See the commenters below, Mr. "I work for Upwork." Al should contact the Department of Consumer Affairs for his state if he is in the U.S. The sum is significant enough for them to look into the matter. I do not think their taking this money from him is written into their contract. If so, they would have told him, and as a contractor, he would have had the opportunity to see it and agree, yes or no. Also, a time period should be set for any such matters. For the cardholder to be able to go back that far? There is usually a time limit of no more than 60 days to dispute a charge. This may mean that the card holder has not "disputed" the charges he / she has money and is suing Upwork. The nature of the gig work contract, I am pretty sure, should be that the gig worker is foregoing a percentage of their earnings in exchange not just for the online platform but for coverage for cases EXACTLY LIKE THIS. I advise Al to go as far as possible up the chain of labor and employment rights attorneys because this could be a major work/contract law case. Labor? Gig work? Whatever it is, Upwork is WRONG.