Identity Verification When Transgender

[v_scott]

Hi, I'm a transgender freelancer who would like to verify that I live in the US, but I don't want to use my legal name for obvious reasons and would rather use my preferred name. Is there any way I could get verified while still using my preferred name? Thanks.

[thenomadicmagpie]

Hello there. I have a bit of a problem currently on my hands. My legal name is Nicole, but I've been going by another name, Artemis, for a long time. I just recently set up my account and because I have been going by Artemis for so long, I've been trying to build a brand around that name. I plan on having it legally changed in the future and thought it smarter to not build a brand around a soon-to-be dead name.

 Because of this, I have my computer set up to auto-fill my contact information with Artemis rather than Nicole, and I had it do the same with my account here, as it's autopilot for me to use Artemis online. However, the name that is on my documents and bank account is still Nicole, as my name change hasn't yet been filed.

After realizing my mistake, I quickly tried to change my account name to Nicole name so that it could match my documents and fit with the terms of service. Now I've been told that my name change request has been denied.

I'm trying to correct the mistake I made while setting up the account and allow my payments to go through without breaking any site rules. Can I get advice from anyone on how I should go about clearing this mess up?

[BojanS]

Hi Artemis,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We'll have one of our agents reach out to you directly via support ticket and assist you with updating your profile name.

Thank you. 

[thenomadicmagpie]

Thank you so much! Your help is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful day!

[JoanneP]

Hi Philip,

I’ve shared your concern with the team. One of our team members will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket. Thank you!

[lokiofasgard]

I am also transgender and would like to change my name to a preferred name.

[AndreaG]

Hi there,

We'll have one of our agents reach out to you directly via support ticket to assist you with your request. You can access your ticket here.

Thanks!

[jktyler]

I am also having this problem. I have talked to more than one person, had an ID upload and a webcam verification in the past - and now my accout is locked. I have clients waiting on me to accept proposals and I have an interview tomorrow. I'm tired of having the conversation with my clients about what name to call me and why. It's not a conversation I like to have that often with people I just meet...

[JoanneP]

Hi JKalin,

I checked and it looks like you already have two tickets regarding your request to update your name. I followed up with the team and one of our team members will update you directly on your ticket to assist you further. 

[jktyler]

Thanks, but that's what's frustrating. Customer service says something
different than what the system does. I got a no from the system, then a yes
from customer service, then an email no, then I got a yes day before
yesterday but today my account was locked. Hopefully, this will get
resolved before my interview tomorrow.

[jktyler]

I got this just now:

We apologize for the inconvenience it caused you. We reviewed your previous ID verification and your account now is fully active. 

And then 5 minutes later I got this:

Thank you for attempting to verify your location. Unfortunately, we could not authenticate the ID you uploaded.

As a result, we have placed a hold on your account.

So, back to square one 😕

[JoanneP]

Hi JKalin,

I checked your account, and I can see that one of our agents is assisting you on this ticket number: 30431511. It looks like the limitation on your account has already been lifted. 

[lokiofasgard]

I am having this problem as well. I had verifiled my ID beforehand, and I just had my name changed to a preferred name. Now it's not allowing me to accept proposals anymore.

I tried to go to the upwork help, but everytime i sign in, it signs me out for some reason. So i am writing here instead.

[AleksandarD]

Hi Isaac,

One of our team members will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further with your account.

Thank you.

[jacob-zagar]

Hello! could someone reach out to me about this as well

[JoanneP]

Hi Jacob,

I've requested the help of our team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket. 

[e83a345c]

Hello, I'm facing the same issue currently. I'm a trans woman, however, due to personal circumstances I haven't been able to legally change my name yet. Due to which the payment verification method I've been using has failed.

Could it be possible for me to use my real name and not my dead name on up work? Thank you.

[JoanneP]

Hi Jessica,

I've escalated your concern to the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

[e83a345c]

Tysm 🙂

[d835f605]

i'm a transgender and i need help with my verification process i don't want to use my legal name i haven't changed my legal name to my new name i need help because i'm a woman not a man and i'm being real not fake

[JoanneP]

Hi Camila,

I can see that you already have an open ticket regarding this issue. One of our agents will update your ticket and assist you further. 

[ailan_maciel]

My name was misspelled, it's now "Maclel" but my name is "Maciel". I also went to the help desk and found out that the name needs to be the same as my payment account, but I use my social name and not my civil name (I am a trans person), how should I proceed?

[JoanneP]

Hi Ailan,

I've shared your concern with the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

[corishoe]

My name is Cori. I am a trans non-binary guy. My birth-given name is Corinne.

I explained each of these things to Upwork.

I have also completed I.D. verification with the platform, so I am clearly whom I say I am.

Still, they are not allowing me to connect my PayPal to my account because my name is Corinne on PayPal and Cori on Upwork.

This is deeply frustrating on a number of levels.

#1 "Cori" is clearly a nickname for "Corinne." I don't need to explain this.

#2 It is well-known that for many in the LGBTQIA+ community, the name on their credit, debit or PayPal does not reflect their true identity. It's literally the reason why Mastercard and some other financial institutions will allow you to use your chosen name on your accounts, despite it not reflecting your I.D.

So what's the problem here, Upwork?

Has anyone else run into this issue?

[AveryO]

Hi Cori, 

Thanks for reaching out. Please allow up to 24 hours for the team to review your account for the name mismatch. They’ll let you know through your support ticket if any further steps are required from you.

For your second point in your post, we understand that this may be an issue for our LGBTQIA+ friends, and we'll be happy to help you further if this doesn't get resolved after 24-hours. 

As for identity verification on Upwork, I'd like to share that we do have several verification processes. We do try to limit the number of times we ask users to verify their identity. Sometimes, however, we need to ask again. This practice is just one part of our efforts to help keep Upwork safe. Please note in the future, we may ask you to verify your identity again as part of our ongoing effort to keep Upwork secure and fraud-free.

[curve-design]

I have the same problem as many others here. 

I have just added my payment method and it does not match the name on my UpWork account because I am a transgender man. 

I would need this to be resolved asap because I need the balance to be available on my PP account by the end of the month. 

What should I do? 

Thanks. 

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Uros,

Rest assured, our team will assist you further with your payment method. One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible where you can continue communicating with our team directly. If there's anything else I can assist you with, let me know. Thank you.

[sam-j-sherman]

Hello! I am also a trans freelancer and am having issues authenticating my identity due to my name on my profile versus my legal name on my driver's license. I would appreciate help with this when possible, thank you!

[JoanneP]

Hi Sam,

I've escalated your concern to the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

[fe41aff7]

Hello! Can I get some help to keep my preferred name instead of my legal name? The difference is just 3 letters. It's not letting me accept proposals. Thank you!

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Camille,

One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible and will assist you further with your name and your verification. Thank you.

[paperroadllc]

I am being asked to verify my id as well but 1) the link seems to be broken or not work and 2) do not feel comfortable using my dead name in my profile. It looks like other people have received assistance and I would really appreciate some help with this issue. I cannot use this app it requires me to deadname myself. 

[JoanneP]

Hi Cyrus, 

I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I've escalated your concern to the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

[83720c84]

Hi there,

I'm in the same situation and would like to use my preferred rather than my legal name.

Thanks.

[ArjayM]

Hi Martha,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I have escalated your concern and I'll have one of our members reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further. You can access your tickets on this page.

[bb7d2792]

Hello, my name is Juniper and I wanted to inquire if I could receive a support ticket regarding the fact that my new name is not the same as my former name on my PayPal, payments are frozen for me because of this unfortunate mismatch. If one of the staffers could make an exception in my case as mentioned in the FAQ since nobody in my life calls me by my birth name, and clients should only know me by my chosen name, that would be superb.

Thank you for the support,

-Juniper.

[759e32fa]

Hi Juniper,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Of course, I shared your report with our team and one of our agents will reach out to you via a support ticket to assist you further.

[1cf17d8d]

Hello! I received an email about my payment account name not matching my freelancing name; I knew I'd receive this email as my birth name is not the name I currently go by as a transgender individual. I can't find out how to send a support ticket or send a photo of my State ID to be verified though. Help would be appreciated, thank you!

[759e32fa]

Hi Lance,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I shared your report with our team and one of our agents will reach out to you via a support ticket to assist you further. You can access your support tickets here.

[coqui_contntmktg]

May I ask why this process isn't automated? Why do trans people need to seek help from CS to do what the rest of us cishet people do easily?

I'm looking at the number of replies to the OP and I'm appalled this is still an issue 4  years after the OP that requires each trans person to reach out individually. It seems a simple issue when a freelancer indicates they're trans that they're automatically taken to an area that accomodates them. If I, a cishet person, finds this discriminatory, I can only imagine how trans people must be feeling.

[AveryO]

Hi Sarah, 

I understand where you are coming from and why this may be a cause of concern. We have various verifications in place, and reaching out directly to the team is not only limited to trans people verifying their accounts. Some users need to reach out directly because their names have spelling, ethnic or written variations. Some users need to reach out because they have a face cover such as a niqab, hijab, or burka and cannot upload a profile photo. It may seem an extra step, but these are not meant to discriminate against anyone on Upwork. When freelancers reach out for these concerns, the teams involved try their best to resolve them immediately and assist them accordingly. 

Just the same, I'd like to thank you for sharing your thoughts with us here in the Community, and I'll make sure to flag your post to the team as feedback so that Upwork can continue to improve its services for its members.