suspended account or have received any other notification about it, make sure you read through the information carefully before making any decisions.
They will explain what happened and give instructions on how to proceed with resolving the issue so they can lift the suspension off their end (if possible).
Further Reading
Website Builder Insider: How Do I Fix My Upwork Account Has Been Suspended? Short Description: This article provides practical steps and solutions for fixing a suspended Upwork account.
The Indian Wire: Upwork Account Suspended – Reasons, Recovery, and Appeal Short Description: Understand the reasons behind Upwork account suspensions and learn how to recover and appeal the suspension.
No Diploma Needed: Upwork Account Suspended Short Description: Discover insights and tips on dealing with a suspended Upwork account from a freelancer’s perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can find answers to your questions here:
Does It Cost Anything To Open An Upwork Account?
No, it’s free. You just need to sign up with an email address and password. If you don’t have one already, create one now!
Can I Open An Account Using My Facebook Or Google Account?
You can open a new Upwork profile from either Facebook or Google if you want and many freelancers do, especially if they’re already active users of those services.
However, if you plan on earning money as a freelancer on Upwork then we recommend creating a new email address specifically for your freelance work (it doesn’t need to be associated with any social network).
How Long Can Upwork Suspend My Account?
Upwork reserves the right to suspend your account for any reason and for any duration of time. While we don’t have a specific time limit for this action, you should know that if your account is suspended, it will remain in that status until you submit a letter of appeal and explain why you think your suspension was unfounded or unfair.
What Should I Do If My Upwork Account Is Suspended?
If your account has been suspended, it’s important to act quickly so as not to miss out on jobs while your profile is unavailable. You should immediately write an appeal letter explaining why you do not believe that the violations which led up to your suspension were justified.
Can I Appeal Upwork’s Decision?
Yes! If you have been suspended from using Upwork due to violating some aspect of its Terms of Service agreement or Community Guidelines policy document (which includes things like cheating), then there’s hope you can make an appeal letter explaining why this happened and asking them to consider reinstating access back into the marketplace once again!
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.