How do I invoice a US client from Pakistan and get paid by card?
The problem“My client is in the US. They want an invoice and they want to pay by card. They won’t sign up for Payoneer, and I have no Stripe.”
To receive payment from a US client in Pakistan without PayPal, send an invoice in USD with your bank’s USD account details, or let the client pay by card through a merchant of record. The card route works only for a fixed-price package: the scope set in advance, the same price for every client, and approved by AgentaOS before it goes live. Never hourly work, never a custom project quoted per client (Terms, section 21; acceptable use).
What are the ways to get paid by a US client from Pakistan?
| Bank transfer to your USD account | Payoneer | Wise | US LLC + Stripe | Merchant of record (AgentaOS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client can pay by card | No | Yes, by Payoneer’s own guide: a payment request can be paid “via credit card, bank transfer, or even Payoneer-to-Payoneer” | Not checked; see Wise’s site | Yes | Yes |
| Who invoices the client | You | You, from the Payoneer dashboard | 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 Pakistan | Yes, to a USD account at your bank | Yes, with withdrawals to a Pakistani bank account | You can register and send money; Pakistan is not on Wise’s list for holding money | Yes, with a US company | Yes, individuals and companies |
| Setup cost | None beyond your bank account | Check Payoneer’s site | Check Wise’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 Payoneer’s fees page | Check Wise’s pricing | 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: Pakistan guide (US LLC costs, Payoneer and Wise in Pakistan), Payoneer, small business payment solutions in Pakistan, Wise, where you can hold money, AgentaOS pricing docs. Check each provider’s fees on its own site before you put its details on an invoice.
Honestly: for a one-off custom project, a plain bank transfer to your USD 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 account at your bank. Ask your bank for its incoming-transfer fee for USD by international transfer (Swift), and your exact account number, IBAN 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 clients will pay a Payoneer payment request; Payoneer’s own guide says the client gets a payment link. Others want a card checkout from a company that invoices them directly. Ask once, then pick the route.
- 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. “Logo pack, 3 concepts and final files, 5 working days, €500” works. “Website setup package: install, theme, 5 pages, 7 working days” works. “Design work, price on request” does 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 account in Pakistan on the 1st and the 15th of each month, once you have €50 or $50 (Pakistan guide). Ask a local accountant how to declare and register income from abroad.
What goes on the invoice? A checklist
- Invoice number, in sequence
- Issue date and due date
- Your full name or business name, address, and “Pakistan”
- 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 account number or IBAN, 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.
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 as the line item, pick the currency and payment terms (Net 7, Net 14, Net 30 or Due on receipt), and send it. The client pays on the hosted checkout by card.
- 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 USD account. Our banking partner does not send EUR by Swift to Pakistan, so you need a USD account (Pakistan guide).
Example: two packages, paid with a US card, at the published card rate.
| Logo pack | Website setup package | |
|---|---|---|
| Client pays | €500.00 | €1,000.00 |
| AgentaOS card fee, US card | 6.0% + €0.50 = −€30.50 | 6.0% + €0.50 = −€60.50 |
| After the card fee | €469.50 | €939.50 |
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 (up to 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, 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 fixed-price package your clients pay by card replaces the chasing and the “please sign up for this app” emails. AgentaOS pays out to Pakistan in USD, to your own bank, with no company abroad needed. Already selling on Gumroad? See Gumroad payouts in Pakistan.
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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 Pakistan. Custom or hourly work cannot be sold this way.
My client won’t sign up for Payoneer. What can I do?
Send a bank transfer invoice with your USD account details, or, for a fixed-price package, an AgentaOS invoice your client pays by card. Payoneer’s own guide also says its payment requests can be paid by card; check its page first.
Do I get paid in USD or PKR?
In USD, by Swift, to your own USD account in Pakistan, on the 1st and the 15th of each month. Our banking partner does not send EUR by Swift to Pakistan, so you need a USD account at your bank.
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.
What lands in your bank?
Enter your price. See what you keep after the payment fee, in euros or dollars.
€0 account, no cardSell as an individual or a company
Related
Sources: AgentaOS Terms · AgentaOS acceptable use · AgentaOS facts · AgentaOS pricing docs · AgentaOS invoice docs · Pakistan guide · IRS, about Form W-8BEN · Payoneer, Pakistan guide · Wise, where you can hold money