Off topic: International invoicing
Thread poster: Arturo Mannino
Arturo Mannino
Arturo Mannino  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:20
Member (2003)
English to Italian
+ ...
Jul 3, 2003

Hi,

I'm a freelance translator based in Barcelona, Spain. I'm trying to extend my activity to other countries, but till now I could'n find any reliabe information on the way you should invoice clients who reside abroad, i.e.:
1. which tax policy apllies, the one of the country in which the translator resides or the one of the client's country?
2. which is the best way to accept payments? Bank transfer, Western Union, PayPal, credit card or what else?
Thanks for you
... See more
Hi,

I'm a freelance translator based in Barcelona, Spain. I'm trying to extend my activity to other countries, but till now I could'n find any reliabe information on the way you should invoice clients who reside abroad, i.e.:
1. which tax policy apllies, the one of the country in which the translator resides or the one of the client's country?
2. which is the best way to accept payments? Bank transfer, Western Union, PayPal, credit card or what else?
Thanks for your help
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Agua
Agua  Identity Verified
Spain
English to Spanish
+ ...
Just my experience... Jul 3, 2003

Hello,

1. which tax policy apllies, the one of the country in which the translator resides or the one of the client's country?

You pay your taxes in the country you reside in, so you pay them in Spain. Having said that, for countries outside Spain, and, in the EU, provided they have a VAT number, you just prepare the invoice with the total due, no taxes up or down. Then you pay your quarterly taxes, etc.

2. which is the best way to accept payments? Bank tra
... See more
Hello,

1. which tax policy apllies, the one of the country in which the translator resides or the one of the client's country?

You pay your taxes in the country you reside in, so you pay them in Spain. Having said that, for countries outside Spain, and, in the EU, provided they have a VAT number, you just prepare the invoice with the total due, no taxes up or down. Then you pay your quarterly taxes, etc.

2. which is the best way to accept payments? Bank transfer, Western Union, PayPal, credit card or what else?

PayPal seems to be good; bank transfer has the advantage that it is immediate, although the bank usually charges some of the transfer; cheques are also OK. I think for that one, you should go to your bank with the expected figures, and negotiate. Charges really differ from bank to bank...

Anything else, I am most often aroung.

Good luck,

Mar


Thanks for your help[/quote]
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Laurent Slowack
Laurent Slowack  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:20
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Working for other countries Jul 4, 2003

Dear Arturo,

When working for other countries, and sending invoices by e-mail, there is mostly no problem with the tax authorities of your country. Clients receive a virtual invoice, the money comes to you. And that is where it ends.
As long as the client does not require your invoice sent out by mail, of course.
As for payment, Paypal is nice. But, I have noticed you need an account in a bank to get the money transferred to, and it is not too clear to me what kind of an
... See more
Dear Arturo,

When working for other countries, and sending invoices by e-mail, there is mostly no problem with the tax authorities of your country. Clients receive a virtual invoice, the money comes to you. And that is where it ends.
As long as the client does not require your invoice sent out by mail, of course.
As for payment, Paypal is nice. But, I have noticed you need an account in a bank to get the money transferred to, and it is not too clear to me what kind of an account that is. Furthermore, checks are OK, but sending them over by courier feels safer to me. Specially when it deals with considerable amounts.
Best of luck,

Arturo Mannino wrote:

Hi,

I'm a freelance translator based in Barcelona, Spain. I'm trying to extend my activity to other countries, but till now I could'n find any reliabe information on the way you should invoice clients who reside abroad, i.e.:
1. which tax policy apllies, the one of the country in which the translator resides or the one of the client's country?
2. which is the best way to accept payments? Bank transfer, Western Union, PayPal, credit card or what else?
Thanks for your help
Collapse


 
xxx xxx
xxx xxx
Local time: 14:20
bank transfer, yes - cheques, no Jul 4, 2003

Mar Rodríguez wrote:

bank transfer has the advantage that it is immediate, although the bank usually charges some of the transfer; cheques are also OK.



Hi,

for me, cheques are not OK. I tried once and my bank charged me about 8 Euros when I wanted to credit my account with the money (93 Euros). It also took ages till I actually had the money.

Since the time I only accept bank transfers. The bank usually charges 3 Euros for any transfer from other EU countries, that is OK for me. Nevertheless, I hope that with the new EU laws (from 1st of July, international EU bank transfers are supposed to be not more expensive than national ones), the bank will stop altogether to charge me this fee. Does anyone know more about this?

I have not tried the other methods but I would like to hear how credit card payments might be possible and what they would cost me.

Cheers,

Diane




[Edited at 2003-07-04 06:41]


 
Gabriele Gileno Infeld
Gabriele Gileno Infeld  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 13:20
Italian to German
+ ...
bank transfer - no Jul 4, 2003

Hi,

For bank transfers from Italy to Austria the italian bank charges 45 Euro! I had to open an account in Italy for my italian clients.

Gabriele

Diane Keller wrote:

Mar Rodríguez wrote:

bank transfer has the advantage that it is immediate, although the bank usually charges some of the transfer; cheques are also OK.




Hi,

for me, cheques are not OK. I tried once and my bank charged me about 8 Euros when I wanted to credit my account with the money (93 Euros). It also took ages till I actually had the money.

Since the time I only accept bank transfers. The bank usually charges 3 Euros for any transfer from other EU countries, that is OK for me. Nevertheless, I hope that with the new EU laws (from 1st of July, international EU bank transfers are supposed to be not more expensive than national ones), the bank will stop altogether to charge me this fee. Does anyone know more about this?

I have not tried the other methods but I would like to hear how credit card payments might be possible and what they would cost me.

Cheers,

Diane




[Edited at 2003-07-04 06:41]


[Edited at 2003-07-04 07:40]

[Edited at 2003-07-04 07:41]


 
xxx xxx
xxx xxx
Local time: 14:20
Robbery! Jul 4, 2003

Hi, Gabriele,

I think 45 Euros is robbery! Apparently fees vary a lot from country to country and also from bank to bank. Happy the one who gets to know what method will cause what amount of costs beforehand! Seemingly some banks are not able to give you any valid information on what to expext... (I think I remember an according statement in one of the ProZ forums but I cannot tell you which, anymore).

Well, I hope your Italian account serves you during your holidays,
... See more
Hi, Gabriele,

I think 45 Euros is robbery! Apparently fees vary a lot from country to country and also from bank to bank. Happy the one who gets to know what method will cause what amount of costs beforehand! Seemingly some banks are not able to give you any valid information on what to expext... (I think I remember an according statement in one of the ProZ forums but I cannot tell you which, anymore).

Well, I hope your Italian account serves you during your holidays, at least! But I guess your tax declaration might be a bit difficult because of this?

Regards,

Diane


Gabriele Gileno Infeld wrote:

Hi,

For bank transfers from Italy to Austria the italian bank charges 45 Euro! I had to open an account in Italy for my italian clients.

Gabriele



[Edited at 2003-07-04 09:46]

[Edited at 2003-07-04 09:46]
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pkb (X)
pkb (X)

Local time: 12:20
French to English
Open a local bank account Jul 4, 2003

Arturo,

I would advise you very strongly to open a bank account in your client's country (and, of course to invoice him in his own currency).

This makes it as easy for your client to deal with you as he does with local providers and avoids all problems/arguments about international transfers and their cost.

Get the bank to give you a credit card and you can then spend your foreign earnings at home.

Good luck.

Philip


 
Henrique Serra
Henrique Serra  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:20
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Robbery: how far can it go... Jul 5, 2003

Hi, Diane. If you think 45 euro is robbery, listen to this one:

Brazil is one of the countries where international money transfers are the most expensive. Not long ago I worked for a client in the US. We agreed that payment would be deposited in a bank account I maintain there; the client's bank charged him U$ 5 to wire the money to me; my bank charged me another U$ 5 to have it deposited into my account; so far, no problem. These are reasonable fees. However, I live in Brazil and I
... See more
Hi, Diane. If you think 45 euro is robbery, listen to this one:

Brazil is one of the countries where international money transfers are the most expensive. Not long ago I worked for a client in the US. We agreed that payment would be deposited in a bank account I maintain there; the client's bank charged him U$ 5 to wire the money to me; my bank charged me another U$ 5 to have it deposited into my account; so far, no problem. These are reasonable fees. However, I live in Brazil and I needed the money here; there are ways to transfer the money, but it is mandatory to make it through BANCO DO BRASIL and no other bank (which I think is totally absurd). The US bank charged me U$ 55 (yes, fifty five bucks) to make the transfer to Banco do Brasil (in NY) which, in turn, charged me another U$ 38 to have it cashed and deposited into my account in Brazil. The total amount transferred was under U$ 600, but it doesn't really matter much if you transfer $ 50 or $5,000; the rates are similar.

Now, what do you call THAT? Armed robbery?


Diane Keller wrote:

Hi, Gabriele,

I think 45 Euros is robbery! Apparently fees vary a lot from country to country and also from bank to bank. Happy the one who gets to know what method will cause what amount of costs beforehand! Seemingly some banks are not able to give you any valid information on what to expext... (I think I remember an according statement in one of the ProZ forums but I cannot tell you which, anymore).

Well, I hope your Italian account serves you during your holidays, at least! But I guess your tax declaration might be a bit difficult because of this?

Regards,

Diane


Gabriele Gileno Infeld wrote:

Hi,

For bank transfers from Italy to Austria the italian bank charges 45 Euro! I had to open an account in Italy for my italian clients.

Gabriele



[Edited at 2003-07-04 09:46]

[Edited at 2003-07-04 09:46]
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xxx xxx
xxx xxx
Local time: 14:20
ORGANIZED CRIME ! Jul 6, 2003

I'd call it Or else I am completely speechless!

Diane

Henrique Serra wrote:

Hi, Diane. If you think 45 euro is robbery, listen to this one:

Brazil is one of the countries where international money transfers are the most expensive. Not long ago I worked for a client in the US. We agreed that payment would be deposited in a bank account I maintain there; the client's bank charged him U$ 5 to wire the money to me; my bank charged me another U$ 5 to have it deposited into my account; so far, no problem. These are reasonable fees. However, I live in Brazil and I needed the money here; there are ways to transfer the money, but it is mandatory to make it through BANCO DO BRASIL and no other bank (which I think is totally absurd). The US bank charged me U$ 55 (yes, fifty five bucks) to make the transfer to Banco do Brasil (in NY) which, in turn, charged me another U$ 38 to have it cashed and deposited into my account in Brazil. The total amount transferred was under U$ 600, but it doesn't really matter much if you transfer $ 50 or $5,000; the rates are similar.

Now, what do you call THAT? Armed robbery?



 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 14:20
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
EU bank transfer should be free now! Jul 7, 2003

As of July 1st bank transfers within the EU maynot cost more than transfers within the country, when using IBAN and BIC codes. Perhaps Italy needs a little more time to realise this, but at least the banks north of the Alps already play to the rule.

 
Irina Popova
Irina Popova  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:20
Member (2011)
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
How to deal with very small payments? Jul 7, 2003


I would advise you very strongly to open a bank account in your client's country (and, of course to invoice him in his own currency).


I also prefer bank transfers, even though in many occasions I have to pay half of the bank charges. Still, it's fast and safe for me.
Cheques - risk of being lost (has happened twice so far and I've even lost one US-based client because of that), at least 1 month waiting for the cash, substantial bank fees.
But how to deal with small payments?
My language pair is relatively rare. I very often get minimum job orders (half page or so) from various customers, many of which are not regular. In such cases I can't wait until a bigger amount accumulates, bank transfer would cost 3-4 times the total amount due, PayPal is not available in my country...
Sometimes, I even prefer to decline such job offers, which is obviously not the best solution.
Any advices? What do you do in such cases?


 
xxx xxx
xxx xxx
Local time: 14:20
Cash? Jul 8, 2003

Comtrans1 wrote:


I would advise you very strongly to open a bank account in your client's country (and, of course to invoice him in his own currency).


I also prefer bank transfers, even though in many occasions I have to pay half of the bank charges. Still, it's fast and safe for me.
Cheques - risk of being lost (has happened twice so far and I've even lost one US-based client because of that), at least 1 month waiting for the cash, substantial bank fees.
But how to deal with small payments?
My language pair is relatively rare. I very often get minimum job orders (half page or so) from various customers, many of which are not regular. In such cases I can't wait until a bigger amount accumulates, bank transfer would cost 3-4 times the total amount due, PayPal is not available in my country...
Sometimes, I even prefer to decline such job offers, which is obviously not the best solution.
Any advices? What do you do in such cases?


Hi,

I have not been in the situation yet but if bank transfer, cheques and postal orders are too expensive and it is not an option for you to open a bank account in your client's country the only thing I can think of is charge your client a round sum and ask him to send the according bank-note(s) cash in a letter. You might not get your money but you might also get it when, otherwise you would not get anything or would have to pay for being allowed to do the job. Of course this would mean that you would maybe have to carry the risk of the procedure and you would be paid in a currency which you maybe cannot use.

Regards,

Diane


 
lien
lien
Netherlands
Local time: 13:20
English to French
+ ...
Armed robbery? Jul 21, 2003

Here in the netherlands my bank charges 2,75% of the amount of money only to change foreign currency in euros. This comes extra above the actual rate currency.

Sending money in an envelop is a good solution and do not get lost if you send it as Registered Mail.

Lien


 
Michael Bastin
Michael Bastin  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:20
English to French
+ ...
Moneybookers.com Jul 22, 2003

For eastern Europe I think Moneybookers.com offers a solution, the probleme is that the customer also needs to register I think, which requires a bit of effort.

For small amounts, I get paid by Paypal.com but there usually are some fees to. But it remains interesting for downpayments, when you work for a new customer for instance.

HTH


 


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