International transfer troubleshooting
Why the Recipient Got Less: International Transfer Fees
A recipient usually gets less because an intermediary bank or the receiving bank deducted a fee, or because the money was converted into another currency on the way. Compare the invoice, the sender’s confirmation and the recipient’s statement in their own currencies, find the first unexplained difference and ask the institution that handled that part of the route. Agree any top-up only once the cause is clear.
By DmytroUpdated 7 min read
Short answer
- The usual causes are an intermediary (correspondent) bank fee, a receiving-bank fee and a conversion into the account currency.
- Compare like with like: invoice, amount instructed and amount credited, each in its own currency. The sender’s total debit can include a separate sender fee.
- Even with an OUR or SHA fee instruction, correspondent banks can still deduct charges, as Wise’s Global Currencies documentation notes.
- Before topping up, get a quote for the amount the recipient will receive: a top-up sent the same way can arrive short too.
Where an international transfer can lose money
- Sender’s bankSending fee
- Correspondent bank(s)Fee deducted from the amount
- Recipient’s bankReceiving fee
Conversion can happen at any bank on the way
Find which amount is short
Line up four amounts and the first gap tells you whom to ask.
Write down the invoice amount, the amount the sender instructed, any sender fee charged separately, the amount credited, the account currency, the date and the payment reference. Keep the receipt, the recipient’s statement and any fee notices. If the currencies differ, get the actual conversion rate and converted amount from the institution that converted; a rate from a currency website is only a reference.
Then map the route: sender → sending provider → intermediary bank (if any) → receiving bank → recipient’s balance. If nothing was credited at all, the payment is still on its way or stuck, and the pending-transfer process applies instead.
| What you see | Likely cause | Whom to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Sender debit is higher than the instructed amount | A separate sender fee | The sending bank or provider; the recipient is not short |
| Credit in the same currency is below the instructed amount | An intermediary or receiving-bank deduction | The sender for the route; the recipient’s bank for its incoming fee |
| Credit arrived in another currency | Conversion on the way or at the receiving bank | Whoever converted: ask for the rate and amount |
| Instructed amount is below the invoice | A sending error, an agreed deduction or withholding | The payer, with the contract in hand |
Fees on the receiving side
Freelancer receiving accounts and payment platforms charge their own fees.
A recipient who uses a receiving account or a payment platform can lose part of the amount to that provider rather than to the banks. Payoneer, for example, lists receiving in your local currency through a receiving account as free and receiving in a non-local currency at 1% (minimum USD 1); its internal balance conversion is 0.5% (as of 26 Sep 2026). Revolut-to-Revolut transfers are free, while external transfers depend on route, currency and plan (as of 26 Sep 2026).
Ask the recipient to check their provider’s statement for an incoming-payment fee or a conversion line. Those charges belong to the recipient’s account and show up there, not in the sender’s confirmation.
Example: reconciling a USD 1,000 invoice
Count each fee once and keep each currency separate.
Example: the invoice is USD 1,000. The sender instructs USD 1,000 and pays a USD 10 sender fee separately, so the sender’s debit is USD 1,010. An intermediary bank deducts USD 15 and the receiving bank USD 5, so USD 980 is credited. The recipient is USD 20 short; the total cost to both parties is USD 30. The separate USD 10 sender fee is not part of the USD 20 gap.
If the USD 980 is then converted at an example rate of 0.90 EUR per USD, the recipient gets EUR 882 before any separate conversion fee. Comparing EUR 882 with the USD 1,000 invoice gives a meaningless “118” gap, because the currencies differ. If no document explains a USD 20 shortfall, mark it as unexplained and ask the banks.
Read the fee instruction used for the payment. With OUR the sender asks to cover all charges and with SHA the charges are shared, but Wise’s Global Currencies documentation warns that correspondent deductions can still happen with either option. Ask your provider what it commits to for this specific route.
Example: where a USD 1,000 payment lost USD 20
Send a top-up with its own delivery quote
A top-up through the same route pays the same deductions again.
Example: the documented gap is USD 20 and both sides agree it is still due. Sending another USD 20 through a route with a USD 5 receiving fee delivers only USD 15. With that single fixed deduction, sending USD 25 delivers USD 20; if the sender also pays a USD 2 sender fee, the debit is USD 27.
Ask for a quote that shows the amount the recipient will receive, and whether further deductions are possible. If the intermediary cost is unknown, use a route both sides can see in advance, for example a local transfer into the recipient’s receiving account. Give the top-up its own reference linked to the invoice.
Wise’s Global Currencies documentation also notes that a returned transfer can come back reduced by intermediary charges, so a recall or return may restore less than the original debit.
Ask the right question and record the outcome
Tracing the deduction and settling the invoice are two separate tasks.
Send the sending institution the payment reference, the instructed amount and proof of the lower credit; ask which deductions or conversions it can see and whether it can investigate. Ask the recipient’s bank about its own incoming fee or conversion. Use official secure channels and share only the statement lines that matter.
Once the cause is known, settle the balance as the contract says. For future invoices, agree the currency, verified bank details, who pays transfer fees and a contact for reconciliation, and state them on the invoice.
Checklist
- Keep the invoice, receipt, statement, fee evidence and case numbers together.
- Send a top-up only after the cause and amount are agreed.
- Keep original records and add corrections with their own dates.
- Separate the bank-fee explanation from any balance still owed.
- Put currency, fee allocation and bank details on every future invoice.
FAQ
Does OUR guarantee the invoice is paid in full?
It asks the banks to bill the sender, yet some correspondent routes still deduct charges. Ask the sending provider what it commits to for the route. Who carries the fees between client and contractor is a matter for the contract.
Should the sender pay the difference right away?
First find the cause and agree who carries it. A top-up can be the right fix, but it has its own fees, so get a quote for the amount that will arrive and give it a separate reference.
Does a lower amount mean the exchange rate was unfair?
Compare the rate, the converted amount and the disclosed fees with the quote or terms that applied on the payment date. A live rate from a currency website on another day is a different reference.
Why was the amount lower even though the sender paid all fees?
An intermediary bank or the recipient’s own provider can still deduct a fee, and a conversion into the account currency changes the amount. The recipient’s statement shows its provider’s fees; the sender’s provider can trace intermediary deductions.
Sources
- Global Currencies: Swift network transfers and fees — Wise Platform
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