We have updated our Hourly, Bonus, and Expense Payment Agreement with Escrow Instructions to clarify one of the criteria that must be met to qualify for Hourly Payment Protection. You can find the updated Escrow Instructions here, which apply to all hourly service contracts and include with the following updates highlighted in bold below:
- In order to qualify for Hourly Payment Protection, a freelancer’s account must be in good standing at the time of the payment at issue, including, for example, completion of the identity verification process, tax information, and any other similar requests or requirements. (Section 6.1)
These updated Escrow Instructions are now in effect, and you agree to the updated agreement by accessing our Site anytime after these updates have gone into effect.
A few things to note:
- Verifying the identity of our users helps us combat fraud and scams as well as build trust. Since our Hourly Payment Protection is a membership benefit for those with an account in good standing, we wanted to clarify that having an account in good standing includes having completed our identity verification process, along with other requirements.
- At this time, this update only applies to hourly contracts.
- We currently ask freelancers to verify their identity by the time they win their first contract, but we may begin asking freelancers to verify their identity earlier. We also plan to require identity verification for clients soon as well.
Feel free to check this help article for more information about Hourly Payment Protection and reach out to our customer support if you have any questions or need assistance.
