New to oDesk.
I'm new to this is this site really legit and is direct deposit safe to use on this site?
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Poll
What is the scariest part of freelancing?
No work stability
48%
No health insurance and other benefits
20%
No colleagues to work with
5%
Not earning enough
21%
Other (please comment)
6%
Total votes: 839
stephaniekunder 52 posts - United States - Joined Jun 20 2008
The financial section of this website is run on a secure server (https://), so you would be as safe as any where else you enter financial data.
While I don't currently use the direct deposit option (been rolling it around in my head lately though), my business PayPal account has been linked here for several months without issue. If you're not comfortable with direct deposit, start out with PayPal...You can always change it.
This place is legit, but you need a lot of patience waiting for your first job opportunity and the frustrations of the wages you may see being offered by buyers. Be as detailed as possible in your profile will help.
jpittenger
I use the direct deposit option to withdraw my earnings - and have every week for almost 2 years now. It's free, it's easy, and it's safe.
A couple of the things I found reassuring were that I didn't need to add my bank info until I was ready to make my first withdrawal (ok, you have to add it 4 days prior to your first withdrawal so no one can break into your account and steal your money) and I can delete my bank account at any time. Financial information is even kept totally separate from your profile info - only the finance managers have access to it (the regular support agents, for example, can't see your full bank account info).
Also please be aware that you must file a W9 before your first withdrawal and available earnings must be withdrawn manually by going to Payments > Withdrawals (they aren't automatically transferred to your bank - that's why we usually call it ACH transfer rather than direct deposit).
The most important thing safety-wise is to make sure you're on a secure Internet connection when you enter your bank info - don't do that on a public work station or wifi network!
Jacqui - Forum Moderator | Help Center | oDesk blog | Contact Support | Vote on Ideas
stephaniekunder 52 posts - United States - Joined Jun 20 2008
Jacqui, how long does it take for oDesk to process a Direct Deposit? Meaning from time of submitting a withdrawal to time it's actually available in your account. This is one of the things that I take into account when selecting a deposit option.
margaretphillips 221 posts - United States - Joined Feb 18 2007
I have direct deposit to two different banks. One, a very popular bank, happens the next day. If I withdraw on Wed it is there Thursday. The other one takes 2-3 days to show up in the bank. I found that interesting.
amohler 126 posts - United States - Joined Sep 13 2007
My bank makes the funds available to me in 2 days. If I forget to withdraw on Tuesday night, if I make the request before 1pm on Wednesday, I'll still have the money Thursday.
__________________________
Abel Mohler
Sometimes known as "Wayfarer" | How I Became a Full Time Freelancer
jpittenger
Depending on which bank I withdraw to, it takes me 2 or 3 days for the money to appear. But as was stated above, this depends on your bank. I usually submit the withdrawal Wednesday morning EST and it becomes available in my bank on Friday afternoon.
The only complaint I've ever heard is if your bank takes 3 full days to process the deposit AND doesn't process on weekends - then a Wednesday withdrawal isn't available until Monday.
BTW - we're all talking about Wednesday because that's the day hourly earnings become available each week (see the weekly schedule).
Jacqui - Forum Moderator | Help Center | oDesk blog | Contact Support | Vote on Ideas