I get a lot of questions about all the badges that Upwork offers. You can see on my profile, I’m “Expert-Vetted”. It’s been a process to get to where I am now. In this post we’re going to go through the different badges you can get on Upwork.

Not sure what a Talent Badge is? Talent Badges allow your profile to stand out from all the other freelancers.

1. Rising Talent - This badge is given to new members who meet the following criteria: they have their profile at 100%, positive performance on Upwork, and comply with Upwork’s terms of service. 

Freelancers who receive this badge get a Project Catalog, reduced fees on Featured Jobs, a bonus of 30 connects, and access to Upwork's support team. 

2. Top Rated - This badge is given to freelancers who are in the top 10%. The criteria for this badge are: consistent quality work with multiple clients, have a job success score of 90% or above, have an up-to-date and complete profile, accurately display your availability, have a strong earnings history, and also comply with Upwork’s terms of service. 

Benefits for this badge are being able to display a Project Catalog, reduced fees on Featured Jobs, more control over your success score, invitations to submit proposals to jobs assisted by Talent Specialists, Job Digest email, faster payouts with hourly contracts, and premium support. 

3. Top Rated Plus - This badge represents the top 3% of performers on Upwork. Some of the criteria required to qualify for this badge include freelancers who have combined earnings of $10k in the last 12 months (agencies need $20k) and have worked on large contracts without negative outcomes in the last 12 months. 

This badge has the same benefits as the Top Rated badge.

4. Expert Vetted - This is for the top 1% of freelancers on Upwork who do work in web, mobile, and software development, design and creative, and sales and marketing. Besides being in the top 1%, you must also go through a rigorous pre-screening process by Talent Managers and other experts, demonstrate expertise in their domain, and have excellent soft skills like reliability in execution and communication.

Benefits to this badge are, well having the badge itself is a big accomplishment, you also receive a dedicated Talent Manager on Upwork.

I hope this little overview helps you better understand the badges that Upwork offers. If you have any questions, please feel free to connect with me on Instagram @leahmmeyers. 

Upwork’s Talent Badges support article referenced in this post and video.