How to invoice a client in a different currency

In short: To invoice a client in a different currency, agree the currency before you start, put the invoice total in that currency with the currency clearly named, and record the value in your own currency on the day you invoice. Bank transfer works for any currency. Card payment links only cover the currencies your payment processor supports, so check that before you promise a client a one-click option.

Your first overseas client is a good problem to have, right up to the moment you have to decide whether to bill in euros or dollars, and what to write in your books when the bank pays you a slightly different amount from the one on the invoice.

Here is the shape of it. You invoice a US client $1,000, and on the day you send it that is worth about €920. The invoice says $1,000. Your books record roughly €920. When the money lands a month later it might be €905 or €935, and that difference is normal and expected.

This guide covers which currency to choose, what rate to record, how you actually get paid, and the VAT question. For the fundamentals of an invoice, start with how to invoice a client as a freelancer.

Which currency should you invoice in?

There is no single right answer, only a trade-off about who carries the exchange risk.

• Your own currency. Simplest for you and for your accounts. The amount you invoice is the amount you book, and your margin is safe. The client carries the conversion.
• The client’s currency. Easier for the client to approve and pay, and it often wins you the work. You carry the risk that the rate moves between invoicing and being paid.
• A shared third currency, usually euros or dollars, on international work where neither side wants the other’s currency.

For most freelancers the practical rule is: invoice in whatever you agreed, and agree it before you start. A currency discovered at invoicing time is an argument. A currency named in the original email is just a fact. If you are quoting a long project in a volatile pair, it is reasonable to say the price holds for a set period.

How to invoice a client in a different currency, step by step

1. Agree the currency in writing along with the price, before the work starts.
2. Raise the invoice in that currency, with the amount and the currency code stated plainly. Write USD 1,000.00 or $1,000.00 (USD), not just a bare dollar sign, because several countries use one.
3. Put your own bank details in a form that works internationally. IBAN and BIC for euro and most international transfers, plus whatever your bank needs for the currency in question.
4. Say who pays the transfer charges (see below).
5. Handle VAT correctly for a cross-border client (see below).
6. Record the value in your own currency on the invoice date, for your books.
7. Send it the day the work is done, and offer an online payment option if your processor covers that currency.

You can put a one-off foreign-currency invoice together in the browser with the free invoice generator, no signup. For regular overseas work, you want something that numbers and tracks them: in Tally Crow you can invoice and issue credit notes in any currency, and each client keeps their own currency and payment terms, so you are not re-deciding every time.

What exchange rate should you use?

The invoice itself does not need a rate on it. Your books do, because your accounts are kept in one currency.

The usual approach is to record the value using a reliable rate on the date of the invoice, and keep a note of which rate you used. Most countries accept a central bank’s published daily rate or your own bank’s rate, as long as you are consistent and can show your working. Being consistent matters more than which source you pick.

When the payment actually arrives, the amount in your own currency will rarely match exactly. The difference between the two is an exchange gain or loss, and it is a normal part of trading internationally rather than a mistake to correct. How you record it is a bookkeeping question for your accountant, not something to fix by editing the invoice.

Rules on exchange rates, records and VAT vary by country, so check your obligations, or ask an accountant.

How do you actually get paid in another currency?

Two routes, and it is worth being precise about the difference, because this is where tools quietly overpromise.

• Bank transfer works for any currency. The client sends the money, your bank receives it and converts if needed. Slower, usually cheaper on larger amounts, and available for any currency.
• An online card payment link covers the currencies your payment processor supports. In Tally Crow, pay-now links run through Stripe, so they cover the currencies Stripe supports. If you invoice in a currency outside that list, the invoice is still perfectly valid and the client can still pay by transfer, you just will not have the one-click button on that one.

So the honest position is: you can invoice anyone in any currency, and for most of the major ones your client can also pay online in a click. Check the specific currency before you promise a client a payment link. More on the online route in how to accept online payments on invoices.

Who pays the bank charges?

International transfers can be reduced in transit by intermediary bank fees, which is how a €920 invoice becomes €905 in your account without anyone doing anything wrong.

Two practical habits:

• Say it on the invoice. A line such as “All bank charges to be borne by the sender” sets the expectation before the money moves. Whether that is enforceable depends on your agreement, but stating it prevents most of the awkwardness.
• Keep a default bank account per currency. If you hold both a euro and a dollar account, show the right one. In Tally Crow you can save a bank account per currency with its IBAN and BIC validated, and set one default for each, so the correct details print on the correct invoice.

What about VAT on a cross-border invoice?

Currency and VAT are separate questions, and people often conflate them. The currency is what you bill in. VAT depends on where you are, where the client is, and whether each of you is a business.

In plain terms, for many freelancers:

• Client in your own country: normal domestic rules apply.
• Business client in another EU country: cross-border B2B work often uses the reverse charge, meaning your business client accounts for the VAT instead of you. Your invoice then shows no VAT but must say why, and usually carries the client’s VAT number.
• Client outside the EU: services are often outside the scope of your VAT, but it depends on what you sell and where.

None of that changes because you invoiced in dollars. Settle the VAT treatment once for the way you actually work, rather than deciding invoice by invoice.

A worked example: invoicing a US client in dollars

You are a designer in the EU. A US client agrees $1,000 for a brand refresh, payable in 30 days, and they are a business.

• Invoice: USD 1,000.00, dated 16 September 2026, due 16 October 2026
• Currency: stated as USD on the document, with your IBAN and BIC for the transfer
• VAT: treated according to the rules for a non-EU business client, with the reason noted
• Your books: the value recorded in euros using the rate on 16 September
• Payment: transfer, or a pay-now link if the currency is one your processor covers

One invoice, one number, one currency on the face of it, and a euro value in your records. That is the whole job. For the full checklist of what belongs on the document, see what to put on an invoice.

Keep multi-currency work tidy

Working across currencies stops being fiddly once each client carries their own settings and your figures are never quietly added together. Tally Crow invoices in any currency, keeps a bank account per currency, and reports each currency separately rather than cross-summing them, so a dollar month and a euro month never get mixed into a misleading total. Starting free, with 2 invoices a month and no credit card. See features and pricing.