Question about payment when doing freelance.

rayle1112

Hi,

I have just started working as a freelancer and there are a lot of things I'm trying to figure out. I'm wondering what is the default currency when doing freelance for international clients. For example, a client from Canada or Australia says "$1000" They mean CAD, AUD or USD?

Eric Chadwick

In my experience as a USA freelancer working for UK clients, they want to pay in their local currency (GBP). It is up to me to add in conversion costs, so I negotiate an invoice that will end up paying me the full fee in my own currency (USD), after the banks have taken their cuts.

rohMizuno

In my experience, when they say "$1000" they are most likely talking in USD unless specified otherwise, and as long as you are not on the same country as the client is . Now, I would not call it a "default currency", so always better to ask, so you don't end up getting paid in rice bags.

thomasp

in all my experience it's been negotiable and should be part of your contract. i've so far always billed firms in euros, meaning the conversion from dollar or pound is not mine to bear. currently working for a US firm in this scenario, too.

slipsius

I think it really depends on where the contractor lives. I know a bunch of guys in Canada that always charge USD. Why? Because it adds 30% when converted to Canadian Dollars. If the person is in the UK, ya, they'll definitely charge in britist pounds, as the pound is better than the us dollar. 

If you're giving quotes, pick which one works best for you, and make sure to make it obvious. If you're using USD, say your quote is "$5000 USD" or whatever the amount is. That way there is no confusion on the other end. If you're getting quotes from someone else, and they don't write that, ask right away before any contract is signed.

rayle1112

Thanks for the helpful advices everybody!