How long can I hold off my payment?

[Mike M]

Hi guys,

I know, it is kind of a silly question, but I was wondering (and couldn't find it anywhere

how long can I keep the money on Upwork for?

I.e. let's say I earned 100 but I want to do couple more jobs and withdraw when I get to 500 or 1000.

How long the money can be in "limbo"?

Thanks,

Mike

[Petra R · Accepted solution]

After 180 days it gets automatically sent to your primary withdrawal method.

You need to set your auto-withdrawal to "only when I have 1000 or more" 

[Jelena-Kristina Z]

What if after 180 days the person doesn't have the withdrawal set yet? I'm asking just in case something goes complicating with requesting VAT number from the country I just moved to...

[Petra R]

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@Jelena-Kristina Z wrote:

What if after 180 days the person doesn't have the withdrawal set yet? I'm asking just in case something goes complicating with requesting VAT number from the country I just moved to...

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You don't need a VAT number to have a withdrawal method, and 6 months must surely be enough time to set a withdrawal method up.

your earnings count as "earned" when they become available to you on Upwork, not when you withdraw them. You may want to consider a Payoneer card.

in a worst case scenario your earnings may have to be refunded to the client as Upwork have to comply with regulations, which say they can not act in a bank-like manner so have to "get rid" of the money in your account eventually.... Either to your withdrawal method or back to the client. 

[Jelena-Kristina Z]

Thank you, for some reason I read 180 days as 3 months. This MSc in physics I have is really paying off. 6 months is definetly plenty of time.

[Mike M]

Awesome,

thank you for your prompt response!

Mike

[Jennifer M]

Warning: Upwork is not a bank. They can unilaterally hold your money and there ain't **edited for Community Guidelines** you can do about it. Leaving money sit with them is not smart even if your goal is tax evasion.

[Preston H]

Jennifer is totally right.

So many people have their money tied up in Upwork in ways that prevent them from accessing it. Sometimes this happens when they do nothing wrong at all. Sometimes a client that a contractor has been working for is discovered (or suspected) of being involved in shenanigans, and that client's contractors find their financial accounts on hold. Typically the money is eventually accessible again.

But you never know what can happen. What if you haven't done anything wrong at all, and your clients haven't done anything wrong, and Upwork simply has technical difficulties for a few days. Or what if your bank experiences technical difficulties? There are so many things that can prevent you from getting your money.

So I withdraw my money the second it becomes available.

Of course, Jennifer and I live in the United States, and we can withdraw money unlimited numbers of times, without paying any fees, so it's easy for us to widthdraw money quickly. If you live outside the United States, my advice is to try to use the least expensive option available to you. If you have a U.S. bank account, use it. If you can set up a U.S. bank account, do so. If you can't, you still shouldn't leave too much money in your Upwork account, even if you're trying to avoid paying withdrawal fees or taxes.

Never assume that any money left in your Upwork account will be available to you forever or be available at any time.

To be safe, withdraw your money.

[Tanzeel A]

So how can I check, how many days are left to exceed the 180 days limit for automatic payment?