Receive Payments From Abroad as a Freelancer: USD, EUR

Pick by how the client pays: Wise for bank transfers into USD or other local details, Payoneer for marketplace payouts and payment requests, Deel when the client already uses Deel, and Revolut or PayPal as a second route.

Ask the client how it pays. A US company usually pays by ACH or domestic wire and needs your name, routing number and account number. A client outside the US sends an international Swift payment and needs your name, Swift/BIC code, account number and the bank’s name and address. Wise rejects Swift payments that arrive without addresses, so give the full set.

ACH is the cheapest way in: Wise charges nothing to receive it, against USD 6.11 for a domestic wire or a Swift payment (as of 10 Oct 2026). Nacha says ACH credits settle the same day, the next banking day or in two banking days, and about 80% of ACH payments settle within one banking day.

A Swift payment can pass through correspondent banks that take their own fee on the way. Payoneer says these intermediary fees typically average USD 20–30 per wire (as of 10 Oct 2026). ACH and local receiving details keep the payment inside one country’s system.

Wise says its USD details are not a bank account, although you receive money in the same way, and that they are not available in some regions. Payoneer offers its own local USD receiving details.

For a euro invoice, give the client an IBAN in your name. A client in the SEPA region, which the ECB counts as 41 European countries, pays it by SEPA credit transfer, the same way as a domestic payment. Wise and Payoneer both give local EUR details.

With a SEPA credit transfer, the full amount reaches the receiving bank and each side pays only its own provider’s charges, according to the European Payments Council. SEPA Instant arrives within seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and EU providers that offer regular euro transfers must also offer instant ones at a price no higher than a regular transfer (ECB).

A client outside SEPA, for example in the US, sends euros by SWIFT, and correspondent banks may take fees on the way. If a SEPA payment arrives short, look for your own provider’s receiving fee, a currency conversion or a payment that went by SWIFT: the SEPA scheme itself carries the full amount.

Write the amount once, in the currency you agreed, and give the details for one payment method: ACH or wire details for a US client, an IBAN for a SEPA client, Swift details for everyone else. Use the invoice number as the payment reference so you can match the credit.

Agree in writing who pays transfer fees and what happens if less arrives than the invoice. Send the details from your usual business email or the client’s portal. If the client receives a request to pay new bank details, it should confirm the change with you by phone or another known contact, the check the FBI recommends against business email compromise.

Example: a client owes a USD 2,500 invoice and you receive into Wise USD details. If a US client pays by ACH, USD 2,500 arrives, because ACH is free to receive. A domestic wire leaves USD 2,493.89 after the USD 6.11 fee. A Swift payment from outside the US also costs USD 6.11, plus any correspondent fee; at the USD 20–30 that Payoneer cites as typical, you would receive about USD 2,464–2,474 (Wise fees as of 10 Oct 2026).

Withdrawing to a bank account adds its own cost. With Deel, a local bank transfer has no Deel fee and a SWIFT withdrawal costs from USD 5 up to a Deel fee of USD 10 (as of 21 Sep 2026). With Payoneer, a withdrawal that converts currency costs 1.2% to 4% (as of 26 Sep 2026). If you spend in another currency, compare the amount that lands in that currency.

Record the invoice amount and each fee on separate lines, and keep the invoice, the client’s payment confirmation and your statement together.

Wise, Payoneer, Deel and Revolut open accounts and issue receiving details only to residents of the countries they support, after identity and address checks. Before you send a client any details, check that your country of residence is on the provider’s list. If it is not, that service is not an option for you. Register only with your real country and address.

Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks have not worked abroad since March 2022. If you legally live in another country, open an account with a provider that serves residents of that country and use it for client payments.

Ask the client for the payment date, amount, currency, method and reference. For a Swift payment, also ask for the UETR, the reference that follows the payment through every bank, and give it to your provider’s support. Check your account statement, not a screenshot.

Do not ask for a second payment while the first is still being traced: if both arrive, one has to be refunded. If the amount is short, compare the invoice, the client’s confirmation and your statement to find the fee or conversion that caused the difference, then apply the fee rule you agreed.