THE SHORT ANSWER
Confirm the client’s legal entity and billing contact, the currency and fee allocation, the invoice and tax documents each side needs, and the law and dispute process. Test the payment route before a large balance accumulates, and do not improvise through somebody else’s account merely because the project is urgent.
The client likes your work, the fee sounds good and the kickoff is tomorrow. Then Finance asks for an invoice from a legal entity, your bank warns about intermediary fees, and the contract points disputes to a court thousands of kilometres away.
Cross-border work is not automatically complicated. It does expose assumptions that a local project might leave hidden. Resolve the payment and paperwork path while both sides are still enthusiastic.
Identify the two parties precisely
Ask for the client’s full legal name, registration or tax details where relevant, billing address, accounts-payable contact and purchase-order requirements. Confirm whether the friendly person who hired you has authority to bind that entity.
Provide your own correct trading or legal name and invoice details. Do not claim to be a company if you are contracting as an individual or local sole proprietor. Ask your accountant or local authority what registration, export-of-services, VAT/GST or withholding rules apply to you.
Write the payment route into the plan
Record:
| Decision | What to state |
|---|---|
| Price currency | USD, EUR, GBP or another named currency |
| Invoice currency | Same as price, or an agreed conversion method |
| Bank and intermediary fees | Sender, recipient or shared; what must arrive net? |
| Payment method | Bank transfer or named provider; whose account? |
| Due date | A date or defined number of days after a valid invoice |
| Deposit and milestones | Amount, trigger and whether work pauses if unpaid |
| Withholding | Required documentation and evidence of any deduction |
If a platform or payment intermediary is used, check its current fees, supported countries, identity checks, dispute rules and withdrawal options directly. A provider solving collection does not answer your tax status or rewrite the client contract.
Run a small test payment where practical before allowing a large balance to accumulate. Do not route business funds through a friend’s bank account, somebody else’s card or an unexplained crypto address simply because an ordinary transfer is inconvenient.
Make the invoice usable by both sides
Ask what Finance needs before delivery: vendor onboarding, purchase order, tax form, timesheet, acceptance record or specific invoice fields. Find out whether the clock starts when you send the invoice or when it is declared “valid.”
For a UK illustration, GOV.UK lists invoice information and separate VAT requirements. That source does not determine the requirements in your country or the client’s. Use the official guidance that applies to each party.
Keep the contract fee separate from bank fees and taxes. “$2,000 all inclusive” can mean different things unless the agreement states which deductions are included.
Check the clauses that become harder across borders
- Governing law and disputes: Which law applies, where must a claim be brought, and is arbitration named? Consider the cost of the process, not only who appears to be right.
- Notices: Can notices be sent by email, and when are they treated as received across time zones?
- Data and confidentiality: Where will information be accessed and which client security instructions apply?
- Intellectual property: When do ownership or licence rights transfer, and is payment a condition?
- Tax and status: Does the contract make broad promises about employment classification, withholding or permanent establishment that you cannot verify alone?
- Sanctions and payment controls: Can the parties and banks lawfully process the work and payment?
Do not copy a governing-law clause merely because it looks professional. It assigns real inconvenience and risk.
Use a kickoff confirmation
Before I begin, please confirm that the contracting and invoiced entity is [full name], invoices are in USD, your company pays outgoing transfer fees, and payment is due 14 days after a valid invoice. The first $500 milestone is due before kickoff. Please send the vendor and tax forms Finance requires, the purchase-order number if applicable, and the authorised approval contact. I will invoice as [my legal/trading name] to the account stated on my invoice; any change will be verified separately.
Then apply the freelance pre-start checklist to the scope, revisions and ownership. Geography does not replace those basics. It makes the identity, money trail and dispute path harder to repair later.
Put your own contract in context.
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