Name the currency in a way that cannot be misread
Write USD 2,400.00 rather than $2,400.00. A dollar sign is used by a dozen currencies, and an invoice quoted in the wrong one is either underpaid or disputed, both of which cost more than three extra characters.
Carry the details a foreign bank actually needs
- The account holder's name exactly as the bank has it
- IBAN, or account and routing numbers, depending on the destination
- SWIFT/BIC code
- The bank's name and address — many transfer forms require it
- An intermediary bank, where your bank publishes one
Say what the tax treatment is
Whether you charge tax on a foreign sale depends on where you are, where they are, and what you sold — services and goods are often treated differently. State the treatment on the invoice, and where a client needs a tax form from you, ask which one before invoicing rather than after.
Agree the payment route in advance
A wire, a card payment and a platform payout arrive at different speeds and different net amounts. Deciding which one after the invoice is issued is what turns a thirty-day term into a sixty-day one.
Common questions
- Which currency should I invoice in?
- The one you want to be paid in, agreed before the work. Invoicing in the client's currency is a courtesy that transfers the exchange risk to you, so price it in if you offer it.
- Do I charge sales tax to a foreign client?
- It depends on your own jurisdiction's rules and on what you sold. Do not guess from the client's address alone — state the treatment on the invoice and confirm it with your accountant for the countries you deal with regularly.
- Why did less money arrive than the invoice said?
- Almost always correspondent bank charges deducted in transit, or an exchange rate applied at the receiving end. Both are fixed by stating on the invoice who bears bank charges.