How to Invoice International Clients

A $1,000 invoice paid with a U.S. card through Stripe costs you $29.30 in fees. The same invoice paid with a card issued abroad, in a currency that has to be converted, costs $54.30: Stripe's U.S. pricing adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion. A client abroad is worth having, but it changes the currency, the tax wording and how you get paid. Here's what to decide before the first invoice goes out.

Pick the Currency, and Who Carries the Risk

Whoever's currency isn't on the invoice carries the exchange risk. Bill a London client in dollars and what it costs them in pounds moves with the rate; bill them in pounds and it's your dollars that move. Stripe separates the currency you charge in from the one you're paid out in, and converts the charge when they differ. Your client's bank may add its own foreign exchange fee when their card's currency differs from the charge, or when your business is in another country.

There's no single right answer, so agree it up front and write the currency code, not just the symbol: "$" means something different in New York, Toronto and Sydney.

VAT and GST: The Client's Country Usually Decides

For services sold business-to-business, the major systems tax where the customer is:

• European Union. B2B services are taxed where the customer is established. A business client in the EU accounts for the VAT itself under the reverse charge, so a seller from outside the EU usually doesn't charge it.
• United Kingdom. HMRC's rule is the same: B2B services are supplied where the customer belongs, and a UK business buying from abroad accounts for the VAT itself.
• Canada. Most services supplied to a non-resident are zero-rated for GST/HST, with exceptions such as work tied to property in Canada.

Selling to consumers rather than businesses follows different rules, and some digital services have their own. To help an EU or UK business client with their VAT, put their VAT number on the invoice with a note such as "Reverse charge: customer to account for VAT". EU invoices issued by VAT-registered sellers must carry that wording. As a seller from outside the EU, you're doing it as a courtesy, and it saves the client a question for you.

Your Own Taxes Don't Change

If you're a U.S. citizen or resident, the IRS taxes your worldwide income, so a foreign client's payment is income like any other. Report it in dollars, at the exchange rate in effect when you receive it. One common mix-up: Form W-8BEN is what a foreign person gives a U.S. payer. You don't need it to bill a client abroad. This is general information, not tax advice; an accountant who knows your situation is worth the fee.

An International Invoice Checklist

• Both businesses' full details, including country and tax ID.
• The currency code (USD, EUR, GBP) next to the amounts.
• Dates nobody can misread. 03/10/2026 is March 10 in the U.S. and 3 October in most of the world. Write the month out, or use 2026-10-03.
• The tax line or note that applies, such as the reverse-charge wording above.
• How to pay, and who pays the fees. International bank transfers can carry fees at both ends and in between; agree who covers them, or offer card payment.

What BillGrid Does Today

You set a billing currency for each client, from more than 160, and new invoices and estimates for them start in it. Your Tax ID and your client's appear on every invoice and estimate when you've entered them. Name tax rates however you need, such as "VAT", and put reverse-charge wording in the invoice notes or terms. Dates follow your choice of MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD. Clients can pay by card in USD, CAD, EUR, GBP or AUD through your own Stripe account, and you record bank transfers and other payments on the invoice when they arrive. The help article on adding clients covers currency and tax ID.

Where We Think the Product Should Go Next

Checking this guide against the product showed three gaps:

• Invoices in the client's language. Document labels are in English today.
• Reverse-charge help. The wording is up to you; BillGrid could suggest it when a business client abroad has a VAT number.
• More ways to pay. Online payment is by card only; there's no bank transfer checkout yet.