How to get paid by US clients as a freelancer outside the US

What are your options for getting paid by US clients?

Your US client needs an invoice their accounts team accepts and a way to pay they already use. Your bank at home needs a record it can match to the work. Here are the main routes.

To be fair to Payoneer: its pricing page (last updated 1 January 2026) lists free transfers from another Payoneer balance, and charges its $29.95 annual fee only to accounts that receive less than $6,000 in any 12 consecutive months. It also says fees vary by territory and account type. Its pricing page also lists payouts from marketplaces and integrated platforms, with fees that vary by marketplace. If most of your income comes from those, Payoneer can be the simpler choice. See Payoneer alternatives.

Vezmo covers the first and third routes. VezmoPay invoices and payment links that clients pay by card, ACH, Apple Pay or Google Pay are live. USD details for ACH and wire are in early access. Vezmo confirms what your business can use when you apply.

What does a US client need from you to pay you?

US accounts teams pay suppliers from a vendor record, so send everything at once, in writing. Nacha describes ACH as a payment system that reaches all US bank and credit union accounts. To be paid by ACH, you need US account details or an invoice tool that accepts ACH.

• Account holder name, exactly as on the account. For an agency, use the company's legal name.
• Routing number. The American Bankers Association describes it as a nine-digit number that can be issued only to a federal or state chartered financial institution. If you have a separate wire routing number, give both.
• Account number and the receiving bank's name and address.
• Your business address and an email for payment confirmations.
• An invoice with the details listed in the checklist below.

For a SWIFT wire to your bank at home, the client needs your bank's SWIFT (BIC) code, your account name and number (or IBAN, if your country uses them), the bank's name and branch address, and the invoice number as a reference. Ask your bank whether to name an intermediary bank. Describe the service plainly, such as "software development services".

Your client may also ask for a US tax form. The IRS says a foreign person who is the beneficial owner of an amount subject to withholding gives Form W-8BEN (the version for individuals) to the withholding agent or payer when asked, whether or not they claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding. Foreign entities, such as a company registered outside the US, use Form W-8BEN-E to document their status.

How do you get the money to your bank at home?

Every route ends with a conversion into your local currency. With a SWIFT wire, your bank converts the dollars at its own rate when they arrive. Some banks let you keep them in a foreign currency account. With a provider, you move your balance to a local bank account or a mobile wallet where available, and the conversion happens on the way.

Before you pick a provider, compare its rate with the mid-market rate, its payout fee and the expected arrival. Check that each incoming payment shows a clear sender name and reference, for your records.

With Vezmo, payouts in 150+ currencies by local bank transfer, UPI, SWIFT or mobile wallet where available are in early access. You see the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm, and each payout is tracked. Vezmo is a financial technology company, not a bank. Payments to Vezmo USD details go into an account held by its regulated partners & Bank and are credited to your Vezmo balance, which belongs to your business.

What does getting paid really cost?

Add up every step between your client's bank and the local currency in your account.

• Receiving fee. Payments to Vezmo USD account details by ACH or domestic wire (Fedwire) are free to receive, and the details are free (early access). Through a VezmoPay invoice, an ACH payment costs 0.9% + $1.00, capped at $10.00, and cards start at 2.79% + $0.29, plus 1% for international cards and 1% when currency conversion is needed.
• Intermediary deductions. A SWIFT wire can pass through one or more correspondent banks. Each may take a fee from the amount, so less can reach your bank than the invoice says.
• Spread. The rate you get is often below the mid-market rate. That gap is a cost even when the transfer fee is zero.
• Provider fees. As of 24 Oct 2026, Payoneer's pricing page lists 1% (minimum $1) to receive in a currency that isn't your local one. To get local currency you can convert between balances for 0.5% and withdraw for $1.50 in supported countries, or withdraw with conversion for 1.2% to 4%, with a minimum of up to $20 in some countries.

Because of the cap, any VezmoPay ACH invoice of $1,000 or more costs $10.00 to collect. Then comes the conversion. If the rate you get is 1.5% below the mid-market rate, $1,990 loses another $29.85 on the way to your local currency. The 1.5% is only an example, so ask for the real rate.

To compare routes, ask each provider how much local currency one real invoice would land in your account. That number includes the spread and every fee.

What do your country's rules say about foreign income?

Rules for receiving foreign income are set at home, and they differ a lot between countries. This guide doesn't cover any one country. Before you pick a route, read your central bank's foreign exchange rules and ask your bank about these points:

• Time limits. Whether foreign earnings must be brought into the country, and by when.
• Foreign currency balances. Whether you may keep part of your income in dollars, where, and how much.
• Balances abroad. Whether you may hold money with a provider outside your country, and whether you must report it.
• Paperwork. Which documents your bank wants for an incoming payment, such as the invoice, the contract or a purpose code.
• Tax at home. How your foreign income is taxed and what records your tax office expects.

Write down what your bank tells you, with the date, because rules change.

What changes for agencies compared with freelancers?

The routes are the same, but the paperwork changes.

Vezmo serves businesses, including freelancers and sole traders, in the US and many other countries. USD details for ACH and wire are in early access. Which details a business gets depends on where it is registered and where its owners live, and Vezmo checks this when you apply. See US account details for companies outside the US.

What should you do before your first US invoice?

1. 1Check your home rules firstAsk your bank about time limits, foreign currency balances, the documents it needs and the records your tax office expects.
2. 2Pick your collection routeCard or ACH invoices suit new clients and smaller amounts. USD account details or a SWIFT wire suit retainers and large invoices.
3. 3Set the client up to pay youSend your legal name, address and payment details, plus Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E if asked. Ask the client to confirm their vendor record before the first due date.
4. 4Write invoices your bank can matchShow your business name, the client's name, the service, the amount in USD, an invoice number and the due date. Save the contract and key emails with it.
5. 5Agree who pays wire chargesAsk the client to pay all sending charges if their bank offers that. State on the invoice the amount you expect to receive.
6. 6Move money to your local account on a schedulePay out to your local bank account or mobile wallet regularly, within any time limit your country sets. Check the rate, the fee and the expected arrival first.
7. 7Keep the paper trailSave each payment confirmation and payout record. Ask your bank what record it can give for payouts from a provider, for your tax file.

To see invoices, USD details and payouts together, read Vezmo for freelancers.

Questions

Sources

Each one is the organization’s own page, checked 24 Oct 2026. Rules and fees change, so check them before you act.

• IRS, About Form W-8BEN
• IRS, About Form W-8BEN-E
• American Bankers Association, ABA Routing Number
• Nacha, What is ACH
• Payoneer, Pricing (last updated 1 January 2026)

Vezmo is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking, stablecoin and card services are provided by regulated partners & Banks. Last reviewed 24 Oct 2026.