Starting your freelancing career can be a wise decision in this modern economy. However, the competition is tough, and you need to find a niche you enjoy and stand out from the crowd.
Upwork is one of the most popular platforms amongst freelancers and Businesses due to its room for growth on the freelancers’ side, and readily freelancers on the business side.
In my case, I have been freelancing for more than three years, and I am happy to say that joining the Upwork pool of 12 million independent contractors has changed my life. Finding clients and taking on projects into which I can showcase my talent has made all the difference.
This post will discuss why it’s important for all freelancers to strive for Top Rated Plus status on Upwork and how they can go about doing so!
What is a Top Rated Plus rank?
Upwork has recently introduced its Talent Badges to reward and showcase Freelancers. The Top Rated Plus badge shows that freelancers are top-rated and good at what they do. Only those who have great reviews and top performance on Upwork can get these badges.
A Top Rated Plus badge means that the freelancer or agency has shown outstanding performance on long-term and high-value contracts. Freelancers and agencies work in a wide range of categories all over the world. Those with this badge are the top 3% of performers on Upwork.
Benefits of being a Top Rated Plus Freelancer on UpWork
As a Top Rated Plus freelancer or agency, you’ll have a dedicated badge on your freelancer, agency, or agency member’s profile. In addition, your proposals will display the badge to Upwork clients on a paid plan (Enterprise, Business, and some Plus clients).
Aside from that, you will get the following benefits:
- You will enjoy reduced fees (starting at 10%) on Featured Jobs.
- You will have more control over your Job Success Score.
- The Upwork Talent Specialists help you find jobs that are right for you.
- Upwork will send a Job Digests email to you that features a great match for the most promising jobs.
- You will get faster payments on hourly contracts
- Premium customer support, including phone and chat, will be available for you
How can you be Top Rated Plus on Upwork?
Start by building an impressive reputation on Upwork with large and long-term contracts. To have Top Rated Plus status, you must also have a history of success with multiple clients, make your clients happy every time you work for them, and follow Upwork Terms of Service. It pays off to build a standing and ongoing relationship with clients.
If you are a Top Rated Seller already and want to learn how to become a Top Rated Plus, just go to My Stats. It will show you what you have done so far.
Here is the criteria to become Top Rated Plus in Upwork.
In addition to maintaining your Top Rated Plus status, you need to have the following qualifications.
- You must have earned over $10,000 in the past 12 months.
- For Agencies, you’ll need to have made over $20,000 in the last 12 months.
- If you have worked on one or more large contracts without negative outcomes (<10% for agencies) in the past 12 months, then you will be able to maintain your Top Rated status.
- Freelancers must not be Exclusive Agency contractors.
To be Top Rated Plus as a Freelancer, you need to be a Non-Exclusive Agency Contractor. Learn more about Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Agency Contractors here.
To qualify for Top Rated Plus, an individual freelancer only needs to qualify in one category. It depends on the contract category and not the freelancer profile category.
Large Contracts
The amount for a large contract is different in each category. Upwork says that this amount depends on what opportunities are available on their platform. For example, in certain categories, the large contract might be one with $5,000 earnings but in others, it might be $20,000 or $30,000.
Below is a table that shows how Upwork defines large contracts for each category available.
Freelancers
Category
Large Contract Amount (USD)
Accounting and Consulting
$10,000
Admin Support
$10,000
Customer Service
$20,000
Data Science and Analytics
$10,000
Design and Creative
$5,000
Engineering and Architecture
$5,000
IT and Networking
$10,000
Legal
$5,000
Sales and Marketing
$10,000
Translation
$5,000
Web, Mobile and Software Development
$15,000
Writing
$5,000
Agencies
Category
Large Contract Amount (USD)
Accounting and Consulting
$20,000
Admin Support
$20,000
Customer Service
$20,000
Data Science and Analytics
$20,000
Design and Creative
$10,000
Engineering and Architecture
$10,000
IT and Networking
$20,000
Legal
$10,000
Sales and Marketing
$20,000
Translation
$10,000
Web, Mobile and Software Development
$30,000
Writing
$10,000
Final Words
Top Rated Plus is a badge of honor on Upwork. Being awarded this status not only shows potential clients that you are an expert in your field but also guarantees higher visibility and more job opportunities to come your way.
To become one of the few freelancers who have been deemed worthy of earning the coveted “Top Rated Plus” designation from Upwork, be sure to follow the helpful tips we’ve laid out in this post.
Do you want to aim for the Expert-Vetted rank? Click the link and find out how.
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Ross Jenkins
Ross Jenkins is the founder of DigitalME and is an ActiveCampaign Certified Consultant. He is ranked #1 on UpWork for his proficiency in digital marketing. DigitalME offers targeted digital solutions and is perfect for anyone who wants to increase leads, sales, and productivity through automation.
Large Contracts