Handshake AI

Who can join

• Be based in the US: Handshake's AI page says you must be (read 8 Nov 2026).
• Be at least 18 (or the age of majority where you live, if that is higher). There is no parental-consent option.
• A US Social Security Number or ITIN, plus a work authorization Handshake supports: US citizens, green-card holders, F-1 students on CPT or OPT approved by their DSO, and H-4 (with EAD), L-2, DACA, refugee, asylum and TPS holders. STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN and H-4 without EAD are not supported, because fellows are contractors, not employees.
• Outside the US, participation is currently invite-only.
• Be a current student or graduate (bachelor's, master's or doctoral) or a professional. No AI experience is needed, but some projects require subject-matter experts.
• A government photo ID (driver's license, state ID, passport or green card) and a phone or tablet with a camera for the Persona ID and selfie check.
• Work only from inside the US and its territories: working abroad needs written approval in advance, and VPNs, proxies and remote-desktop tools are not allowed.
• Some projects also require a background check (legal name, date of birth, SSN, address), run by Yardstik in the US or Checkr elsewhere; results usually take about 7 days.

Step by step

1. 1

   Sign up

   Go to joinhandshake.com/ai and click Sign up now. Log in with an existing Handshake account or create one; you can connect your school or skip that step. If you are already logged in to Handshake, click AI Work in the left-hand menu instead.

2. 2

   Verify your phone and work authorization

   Enter the one-time code sent to your phone, then answer whether you are legally authorized to work in the US and whether you need CPT, OPT or H-1B sponsorship.

3. 3

   Add your expertise and resume

   Describe your experience and background, upload your resume as a PDF (up to 50 MB), and accept the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Contractor Agreement. After that there is nothing else to do while you wait for a match.

4. 4

   Wait to be matched

   Handshake reviews applications on a rolling basis and matches fellows to projects by background and partner demand. An application does not guarantee a project, and not hearing back does not necessarily mean you were declined.

5. 5

   Answer a project invitation

   A matching project arrives as an email asking if you want to express interest. It lists the work, estimated length, time commitment and pay; some projects ask for a slide deck, portfolio or work samples. Selected fellows get a confirmation email.

6. 6

   Verify your identity

   Upload a government photo ID and take a selfie through Persona, using a phone or tablet camera. It is a one-time step required before your first project; in some cases you can do it right after applying.

7. 7

   Set up taxes and payouts

   Enter tax details through Handshake's tax partner (a W-9 for US persons, a W-8BEN otherwise), then finish your payout method in Stripe. You can start this before you are invited to a project.

8. 8

   Onboard, train and pass any assessment

   Complete the project's onboarding steps and training in your project workspace. Many projects include an assessment, and in most cases a failed one cannot be retaken.

9. 9

   Work and get paid weekly

   Log time only while actively working on a task, within its time cap. Pay for each Monday-to-Sunday week is sent by Wednesday afternoon.

Tips to get accepted

• Keep your details identical everywhere: Handshake's help center says a mismatched name, an active VPN or a screenshot instead of a live photo is each enough to pause your access to work, so use your full legal name, your real country and location, and the same email across your profile and identity verification.
• Complete your profile fully and finish any required assessments: Handshake calls this the most important step to become eligible for project invitations.
• Keep submitting interest forms for matching opportunities in the Opportunities section of your dashboard to stay active in matching.
• Check a project's pay model before you take it: hourly projects pay only up to each task's time cap, per-task projects pay only when a task reaches Ready to Deliver after review, hybrid projects pay both, and progressive per-task projects pay in stages from submission to Ready to Deliver.
• Check each pay week on the pay dashboard (rolling out in phases since 14 October 2026): it lists base pay, incentives and every adjustment with its reason, such as time over the task or weekly cap or time that could not be matched to your recorded work. A week that ends below zero is deducted from your next payout.
• Keep your bank details current: a returned payment is retried in the next pay cycle once you update them, and changing your payout method now requires a new selfie check.
• If you are not a US tax resident, Handshake withholds 30% US tax from your pay unless you have certified with it that you work outside the US.
• Read the Project Terms before onboarding: onboarding is paid only if they say so, and optional meetings, Slack time and time lost to technical problems are not paid.
• Engage quickly once tasks open: availability changes fast, and fellows who stay inactive for long stretches while tasks are available may have project access reassigned.
• On F-1 CPT or OPT, do not accept an invitation or sign a project contract until your DSO or USCIS has approved it; Handshake provides a DSO offer letter only once you are invited to an eligible project.
• Only trust email from addresses ending in joinhandshake.com, and never share passwords or codes through a Google Form, WhatsApp or a text.