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FREELANCERS · CROSS-BORDER PAYMENTS

Cross-Border Income Route Planner

A client abroad owes you money. This planner compares the ways to get it into your local bank — Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, Stripe and a direct bank wire — by what you actually keep after fees and currency conversion, flags which ones work in your country, and lists the tax paperwork each route needs.

GET PAID ACROSS BORDERS

Plan your payment route

Pick where you live and what you invoice. Routes are ranked by what reaches you after fees and currency conversion, with the ones you can actually use in Pakistan first.

Your bank's wire costs

Banks do not publish one price for incoming wires. Enter your bank's figures; the defaults are examples only.

Lowest-cost available route: Direct bank wire (SWIFT) — you keep $1,930.00

Based on the wire fees and exchange margin you entered for your bank; check them with your bank.

$10.00 more than the most expensive usable option (Payoneer (Global Payment Service)) on this invoice.

  1. #1

    Direct bank wire (SWIFT)

    Available

    You keep

    $1,930.00

    Total cost

    $70.00

    Lost

    3.50%

    1. Client sends an international (SWIFT) wire to your local bank
    2. Correspondent and receiving banks deduct fees
    3. Your bank converts USD at its own rate

    Pakistan: Most banks can receive international wires; ask yours for its fees and exchange-rate margin.

    Fees $30.00 + conversion $40.00 · 1 - 5 Business Days. Your figures: $30 in wire and correspondent fees plus a 2% exchange-rate margin.

  2. #2

    Payoneer (Global Payment Service)

    Available

    You keep

    $1,920.00

    Total cost

    $80.00

    Lost

    4.00%

    1. Client pays to your Payoneer USD receiving account
    2. Convert and withdraw to your local bank account

    Pakistan: Commonly used in Pakistan, but some local banks don't accept Payoneer withdrawals directly — check your bank.

    Fees $20.00 + conversion $60.00 · 1 - 2 Business Days. 1% non-local receiving fee plus a 3% illustrative conversion assumption. Pricing

  3. #3

    Wise (Direct Local Transfer / Multi-Currency)

    Not available

    You keep

    $1,995.40

    Total cost

    $4.60

    Lost

    0.23%

    1. Client pays by bank transfer to your Wise USD account details
    2. Convert USD at the mid-market rate plus Wise's fee
    3. Send to your local bank account

    Pakistan: Wise scaled back service for Pakistan; USD business features are generally not available to Pakistan residents.

    Fees $0.00 + conversion $4.60 · Instant - 24 Hours. Illustrative Wise conversion at its published starting rate; actual corridor and payment-method fees vary. Pricing

  4. #4

    Stripe Invoicing (Credit / Debit Cards)

    Not available

    You keep

    $1,891.70

    Total cost

    $108.30

    Lost

    5.42%

    1. Client pays by card through Stripe
    2. Stripe converts and pays out to your bank

    Pakistan: Stripe is not available to businesses in your country without a US (or other supported) company.

    Fees $88.30 + conversion $20.00 · 2 - 3 Business Days. US business; international card; currency conversion required. Pricing

  5. #5

    PayPal (Standard Business Invoice)

    Not available

    You keep

    $1,839.71

    Total cost

    $160.29

    Lost

    8.01%

    1. Client pays your PayPal invoice
    2. PayPal converts USD to your currency
    3. Withdraw to your local bank

    Pakistan: PayPal does not list your country, so you cannot open an account there.

    Fees $100.29 + conversion $60.00 · Instant to PayPal Balance. US PayPal Checkout; international commercial payment; illustrative 3% conversion spread. Pricing

Paperwork for this route

  • Form W-8BEN for your US client. Certifies you are a foreign person. Services performed outside the US are generally foreign-source income, so US tax is not withheld.
  • Keep bank evidence of foreign remittances. Pakistan's reduced rate for IT and IT-enabled service exports depends on proceeds arriving through banking channels; ask your bank for the remittance certificate (PRC) and confirm current FBR conditions.

Next steps: US LLC banking matrix · Pakistan IT export tax

Provider fees follow each provider's published pricing for a US business receiving an international payment with currency conversion; your corridor, card type and account tier can change them. Availability comes from the providers' country lists and our banking matrix and can change without notice. Not financial or tax advice.

GETTING PAID · FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Cross-border payments — FAQ

What is the cheapest way to receive money from a US client?
Usually a bank transfer into a multi-currency account that converts at or near the mid-market rate, such as Wise where it is available. Card processors and PayPal cost more because they add a processing fee and a currency-conversion margin. The cheapest route you can actually use depends on your country, which is why the planner ranks available routes first.
Do I need a US LLC to get paid by US clients?
No. Many freelancers receive payments as individuals through Payoneer, Wise or a bank wire. A US LLC mainly helps when you need Stripe or a US business bank account, for example to take card payments or work with clients that only pay US companies. It also adds a yearly Form 5472 filing.
Which tax form does a US client ask a foreign freelancer for?
Form W-8BEN, which certifies that you are a foreign person. If you work through a single-member US LLC, the LLC is disregarded for US tax, so you still give a W-8BEN as its foreign owner; a W-8BEN-E is used only when the owner is itself a company. A foreign owner should not give a W-9.
Why do the fees include currency conversion?
Most of the cost of getting paid across borders is the exchange rate, not the visible fee. A provider that charges no fee but converts at a rate 3% below the mid-market rate costs more than one charging 1% at the real rate. The planner counts both.
Is PayPal or Stripe available in Pakistan?
Neither lists Pakistan as a supported country, so Pakistani freelancers typically use Payoneer, a bank wire, or a US LLC that can open Stripe and a US bank account. Wise has also limited its USD business features for Pakistan residents.

Educational comparison only, not financial or tax advice. Fees and country availability change; confirm on the provider's site before choosing a route. See our full disclaimer.

Primary sources

Links checked Sep 24, 2026

  1. IRSAbout Form W-8BEN
  2. IRSInstructions for Form W-8BEN-EA disregarded entity's single foreign owner provides Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, not the entity
  3. IRSPublication 515 — Withholding of tax on nonresident aliens and foreign entities30% withholding and how W-8 forms reduce it
  4. IRSPublication 519 — U.S. tax guide for aliensSource-of-income rules for personal services
  5. IRSInstructions for Form 5472Foreign-owned US DE filing, reportable transactions, $25,000 penalty

Rules change. Where our summary and the authority differ, the authority wins. See how every figure is sourced on the sources & methodology page.