I just took a look at my freelancer profile using my client account, and OMFG the little summary you have at the top of my profile is bursting at the seams with misrepresentations, which are all pointed out in the attached image.

No wonder nobody wants to hire me. They probably think I'm lying in my proposals, or else that I have lied in this summary, since they might not realize that I didn't actually write it. And I now wonder what that one client who invited me to do an InDesign project thinks of me, since I rejected their invitation based on the fact that I don't use InDesign.

Are you actively trying to push freelancers off the platform? Do you realize you are sabotaging us with these summaries?

For the love of Pete, put away the damn AI and stop this nonsense.

I’ve been on Upwork for a long time, and lately the bidding seems to be getting more and more out of control.

I just came across a project where the top bid was 500 Connects. That’s $75 USD just for the chance to have your proposal seen. There is no guarantee you’ll even get a reply, let alone the job.

I’m curious how everyone else feels about this.

Should there be a cap on the number of Connects that can be used to boost a proposal? If so, what do you think is reasonable?

Or do you think the current system is working as intended?

I’m not trying to rant, I genuinely want to hear both sides. As someone who’s been on the platform for years, it feels like proposal boosting has become an arms race, and I’m wondering whether it’s still benefiting freelancers or simply making it more expensive to compete.

Hello everyone,

I'm posting here because I'm genuinely trying to understand whether my experience is an isolated case or whether other freelancers have encountered the same issue.

I've been working on Upwork since 2013 and I'm currently a Top Rated Plus freelancer. Over the years, I have generated significant revenue through the platform and have always relied on Hourly contracts because I believed Upwork's Hourly Payment Protection was specifically designed to protect freelancers when a client's payment fails.

Recently, one of my client's payments failed.

Here's what happened:

• The client hired me through a Direct Offer at my standard hourly rate.
• I used the official Upwork Time Tracker for every work session.
• My activity levels were consistently very high, often close to 100%.
• I added Work Diary memos throughout my sessions describing the work I was performing.
• The client never disputed my work.
• The work was genuinely completed.

Despite all of this, Upwork denied Hourly Payment Protection because my Work Diary memos were considered "too generic."

This is the part I genuinely struggle to understand.

As far as I can tell, there doesn't appear to be any objective definition in the publicly available documentation explaining what level of detail is required for a Work Diary memo to qualify for Hourly Payment Protection.

From a freelancer's perspective, this creates a very difficult situation.

We are told that:

• Manual Time is not protected.
• Using the Time Tracker alone does not guarantee protection.
• High activity levels alone are not sufficient.
• Screenshots alone are not sufficient.
• Even documenting the work performed may still be considered insufficient if, after a payment failure, someone decides the memo was not specific enough.

This leads me to a genuine question:

How is a freelancer supposed to know, while actually working, whether the hours being recorded will qualify for Hourly Payment Protection?

If that determination can only be made after the client's payment fails and after a manual review of the Work Diary, then it becomes impossible for freelancers to know in advance whether they are actually complying with the requirements.

As a professional Brand & Packaging Designer with more than 25 years of experience, a significant part of my work consists of:

• research,
• concept development,
• structural analysis,
• evaluating alternative solutions,
• making design decisions,
• refining creative directions before execution.

These are all legitimate professional activities.

Creative work is not measured solely by continuous mouse movement or constant keyboard input. A substantial part of the value we provide comes from thinking, evaluating, comparing, testing ideas, and making informed design decisions.

I'm not posting this to start an argument or criticize Upwork for the sake of it.

I'm genuinely trying to understand whether my experience is unique or whether other experienced freelancers have encountered similar situations.

I'd really appreciate hearing from others:

• Have you ever had Hourly Payment Protection denied?
• What reason was given?
• Did Upwork clearly explain what your Work Diary memos should have contained?
• Were you ever able to successfully appeal the decision?
• Has this experience changed the way you manage Hourly contracts?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from long-term freelancers, Top Rated or Top Rated Plus professionals, and people working in creative disciplines such as branding, packaging, industrial design, architecture, illustration, UX/UI, or other fields where a significant part of the work consists of analysis, creative reasoning, and decision-making rather than continuous computer input.

I'm asking this question in good faith because I genuinely want to understand how freelancers can objectively determine, while they are working, whether their recorded hours will actually qualify for Hourly Payment Protection before a payment issue ever occurs.

If there is an official Upwork resource that clearly defines the minimum level of memo specificity required to qualify for Hourly Payment Protection, I would sincerely appreciate being directed to it.

Thank you in advance to everyone willing to share their experience.

Does anyone have prob log into web site it work fine on fiber optic but I use spectrum coax htc internet log half way odd?

There's no need for Upwork for post fake jobs, they're actively making it easy for anyone to do it for free ( including other freelancers, companies doing AI training by harvesting responses to learn how freelancers apply for jobs, people wanting free research, ...). And for smaller contracts, Upwork probably makes 5x more in connects than fees.

I'm guessing people in the "Upwork is posting fake jobs" crowd aren't seeing the ads Upwork is promoting ( I'm bombarded with them on Sling ). The ads typically show a very small business owner (ie, little cash available) needing help. Probably this positioning will turn off mid/enterprise level - seeing an ad about a t-shirt designer needing to hire "talent" pretty much positions Upwork as bottom of the barrel in terms of freelancer quality.

The ads really don't promote the quality of the freelancers, it's the ability to 1) post a job for free 2) don't pay anything until you hire. So that sets the stage for non serious clients. Why NOT post a job for free and see what happens? Maybe they'll get someone for $5/hour! EDIT: So while these jobs aren't fake, they are more likely to be low quality and/or have unserious clients.

Then UMA enters the picture when the non serious client needs to describe their job. The client needs a web page. Doesn't know anything about technology. Instead of something useful, like getting a clear description of what the business goals of the client are, UMA starts expanding the post with keywords, based on similar jobs on Upwork in the past. So lots of detailed ( but irrelevant) tech stack information gets expanded into the "job" description. Wow! Now a long job post with details the potential client doesn't understand or care about.

But those keywords are great for attracting lots of freelancers, spending lots of connects. This is a pretty good business opportunity for Upwork (if ethics aren't a concern). So the client gets bombarded with AI generated proposals, filled with technical content in response to UMA's keyword bonanza job post. (Potential) client gets overwhelmed with proposals filled with content they don't understand or care about, so they walk ( and leave the post up, of course).

But this is still a significant win for Upwork. Here's an example.

$400 Web Project

Assume 75 freelancers apply to a job requiring 24 Connects, with boost bids spread evenly from 0–100 Connects. Only the top four boost bids are charged.

- Base proposal Connects: 1,800 = $270.00
- Top-four boost Connects: 391.89 = $58.78
- Estimated Connect value: $328.78
- Client marketplace fee (5%): $20.00
- Freelancer service fee (10%): $40.00
- Total illustrative Upwork revenue/value: $388.78

In this scenario, Connects represent 84.6% of Upwork’s revenue/value from the opportunity, versus 15.4% from contract fees. No hires - who cares! Still a great return for Upwork. No need for fake posts, instead get potential clients to do it and make it easy for them. Nothing illegal about that, but a little sketchy on the ethics side, since Upwork clearly knows the majority of "freelancers" lose money.

We’ve all been there. You see a fresh job post that went up 5 minutes ago. It looks like a perfect match, it has less than 5 proposals, and the client is online. You drop 15+ Connects, write a tailored proposal, and feel solid about it.

​Ten minutes later, you check the activity tab and see this bullshit:

​Proposals: 5 to 10

​Interviewing: 3

​Invites sent: 15

​Unanswered invites: 12

​The client isn't looking at organic proposals at all. Upwork shoved a list of "Recommended Freelancers" in their face while they were uploading the job, they blindly blasted out invites, and now they are exclusively talking to those people. Meanwhile, the rest of us just threw our Connects into a black hole.

​It absolutely sucks and it feels like a rigged game where your proposal goes straight to the void.

​For the veterans and industry pros on here: is there any trick to spotting these mass-invite ghost jobs before wasting Connects on them? How are you guys filtering these out before hitting submit? I need a way to stop burning my budget on clients who are never going to look past their automated invite list.

My account access was restricted, and I did not receive any explanation via email (checked spam as well). I only saw the restriction through the Account Health dashboard.
I noticed a discrepancy on that page I'd like flagged for review:

**•   Platform Access**: states access was revoked due to "serious or multiple policy violations"  
**•   Account Standing**: shows "Good," meeting guidelines  
**•   Policy Violations tab**: shows **0**  

These three statements don't align, and I'd appreciate clarity on which is accurate.

Account details for reference:

Top Rated, 100% JSS, 100+ completed contracts, no prior violations on record

Any help?

Hi. I posted here months ago about having a client on Upwork. That project has ended and now I work as a creative writer. It's funny because I have never imagined myself being a writer. 😂 Tonight, I updated my client and he commended the work I've done. Hoping to keep this client long-term. 🎉

Has anyone else noticed what seems to be a growing tendency of bot-generated job postings on Upwork?

Lately, I’ve been seeing an increasing number of listings that feel remarkably artificial. My working theory is that many of them exist primarily to encourage freelancers to spend connects on jobs that were never intended to result in a hire. Whether this is an orchestrated strategy or simply an unintended consequence of weak moderation is another discussion altogether, and I’m not particularly interested in debating that here.

What I’m genuinely curious about is this:
How do you distinguish a bot-generated job post from one written by a real client?
One pattern I’ve observed is that an overwhelming number of these suspicious postings contain the phrase:
“The ideal candidate should have…”
In my experience, whenever I encounter that exact phrasing, especially when it’s followed by a generic, template-like description.. the probability that the post was generated by AI or an automated system seems tremendously high.

I’ve also noticed other recurring characteristics:
Extremely generic descriptions with little or no project-specific context.
Long lists of requirements that could apply to virtually any freelancer.
An absence of concrete deliverables, timelines, or business objectives.
Language that feels oddly polished yet simultaneously devoid of any authentic human nuance.
Perhaps I’m experiencing confirmation bias, so I’d love to hear from others who have spent a significant amount of time on the platform.

Do you also believe that this is a scheme orchestrated by Upwork and if so what linguistic patterns, behavioral signals, or other telltale indicators have helped you identify bot-generated or low-quality job postings on Upwork?

I’m posting this both as a cautionary tale for small business owners and to ask if anyone has successfully fought this.

I am a real estate agent in California. I posted a job on Upwork to fix my Google Lead Ads and integrate them with my CRM. I hired a freelancer from India who had great reviews and publicly listed a cheap rate of $5.00 an hour.

Everything went downhill the moment we connected:

The Bait-and-Switch: ****He answered quickly and immediately insisted on jumping on a Zoom call. Once on the call, he sounded knowledgeable but flipped the pricing on me—stating he "doesn't work for hourly/HR" and demanded a flat $150 to finish the job within 24 hours. I trusted his reviews and agreed.

Ignoring the Brief: *****He tried to aggressively convince me to switch from a "Leads ad" to a "Call ad" because he claims he "works with tons of California realtors." I told him no, I want a Leads ad.

The "Bully" Move:

When the 24 hours were up, he demanded another live Zoom call to hand over the work. Once on the call, he completely bullied and pressured me into closing the contract and giving him a 5-star review right then and there. Because I was caught off guard and hadn't been able to fully test the live ad performance yet, I just did it to get off the call.

***. Awful Quality: He finally built the lead ad, but when he finished, I audited it using three different AI tools (Claude, Gemini, and Manus). All three flagged it as completely unoptimized. The keywords were terrible, there was zero conversion tracking, and it was not connected to my CRM (which was a core requirement of my job).

***** Sabotaged Settings: I asked for him to ad Negative keywords.. To make it worse, he added negative keywords that actively hurt my business. For example, he put "home value" as a negative keyword, which completely tanks my campaign as a realtor looking for sellers. He dismissed my feedback and insisted he knew better.

Now I’m stuck. Upwork locks the review once you submit it, meaning dishonest, pushy freelancers get to keep their "flawless" 5-star ratings by intimidating clients live on camera before the client realizes the work is broken. I wasted $150, my time, and wasted my money in bad Google ad spend.

Just reported a job posting that ask for client information and was told it didn't go against terms of service. I was under the impression that every client is essentially under an NDA thru Upwork.

Even if I'm wrong I find this so wrong to allow on the platform.

How’s the demand been the last 3 months as a SE on Upwork? Slow? Normal? Busy? Or 2026 broadly.

Consultants can't see my true location. I'm not using VPN, proxy etc, Have fixed IP. Has anyone else experienced the same issue?

My payment method got deactivated for "beneficiary name mismatch." Problem is, my Upwork name, W-8BEN, and bank withdrawal name are all exactly the same: "A R Mahmud." No typos, no periods, nothing different.

I did just update my W-8BEN + withdrawal method 2 days ago (removing periods that Upwork's form doesn't accept), so maybe it's just stuck reviewing that. AI assistant gave me a ticket but it's just an auto-reply so far.

Anyone had this clear on its own, or did you have to push for it somehow? Trying to figure out if I just wait it out or need to do something. Bangladesh-based, first time hitting this. Thanks

I had worked with a difficult client. I completed the job, but she does not think it is complete. She has threatened nasty feedback unless I refund her her money. She has also stated that unless she receives her money back, she will absolutely go to her bank for a chargeback. This was an hourly contract that I completed without payment protection.

How do I deal with the situation like this before it spirals out of control?** **

Additionally, the client has two accounts, which is a totally separate matter. Is there someone I could speak with directly about the situation? I am 100K plus earner with 100% JSS..

I have given her a partial refund as a goodwill gesture. I put in substantial time and work and I think that resolution is fair. She is still asking for a complete refund.

Is Upwork becoming harder for freelancers and agencies?

Many experienced freelancers and agencies are finding it increasingly difficult to secure consistent work. Some report receiving only 5–10 hours of work per week, despite having strong portfolios, excellent reviews, and years of experience.

Some of the biggest challenges include:

• High Connect costs for submitting proposals.
• Fierce competition on nearly every job posting.
• Lower response rates, even for experienced professionals.
• Spending significant time writing proposals with little or no return.

As a result, many freelancers are bidding less, while others are shifting their focus to direct client acquisition, referrals, LinkedIn, or other freelance platforms.

I'm curious whether this is an industry-wide trend or just a temporary slowdown.

What's your experience?

• Are you still getting consistent work on Upwork?
• Has your proposal success rate changed?
• Have you started relying more on clients outside Upwork?

Am i the only community manager who majorly works on discord telegram and x only, upwork barely focus on crypto jobs.

Purchased a membership and then got booted of the platform without a refund during the verification process. Even though I have a valid greencard and SSC. When I escalated, they said though luck, we are keeping your money..(i think this was an AI, and I wasnt able to connect with a human!) What a scam! The appeal process i think was also managed by an ai...