Paying outside of Upwork

[8438c9f3]

Hi there,

Just wanted some advice as I am new to Upwork. If I find a freelancer via Upwork and they are suited to the project in hand, could I potentially pay them outside of Upwork over a period of time if they were happy with this?

[wescowley · Accepted solution]

Under the TOS, you and the freelancer are obligated to keep payments through the platform for the first two years of your relationship. 

[AleksandarD]

Hi Elizabeth,

Please note that offering and accepting payments off Upwork is a violation of Upwork TOS. Upwork requires all payments to go through our platform and offers Upwork Payment Protection for both hourly and fixed-price contracts. You can refer to Section 7 of the User Agreement for detailed information.

Thank you.