Forem: Chocomastery (he/him)

Upwork Chargebacks for clients and freelancers. How does it work?

Chocomastery (he/him) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:49:46 +0000

First post of Feb -> here you go 🙂

What would happen if you had a protection?

Actually, in reality, nothing, but Upwork will behave a bit more seriously with asking you for evidence for the bank. The final decision will be on a bank.

What will happen if you didn't have a payment protection but 180 days (permission for asking for a refund) passed? Do you feel secure?

Upwork will tell you:

Upwork’s internal refund policies and the bank’s chargeback investigation are separate processes. The bank dispute timeline can extend beyond Upwork’s 180-day internal refund window. If the bank decides to honor the client's request the amount will be debited from Upwork.

Every transaction can be charged back by a client if he/she presents enough evidence to the issuing bank that the chargeback is rightful.

According to the bank and card scheme rules we are obliged to return the funds to the client. Afterwards we can take steps to submit a rebuttal to claim the funds back.

So what to do and what is my experience with that?

I had 5 cases. Now I am helping one guy with the 6th.
2 of them failed, 2 won, and 1 refund was not done by a tricky way.

Collect evidence of your work all the time + make screenshots with the name of the client and him accepting the work.
When/if the time comes, send a HUGE amount of evidence so it will impress both the bank and Upwork. Last victory was 800 docs. Yep, 800+
Send additional evidence every week for the next 12 weeks (to impress more)
Win the case.

I won't tell the tricky way here:) I need my bread :)

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Here is my quick real-world Upwork experience that might be helpful for other freelancers who are thinking about partnerships.

Chocomastery (he/him) — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 04:42:08 +0000

Partnership Upwork- How to make it happen ??

Chocomastery (he/him) ・ Jan 2

#upwork #freelance #developer #devjournal

How much money can one Upwork profile really generate per month

Chocomastery (he/him) — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:45:00 +0000

When someone is saying 5k$ per month on Upwork is a maximum, it means, they don't have a strategy and structure.

Even if you took 70k$ project but only once per year - it's not a normal metric as 70/12 it's a bit less than 6k/per profile per month.

You 🫵 - my reader, should aim for more.

Let me tell you a realistic number (not a max number) but JUST A REALISTIC one for the amount you can generate per profile per month. It's around 30k$ per profile per month. I mean money tracked/added, not just sqls.

Of course, it's much easier to make it work fast from an Agency account. With an Agency it's easier to prove and test many hypothesis and run accounts efficiently.

So what's important to make it work?

You should stop thinking in your reality logic.

Come on! Upwork is not about real logic, it's about Upwork logic.

For example, every single client is coming to the consultation saying he is an architect! guru! scientist! engineer! Upwork doesn't give a f***

You need to follow the algorithms for the profile organic part:
=> Contact me [chocomastery7@gmail.com] for this : )

What could be sold regularly, not one time?

Upwork has a lot of big projects sold regularly BUT the funnel is quite long. It means you will spend a lot of time and effort to close 100k deal.

If you have other sales channels, it's okay but if you want to create an Upwork factory, you need to understand: Upwork does not reward one-time wins.

This is where the difference between 5k and 30k per month actually appears.

I was telling many times: Upwork is exact on what does he want: 1 contract for 500 dollars or 10 contracts for 50$? You know the answer if you are following my blog.

The right question is not “What can I do?”

It is “What will a client pay for every month?”

Let's think about recurring services: retainers, ongoing support, fractional roles, some stabil fixed price projects.

Let me be honest, I think you need at least 2 profiles to accompany each other: Niche + general wide.

Algorithm ≠ fairness

I don't understand people who are complaining that invitations are not relevant or that UMA bids invites are not accurately matched. Guys! It's for free. For free, understand?

Our main goal is: get all the possible leads!

So the first important part is to use wisely boost + organic in all the possible ways.

Pay wisely
Don't let Upwork steal all the money you earned.

So, for example, I am against proposals boosting. You can easily win there organically so why should you?

Also it's better to use automation in case you are a big agency. It will help with A/B tests a lot.

Find real normal categories to boost the profile and work on the organic parts for the other searches.

Yes, you need an availability badge. You need to pay for a freelancer plus only in specific cases.

And the last word for agencies: get 2 agencies to earn three times more.

Cheers!

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Dear client, please change the job title and skills. Instruction.

Chocomastery (he/him) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:10:41 +0000

Hello, someone's client!
Maybe you are surprised that your freelancer/agency has asked you to change your job post title and skills. You feel it's suspicious and odd.

I know that many freelancers are asking for that but not all clients are agreeing to change. This article is an explanation why people keep asking that and also an easy instruction how to make it.

I wrote this article in a way that any freelancer can send it to any Upwork client without a need to rely only on a first impression trust.

So why is it important?

If you are not going to pay this freelancer and feed his kids till the end of their lives, you may understand that he will work with someone else one day. Upwork profile is a sales tool.

To match with future opportunities, your freelancer needs to have similar jobs to the job posted.

They will be similar if they are in the same category/title keywords/skills. That's why freelancers are asking you to change your current post. That's Upwork SEO.

Instruction

You need to change a title of a JOB, NOT AN OFFER.

1) Go to https://www.upwork.com/nx/wm/all-jobs/
2) Find your needed job post
3) Click on 3 dots
4) Click on edit posting

5) Click on edit title and/or skills button and change to the desired ones

6) Go down and click save job post

Cheers!

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Partnership Upwork- How to make it happen ??

Chocomastery (he/him) — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:22:41 +0000

Happy New Year!

Here is my quick real-world experience that might be helpful for other freelancers who are thinking about partnerships.

1. What I’ve experienced in the past

Over the past year, I’ve been collaborating with a partner based in Israel, and it’s been one of the healthiest professional setups I’ve had on Upwork-related work.

The structure was straightforward:
he stayed as the profile owner and main client-facing contact, while I supported behind the scenes - helping evaluate which jobs were actually worth bidding on, assisting with proposals, and handling most (sometimes all) of the development work.

We didn’t try to reinvent anything. We just focused on making sure roles were clear and expectations were realistic.

2. Why this collaboration worked

Looking back, the reason it worked wasn’t luck - it was structure and mindset.

Responsibilities were clearly defined from day one
Revenue sharing was discussed early, not avoided
Communication was honest and direct
Neither of us tried to over-optimize or “game” the other

There was no micromanaging and no guessing. We both knew what we were responsible for, and that created trust naturally. When problems came up (and they always do), we solved them without drama.

The biggest lesson for me: good partnerships reduce friction instead of creating it.

3. What I learned from this experience

A few key takeaways stood out:

Geography doesn’t matter nearly as much as alignment
A fair incentive structure makes people self-motivated
You don’t need control if you have trust and clarity

Different time zones, different cultures - none of that became an issue once expectations were aligned.

4. Why I’m exploring new opportunities now

This isn’t about replacing an existing partnership - it’s about expanding.

The collaboration I have is going well, but the reality is that the US market simply has a higher ceiling. Larger budgets, more long-term clients, and more room to build something sustainable over time.

That’s why I’m selectively exploring additional partnerships where:

the structure is clear and compliant
trust is prioritized over shortcuts
incentives are aligned for the long term

5. What I’m looking for going forward

I’m not looking for volume or rushed deals. I prefer one or two solid partnerships where:

roles are clearly defined
expectations are realistic
communication is straightforward
and both sides feel the setup is fair

If there’s alignment, things tend to move fast naturally. If there isn’t, it’s better to know early.

Sharing this mainly as a reflection - not a pitch.
Curious to hear how others here think about partnerships and what’s worked (or failed) for you.

I am also open to forming new partnerships with anyone who thinks this makes sense and wants to create something meaningful together on Upwork- ^^

Want to chat more?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Upwork mobile app secret

Chocomastery (he/him) — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 12:48:13 +0000

Intro of a problem

After many times I was consulting about unblocking Upwork accounts, I faced the same location change trigger pattern for all of the accounts. And long story short - it was a mobile app problem most of the times. Even if you are logged out from Upwork app, the app os running on the background as a spy.

Even more, maybe you noticed, you may still be receiving push notifications.

The scariest part is not what the app collects.
The scariest part is when it does it. You don’t have to open the app. You don’t have to log in. You don’t even have to touch Upwork that day.

Data app may collect:

I remembered, when I was working for Appflow.ai as a Product Manager, we were collecting the default data from any app.

Default data was:

first_open_time: first open time
advertiser_id: Apple's Advertising Identifier (IDFA) or Google Android's advertising ID.
device_id: device id
app_user_id: app user id
os: Android, iOS
os_ver: os version
app_ver: app version of first open
device_model: device model name
device_brand:
locale:
tz_abv: timezone abbreviation
carrier:
country:
language:
screen_width:
screen_height:
screen_density:
remote_ip: ip address of first open
tracker_id: appflow tracker id
acquisition_source: acquired this user from which traffic source

And the Upwork mobile app works exactly the same way.

It doesn’t need GPS permission.

App != browser

The main thing people don’t understand is that the Upwork mobile app is not the same as the browser.

In a browser, Upwork mostly relies on IP and basic session-level signals.
In the mobile app, Upwork receives a much wider set of device and environment signals- and many of them are far more stable than IP.

Even if you never gave explicit GPS permission, the app still gets location-related signals.

So when the system sees something like: IP saying “Poland”, SIM saying “Ukraine”, timezone GMT+2, cell towers somewhere near the border, that’s already a risky anomaly.

Mobile internet

Mobile internet makes this situation much worse.

Mobile operators use shared IP pools and dynamic routing.
As a result, your IP address may change frequently, sometimes within minutes.

From the user’s perspective, nothing unusual is happening.
From the system’s perspective, the same device suddenly appears in different network locations within a short period of time. Teleport?

Device

The most dangerous part is the device fingerprint. Once, I was watching an Upwork Product Manager interview, who touched this topic a bit.

The app doesn’t just see a network connection. It sees the device as an environment. This includes a combination of signals such as: device characteristics, OS version, app version, locale and timezone, carrier and network patterns, permission states, and long-term behavioral and lifecycle patterns. Almost all I mentioned as a data assets collected.

Together, they form a highly stable device profile. This profile is far more stable than an IP address. The network changes. The device profile mostly probably doesn’t.

And when the same device profile suddenly appears in different countries within a short time window, that’s a risk signal. +If a similar device profile was previously associated with flagged or banned activity, that can also increase risk.

Why is this especially dangerous now?

Because Upwork has grew automated checkups. Manual support rarely investigates deeply. Appeals are evaluated by flags, not by your explanations.

If the system decided you violated something,
you’re trying to prove otherwise without even an access to logs.

Summary
The mobile app is an extra risk - not because it’s “spyware”, but because it sees more signals, those signals often contradict each other, and Upwork’s systems are not built to handle unstable countries well.

Log out won't help. So I recommend:

do not keep the mobile app installed at all:)
do not rely on mobile internet
do not mix web + app sessions
do not travel with the app active or installed at all:)

Wanna be safe? Web browser usage + stable internet.

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Refunds of Connects on Upwork.

Chocomastery (he/him) — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 15:31:42 +0000

Happy new year!

This article will be short becaaaause it will be about cases when you will get your connects back from the proposals boosting.

Myths:

Someone made a bigger boost. HA-HA
if the client didn't click on me. Already not like that
the job expired without hire

ONLY TWO TRUE OPTIONS:

If a client cancels a project before a contract is made, your Connects will be returned (does not apply to expired posts).
If Upwork removes a project post for violating Terms of Service, your Connects will be returned.

So everything you boosted most probably will not be refunded.

Fan fact: Upwork now will give you 18 connects 2 times per month id you will remain active by:

Submitting three or more proposals and at the same time spending a total of at least 54 Connects doing so.

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Upwork new categories structure 2025. Full structure

Chocomastery (he/him) — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:17:00 +0000

Almost died but made a full structured table of new categories-subcategories and specialities. Specialities are influenting the search now

And Upwork diesn't have an article about its categories anymore😄 Insane

Find yours:)

You can view it here

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Ban on Upwork. Reasons.

Chocomastery (he/him) — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:13:21 +0000

People keep asking why you can be banned from Upwork. I already wrote an article about what you can't do but let's summarise the main reasons.

Using VPN, anonymisers

Upwork tracks IP addresses and locations. Sudden changes or "masked" locations flag your account for a manual review. Worst case: You get flagged for suspicious activity, asked to verify your identity, or permanently suspended.

What to do instead: If you’re traveling, notify Upwork through support in advance (or at least after logging in from a new country). OR don't take Upwork anywhere while travelling.

Don't take Upwork with you to the trip OR notify support

Log into the same profile in parallel.

If your account is logged in simultaneously from different IPs (or devices), the system detects "account sharing" or potential hacking. Of course, you understand that it's strange and it could happen only if you shared the credentials and it's not for the rules.

Give credentials to your sales manager.

Upwork strictly prohibits sharing login information with anyone. Permanent account suspension for both could be a result. What to do instead: Invite your sales manager as an agency member (non-exclusive if needed)

Taking hourly contracts on a profile that won't really perform it.

It’s considered misrepresentation and fraud if someone else performs the job under your name, especially on hourly contracts (which rely on Work Diary tracking). It also can lead to a dispute, ban, also your full agency re-verification. Let me be honest, only fixed price contracts through Agency will work safely.

Log more than 88 hours per week on the same profile.

Upwork assumes a human can't work that much productively. It looks suspicious and triggers audits.Keep realistic time logs. If you have that much work, split it across agency members.

💡 Do not track more than 12 hours per day on the same account

Send/share contact information before the contract starts.

Sharing your email, phone number, Telegram, or any other external contact info violates Upwork’s communication policy. As well as you may know, they will decide you are trying to get out of the Upwork by doing that.

Hugs.

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Not only hourly and fixed price. Weekly retainers on Upwork.

Chocomastery (he/him) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:37:43 +0000

Everyone knows only hourly and fixed price but there are also weekly retainers on Upwork. This is an amount of money paid beweekly. It also don't lead to a safe re-check - that's why you receive them a few days earlier than other money.

Weekly retainers can be done in 2 ways:

As an addition to your hourly contract. So basically you track whatever amount allowed and additionally receive weekly fixed amount.
Solely retainer. It's an hourly contract too but with the weekly limit set to 0.

Note: it's not a bonus and it's not a manual time.

What it can be used for?

For example as a full-time hours converted to a fix if you are afraid of ban
Maintenance terms (client pays something like a project insurance)

Cheers!

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com

Upwork feedback removal. How to?

Chocomastery (he/him) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:33:26 +0000

If you remember the times when one feedback removal was a Top rated perk, then you are an old Upwork dinosaur like me:)

It's already not like this.

I was already writing about feedback change here:

But what about removal?

How:

Full refund. No earnings - no sign in work history
Report for offensive or abusive language
Report that you have a conflict of interest (for example he did that when he found you have the same business)
Report irrelevant feedback. If he wrote something not about the job but personal.
Report a custom reason/ That could be a place for your creativity

Go to your Job Success Insights page

Find the job with the feedback you’d like removed and select the circle icon with three dots inside (it will be beside the job title)

Select “Report feedback.” Be sure to include detailed information about why the feedback should be removed and any documentation you have. Once we have the chance to review your request, we will let you know if it can be removed. Please allow seven business days for a decision. Important: A piece of feedback can only be reported once.

Cheers!

What I tested on Upwork this month - and what actually worked

Chocomastery (he/him) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:28:08 +0000

Boost with new specialities

As you know Upwork has launched new specialities. It influented organic and boosted talent search a lot.

What I tested:

I boosted profiles in different categories, with different budgets, different titles, and different boost types (total vs daily).

What worked best:

If it’s your real category (you need to re-check first!!!)- go total and expensive. That’s when you get relevant leads.

Again, with the other words, Upwork matched request (search words) with the speciality. Choosing wrong = not showing.

If you boost in a random(another, close) category with low daily budget, you still get leads - some of them are actually useful - and it’s cheap. I was able to get relevant leads for as much as 1,5$.

Bonus tip for agencies:

For well-performing(old,gold,cool, rich) profiles - use total boost in your main niche.

For fresh or weak profiles- write a strong title and set daily boost for cheap discovery leads.

✅ Boost your niche, but only if your profile matches

✅ For testing reach - go outside your category with $1-2/lead

Organic traffic

What I tested:
Additionally to title and skills, I added and edited on 12 profiles different profile sections and tracked what appeared in Talent Search.

Only two sections of the profile were performing well.

What clearly works(additionally to title and skill):

A portfolio case with proper title and description (no need of proper text - just keywords)
Employment history with keywords in title and description
Everything else had almost zero impact.

Post-ban visibility boost

What I noticed:
If your account gets unfairly banned and then reactivated, Upwork gives your profile a temporary visibility boost in Talent Search.

It’s like they try to say “our bad” by pushing you back to the top.

The effect doesn’t last long but it’s very real. You'll feel it for around 2 weeks.

Silence = strategy (2 tests)

What I tested:
I went completely silent with 5 profiles:

no bidding,
no badges,
no subscriptions (freelancer plus OFF)
no boosting
for two separate periods:

2 days (48 hours) 3 profiles
7 days - 2 profiles
Then I came back and resumed activity.

What happened:
In both cases, I got a noticeable growth in Talent Search views and + proposals (bids) opens right after returning.

Note: it only works if you truly switch everything off.

🙋‍♂️ Recently, I had a really successful partnership with someone who had a full-time job and didn’t have much time to work on Upwork.

Want to chat with me?
Contact me at: chocomastery7@gmail.com