How to get paid by clients abroad: a practical guide for freelancers

You've delivered the logo. The agency in New York likes it. Then they ask how you'd like to be paid, and they mention they'd rather use the company card.

If you freelance from Lahore, Kathmandu, Dhaka or Colombo, that question can cost you a week or the client. This guide covers what your client needs, what you need, the common options, and what to check before you pick one.

What your client needs

Your client wants three things.

To pay by card. Plenty of businesses pay small suppliers on a company card. It keeps the purchase on a statement their finance team already reads.

A receipt. Their accountant needs a record of who was paid, for what and how much. A screenshot of a transfer isn't one.

One step. A link they can open and pay. The more forms and codes you ask them to fill in, the longer your invoice sits.

What you need

You want four things.

The money in an account in your name. Not in a friend's account, and not in an account you can't see.

The fees before the money moves. You should know what you'll receive before you agree to anything.

A way to withdraw at home. Getting paid is half the job. The money has to reach a bank account you can use, in your own currency.

Records. Your accountant needs to see what came in and what went out, without your password.

The common options

Bank wire

Your client sends money from their bank to yours. They need your bank details and have to set up the payment themselves. Fees can be charged along the way, so the amount that arrives can be less than the invoice. Wires suit large, occasional invoices for clients who already pay suppliers this way.

Payment apps

If you and your client use the same app, this can be simple. Which apps can receive money differs by country, so check what works where you live before you offer one.

Marketplaces

Freelance marketplaces handle payment for work found through them. They take a share, and the client relationship lives on their platform. They're useful for finding new clients. They're less useful for clients you already have.

Payment links and checkout

You create a link for an amount. Your client opens it and pays by card. The money lands in an account in your name and you withdraw it. This is how Shft Money works.

Seven questions to ask before you choose

1. Can your client pay by card?
2. Whose name is the account in?
3. Who holds the money: a bank, a payments company or a platform?
4. What does each fee cost, and when do you see it?
5. Can you withdraw where you live, in your own currency?
6. Does your client get a receipt?
7. Can your accountant see payments without your login?

If an option can't answer all seven, you'll find out which one it missed at the worst time.

Getting paid with a Shft Money payment link

Shft Money is a business account for money you earn online. Here is the whole process.

1. Open an account. It's free.
2. Verify your identity. Whop needs to confirm who you are before money can leave your balance, and it offers identity verification in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The check runs in Whop's secure frame on Shft Money's pages. Shft Money never sees your documents.
3. Create a payment link. Add what you're selling and set the price in US dollars.
4. Send it. In email, in chat, wherever you talk to your client.
5. Your client pays. By card or one of 100+ payment methods Whop shows in their region. They get a receipt. You see the payment in your account, with every fee on it.
6. Withdraw. To a bank account in your own name. You see the fee and timing before you confirm.

Your balance sits in a Whop account in your name, and Whop and its financial partners hold the funds. Withdrawals only go to payout methods in your name. How your money is held explains who does what.

If you sell from your own site, you can put a buy button or an embed card on the page instead of sending a link. If you work with a team, you can invite an admin, a teammate or your accountant. Your accountant can see your money, payments and reports, and keep your books. Only you, as the owner, can withdraw.

Withdrawing in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Whop pays out to bank accounts in all four countries, in the local currency: Pakistani rupees (PKR), Nepalese rupees (NPR), Bangladeshi taka (BDT) and Sri Lankan rupees (LKR). Your clients pay in US dollars, and Whop converts when you withdraw.

Use a bank account in your local currency. A US dollar account in these countries won't receive payouts from Whop.

Outside these four countries, Whop pays out in 187+ countries, in the local currency, and the methods on offer depend on your country.

What it costs

Take a $900.00 logo project for an agency in New York, paid through a Shft Money payment link.

On the standard plan, Shft Money takes 3% on sales through links and checkout. That's $27.00. Whop's card processing fee applies as well, and it shows on the payment.

Two ways to pay less while you try it:

• Everyone pays 0% Shft Money fee on tips and sales for their first 15 days, counted from the day they open their account.
• The first 100 members pay 0% on tips and sales for 90 days.

There's no Shft Money fee on withdrawals. Whop charges its own fees for withdrawals and currency conversion, which depend on the method, and you see them before you confirm.

When you compare this with other options, count everything: fees, any shortfall between the invoice and what arrives, the days you wait, and the clients who never paid because paying was hard. Every Shft Money fee is on the pricing page.

What to know before you start

• Prices are in US dollars. Set your prices in USD.
• Each payment is $5 to $1,000. That's the range for a single payment through a link or checkout.
• Withdraw to a local-currency account. In Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, payouts go to a bank account in rupees or taka, not US dollars.
• Elsewhere, check your country at setup. Whop supports sellers in most countries. You'll see during setup if yours is covered.
• Refunds go through Whop. You refund a payment from your Whop dashboard, and Shft Money's fee on it isn't returned. Disputes and chargebacks follow Whop's rules.
• Invoices are coming soon. Until then, send a payment link named after your invoice, such as "Logo project, INV-104".
• There's no Shft Money card. Shft Money doesn't issue a card. Whop's own card is only for eligible US-registered businesses, under Whop's US card terms.

Your next client can pay you by card.