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hrytsevich-yan
Community Member

How long do I need to keep client files?

Hello, Dear colleagues! 

I would like to ask you how long do you keep client files and what are the obligations regarding this issue in the Upwork rules? Thank you for your responses!

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prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "I would like to ask you how long do you keep client files and what are the obligations regarding this issue in the Upwork rules? Thank you for your responses!"

 

A freelancer is not obligated to keep client files.

As a freelancer, as soon as a contract ends, you may delete all client files in your possession.

 

As a client, when I hire a freelancer, I obtain and store the files that they provide to me. I never go back to a freelancer and ask him for files.

 

As a high-end, top-level professional freelancer, I provide top-level service to clients. I store client files forever. I have redundant storage servers with separate services (iCloud and iDrive). I store client files going back to the very beginning of my work on Upwork: 2014. If a former client needs my help, I am prepared to help them, including with providing files from our past work together.


The only reason I would delete client files is if a client asked me to.

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6 REPLIES 6
prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "I would like to ask you how long do you keep client files and what are the obligations regarding this issue in the Upwork rules? Thank you for your responses!"

 

A freelancer is not obligated to keep client files.

As a freelancer, as soon as a contract ends, you may delete all client files in your possession.

 

As a client, when I hire a freelancer, I obtain and store the files that they provide to me. I never go back to a freelancer and ask him for files.

 

As a high-end, top-level professional freelancer, I provide top-level service to clients. I store client files forever. I have redundant storage servers with separate services (iCloud and iDrive). I store client files going back to the very beginning of my work on Upwork: 2014. If a former client needs my help, I am prepared to help them, including with providing files from our past work together.


The only reason I would delete client files is if a client asked me to.

Thanks for the comprehensive answer!

Sometimes in the Forum I have read about a client who received work from a freelancer... And then LASTER wanted to download the files from Upwork. Sometimes much later.

 

Any client who thinks they can go back and download files from Upwork is making a huge mistake.

 

Any client who thinks they can go back to a previously-hired freelancer and ask for files is making a huge mistake.

 

I pay money to a freelancer.

I am going to download the files they provide me and store them on my own server. I'm not going to rely on somebody else to store these files.

I do the same! I've had many clients come to me asking for the working version after several months and a few clients asked after 1-2 years after they mess up the formulas trying to scale it up and fail! 

 

I have each and every copy of the work done going back to 2010 when I started as an independent freelancer.

 

And a backup of each laptop I have owned since 2005, just a habit not sure if it is any good habit! 

 

 

 

 

 

jennifervh
Community Member

Hi Yan, 

 

Under Upwork's Optional Terms of Service Section 6.3, (which seem to be in effect unless the client/freelancer specifically choose otherwise, though I'm honestly not really clear on this), freelancers are meant to return/delete all client files/deliverables at the end of the contract. https://www.upwork.com/legal#optional-service-contract-terms.

 

When ending a contract, I usually let the client know this is the standard procedure. If I think I might work with them again, I'll ask them if they'd like me to keep the files. If I'm pretty certain we won't work together again, I just let them know I'll be deleting the files per the policy and ask if they need copies of anything first.

jennifervh_0-1641752403591.png

 

Thanks for the interesting note! This is an occasion to carefully study the rules again.

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