International Payments Members  

Bank charges, transfer fees and hidden charges such as exchange rates can apply when working internationally, so it is good practice to be mindful of these and know what methods and services are available to process payments most efficiently for your business.

Doing your research and investing time into figuring out how to get the most out of receiving income from an international client base can help combat any reductions to invoiced fees when paid.

What is an international payment?

International payments are simply money transfers between two or more parties in separate countries, with differing currencies. In this context, an international payment is a payment made from the country your client is situated in (with a differing currency) and transferred to the country where you are situated as the Illustrator.

Often the easiest way to be paid by an overseas client is to ask for them to make the transfer themselves into the illustrator`s bank account, ideally in the same currency as your own bank account (for example GBP for a UK bank account). Some overseas clients will, some won?t, so it may be worthwhile asking if they have the means to transfer in your own currency (for example, an American client may have a GBP account so would be able to pay you in pounds).

Bank Charges, Recipient fees and Hidden costs...

International payments may seem simple; however, certain transfer methods, charges and fees can apply. Generally, there is a lack of transparency around these costs, so illustrators can often feel left in the dark, wondering how much of the project fee they are going to actually receive.  The main things to look out for are:

• Transfer / Recipient fees ? a cost incurred when money is sent or received from a foreign country account. These can either be transfer charges or recipient fees and depending on your bank?s policy, you may be due to pay a fee which can vary.&nbs