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Upwork, Fiverr, Deel: the legal route on each platform

Valid as of 22 October 20266 min read

Guide 3 · valid as of 22 October 2026 · getsahla.com

On Upwork, Fiverr or Deel, the legal route is the same: the money goes from the platform to your foreign currency account in Algeria, directly or through Payoneer, on the day it becomes available. Upwork also needs a US tax form (W-8BEN) with your Algerian tax number before your first withdrawal.

Take Rania, a translator in Tlemcen. She finishes a $400 Upwork contract. The funds become available a few days after the client approves the work. She withdraws them to Payoneer that day, then from Payoneer to her foreign currency account at BEA, in dollars. She had declared the project to her bank.

First, the basics

Whatever the platform, you’re a contractor selling a service abroad:

  • Status: auto-entrepreneur, if your activity is on ANAE’s list (guide 5).
  • Account: a professional foreign currency account in your name (guide 6).
  • Declaration: each project declared to your bank before the first payment (guide 7). Mention the platform and, if you use it, Payoneer.
  • Deadline: the money must reach Algeria on the day you’re paid (guide 9). Don’t leave a balance on the platform.
  • Tax: the 0.5% IFU tax applies to all your turnover, platforms included (guide 13).

Platform by platform

PlatformWhat to set upUseful withdrawal methods from AlgeriaAvoid
UpworkW-8BEN form and tax number (NIF) before any withdrawalPayoneer; a dollar wire to your bank if your account offers itLeaving money on Upwork, buying a “verified” account
FiverrA payout method under “Earnings”Payoneer (to your Payoneer account or a bank transfer via Payoneer)A balance sitting on Fiverr, selling your balance
DeelContractor profile, contract with the clientA dollar or euro bank transfer if offered for Algeria; PayoneerCrypto withdrawals (Coinbase), a Deel card funded from a balance abroad

Platforms often change their options by country. Always check the list shown in your own account.

The methods

Legal

Upwork to Payoneer or your bank, then your foreign currency account

Steps

  1. Under “Tax information”, fill in the W-8BEN form: a tax address in Algeria and your Algerian tax number (the NIF you get after registering with ANAE). Without this form, Upwork blocks withdrawals and may hold back up to 30% of your earnings for the US tax authority, with no refund.
  2. Under “Get paid”, add Payoneer, or a dollar wire to your foreign currency account if Upwork offers it for Algeria. Upwork charges a fee per withdrawal, shown before you confirm.
  3. When the funds are available, withdraw them straight away. If you go through Payoneer, withdraw in dollars to your foreign currency account the same day (guide 11).
  4. Keep Upwork’s statement for each contract with your invoice and your bank declaration.
Legal

Fiverr to Payoneer, then your foreign currency account

Fiverr offers four payout methods: PayPal (free), a bank transfer via Payoneer ($1, $20 minimum), your Payoneer account ($3, $10 minimum) and the Revenue Card, discontinued in 2022. The limit is $5,000 per withdrawal.

  1. Under “Earnings”, link your Payoneer account, or choose the bank transfer via Payoneer to your Algerian foreign currency account.
  2. Withdraw as soon as your earnings are available.
  3. If the money lands on Payoneer, withdraw in dollars to your foreign currency account the same day (guide 11).

PayPal also works from Algeria with a Visa card, but PayPal holds new sellers’ funds for 30 days (guide 14).

Legal

Deel: a direct transfer or Payoneer

With Deel, you sign a contractor agreement with a foreign company, and Deel pays you. According to Deel, withdrawal methods vary by country: local bank transfer, Payoneer (1%), PayPal (2.5%), Revolut, Wise, Coinbase (1.5%) or the Deel card.

  1. Choose a dollar or euro transfer to your Algerian foreign currency account if Deel offers one for Algeria. Otherwise, choose Payoneer.
  2. Withdraw as soon as the payment is available, then bring it home the same day if it goes through Payoneer.
  3. Wise and Revolut aren’t open to Algerian residents (guide 15): don’t add them with an address abroad.
Illegal

Crypto withdrawals or a balance kept abroad

Deel and other platforms offer crypto withdrawals (Coinbase, stablecoins). For an Algerian resident, holding or using crypto-assets is banned: two months to a year in prison and a fine of DZD 200,000 to 1,000,000, or either one (Law 25-10; guide 16).

Likewise, leaving your earnings on the platform, on Payoneer or on a Deel card means holding assets abroad, which article 8 of Regulation 07-01 bans, and not bringing your earnings home: an exchange-control offence (Ordinance 96-22, art. 1; guide 17).

What about Mostaql or Khamsat?

These Arabic-language platforms have their own payout methods. The rule is the same: withdraw to a foreign currency account in your name in Algeria, and leave no balance. Their owner, Hsoub, says withdrawing earnings to a bank account is open to Algeria (alongside Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and five other countries). Add your professional foreign currency account, in your name, and withdraw as soon as earnings are available. Fees, minimum and timing: check them in your account, we haven’t confirmed them yet.

Key points

  • Platform → (Payoneer) → foreign currency account in Algeria, on the day the money is available.
  • Upwork: W-8BEN with your Algerian NIF before your first withdrawal.
  • No crypto withdrawals, no balance sitting abroad.

Sources