What are the ways to get paid by a US client from Nigeria?
| Bank transfer to your USD domiciliary account | Receiving apps (Cleva, Grey, Raenest and others) | Payoneer | US LLC + Stripe | Merchant of record (AgentaOS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client can pay by card | No | Not checked; see each app’s site | Not checked for Nigeria; see Payoneer’s site | Yes | Yes |
| Who invoices the client | You | You, with the app’s USD account details on your invoice | You | Your US company | AgentaOS, as the official seller |
| Fits custom per-client work | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, fixed-price packages only |
| Works from Nigeria | Yes, to a USD account at your bank | Check each app’s own terms | Through Kuda, for customers with a CAC-registered business, by Payoneer’s announcement; individuals not confirmed | Yes, with a US company | Yes, individuals and companies |
| Setup cost | None beyond your bank account | Check each app’s site | Check Payoneer’s site | Stripe Atlas $500 one-time, then $100 a year, plus $400 a year Delaware tax | €0, no monthly fee |
| Card fee per payment | No card option | Check each app’s site | Check Payoneer’s fees page | Check Stripe’s pricing | 4.5% + €0.50 per card sale; US and other non-EEA cards 6.0% + €0.50 |
| Buyer’s sales tax handled by | You | You | You | Your US company | AgentaOS, as the seller |
Sources: Nigeria guide, Payoneer and Kuda, AgentaOS pricing docs. Nigeria is not on Wise’s list for holding money. Check each provider’s fees on its own site.
Honestly: for a one-off custom project, a plain bank transfer to your domiciliary account is the simplest route, with no card fee from us. A merchant of record is worth it when the client wants to pay by card, or when you sell the same package to many clients.
How do I get paid by a US client, step by step?
- Agree the currency and how they will pay, before you start. US clients usually pay in USD. Put it in the contract or the order. If the answer is “card only”, go to step 6.
- Get a USD domiciliary account at your bank. Ask your bank for its fee on incoming USD international transfers (Swift), and your exact account number and SWIFT code. You need the same USD account if you later get paid by AgentaOS.
- Send the W-8BEN if your US client asks for it. US companies often ask for a W-8BEN before the first payment. The IRS says to “Give Form W-8 BEN to the withholding agent or payer”, so it goes to your client, not to the IRS (IRS, about Form W-8BEN). Ask your accountant how to fill it in.
- Put the right details on the invoice. See the checklist below. Write it in English, with the amount in USD.
- If the client refuses a bank transfer, check what they will accept. Some will send ACH to a receiving app such as Cleva, Grey or Raenest; Grey’s guide says you can “add your USD account to your invoices”. Others want a card checkout from a company that invoices them. Ask once, then pick.
- If the client wants to pay by card, sell a fixed-price package. Fix the deliverable, the price and the delivery time, the same for every buyer, with no per-client quote. “Brand kit, 3 concepts and final files, 5 working days, €300” works. “Development work, $25 an hour” and “monthly retainer, scope agreed per client” do not. Apply for service packages, wait for approval, then send the package as an invoice: the client pays by card on the hosted checkout, and AgentaOS issues the invoice in its own name. How to price a package.
- Get paid and declare it. Bank transfers land when the client pays. With AgentaOS, payouts go in USD by Swift to your own USD (domiciliary) account in Nigeria on the 1st and the 15th of each month, once you have €50 or $50 (Nigeria guide). Ask a Nigerian accountant how to declare this income and which Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rules apply to your domiciliary account.
What goes on the invoice? A checklist
- ✓Invoice number, in sequence
- ✓Issue date and due date
- ✓Your full name or business name, address, and “Nigeria”
- ✓Your tax or registration number, if you have one (ask your accountant which)
- ✓The client’s legal name and address
- ✓What you delivered, in one plain line the client’s finance team can classify
- ✓Amount with the currency code (USD 500.00)
- ✓Payment terms (for example, 30 days)
- ✓Your bank’s name, your USD domiciliary account number, and the SWIFT code
- ✓W-8BEN sent, if the client asked
- ✓For a card payment: skip all of the above and send the AgentaOS invoice link instead
Need a template? How to make an invoice as a freelancer. No registered business? See how to invoice without a company.
What happens when the client pays by card?
AgentaOS buys the package from you and sells it to your client as the merchant of record. The invoice names AgentaOS (Aristokrates OÜ, Estonia) as the seller, “Merchant of Record for” your business (invoice docs). Tell the client this before they pay, so their finance team expects it.
- Sending it: in the dashboard you create an invoice with the client’s name, email and country, add the package, pick the currency and terms (Net 7, Net 14, Net 30 or Due on receipt), and send it. The client pays by card on the hosted checkout.
- The client: a US business pays no VAT. Tax on each sale is AgentaOS’s to handle as the seller.
- You: you get a payout statement for each payout, paid in USD to your own domiciliary account. Our banking partner does not send EUR by Swift to Nigeria, so you need a USD account (Nigeria guide).
What the rules say, word for word:
- Terms, section 21: a service package has its “contents, deliverable, exclusions, price, and delivery window fixed in advance, identical for every Buyer, no proposals or negotiation.” And: “Worked out per client = custom work = never allowed, whatever it’s called.” (Terms)
- Acceptable use, not allowed: “custom or project-based work whose scope or deliverable is agreed separately with each client”. Allowed: “Service Packages, meaning productized services sold ready-made rather than quoted per client”, only once your account is approved (acceptable use).
Example: two packages, paid with a US card, at the published card rate.
| Brand kit | Landing page package | |
|---|---|---|
| Client pays | €300.00 | €800.00 |
| AgentaOS card fee, US card | 6.0% + €0.50 = −€18.50 | 6.0% + €0.50 = −€48.50 |
| After the card fee | €281.50 | €751.50 |
Rates from AgentaOS pricing docs: 4.5% + €0.50 per card sale, no monthly fee, and cards issued outside the EEA, such as US cards, add 1.5%. Service packages need approval first, and the per-sale fee for a package is the one shown in your account, which may differ from the published rate. Payout waits until the client’s payment has cleared and delivery is confirmed. Service packages stay on the new-account reserve (15% of each sale, released 120 days after the sale), and at least 10% of each package sale is set aside for at least 120 days from its payout release (Terms, sections 9 and 21). Your bank may charge on its side. Try your own numbers in the payout calculator.
When is a merchant of record the wrong choice?
- Custom work.Anything quoted per client, hourly billing, a per-client retainer, or a scope you negotiate cannot be sold through AgentaOS, whatever it is called. Invoice it by bank transfer.
- Live-only delivery.A package delivered only in a call does not qualify. Delivery must leave a digital record, such as files, a report or a recorded session.
- Cash flow on day one.The reserve and the wait for delivery confirmation mean a bank transfer pays you faster on a single big project.
Where does AgentaOS fit?
If you sell the same package to several US clients, a card checkout replaces the “please send ACH to this account” emails. AgentaOS pays out to Nigeria in USD, to your own bank, with no company abroad needed. Paystack turning down foreign cards? See Paystack international payments not enabled.
Related questions
Can my US client pay by card if I have no Stripe or PayPal?
Yes, if you sell a fixed-price package through a merchant of record. AgentaOS is the official seller, so your client pays by card on its checkout and you get paid in USD to your own bank in Nigeria. Custom or hourly work cannot be sold this way.
My client won’t send ACH to a receiving app. What can I do?
Send a bank transfer invoice with your domiciliary account details, or, for a fixed-price package, an AgentaOS invoice your client pays by card. Hourly, retainer or custom work stays on bank transfer.
Do I get paid in USD or naira?
In USD, by Swift, to your own USD domiciliary account in Nigeria, on the 1st and the 15th of each month, once you have €50 or $50. Our banking partner does not send EUR by Swift to Nigeria.
Whose name is on the invoice my client gets?
AgentaOS’s. As merchant of record, AgentaOS (Aristokrates OÜ, Estonia) is the seller on the invoice, “Merchant of Record for” your business. Tell your client before they pay so their finance team expects it.
What does a US card payment cost?
4.5% + €0.50 per card sale, with no monthly fee. Cards issued outside the EEA, such as US cards, add 1.5%, so 6.0% + €0.50 in total. A service package’s fee is the one shown in your account.
Related
Sources: AgentaOS Terms · AgentaOS acceptable use · AgentaOS pricing docs · AgentaOS invoice docs · Nigeria guide · IRS, about Form W-8BEN · Payoneer and Kuda announcement · Grey, USD payments in Nigeria · Wise, where you can hold money
General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask a local accountant about your own registration.