Paying freelancers and handling the international side
The modern entrepreneur pays as much as they collect
We talk often about collecting, rarely about the other side of the flow: paying. Yet today's entrepreneur works with a network of freelancers, subcontractors, and software providers, often spread across several countries. Mishandled, this "outgoing" side costs dearly in hidden fees, administrative time, and legal risk.
Handled well, it becomes an advantage: you mobilize the right skills on demand, without the charges and rigidity of hiring, and you pay fast — which retains the best freelancers, who also choose their clients on that criterion.
Finding and contracting with freelancers
The reflex is to go through platforms that secure the relationship:
- Malt is the reference in France for qualified freelancers. The platform handles the framework contract, invoicing, and payment, and offers a payment guarantee.
- Upwork and Fiverr dominate internationally, with an escrow system (the money is held until delivery) that protects both parties.
- Working directly, a clear service contract (scope, deadlines, price, intellectual property) is enough, along with an electronic signature.
A legal point of vigilance: a freelancer isn't an employee. Avoid disguised employment — a full-time provider, with imposed hours and a relationship of subordination, can be reclassified as an employment contract by the authorities, with a heavy back-charge. Keep a genuine service relationship: autonomy, several clients, defined deliverables.
International payments: don't lose 5% on the exchange
Paying a freelancer in dollars from a euro account with a traditional bank often means losing 3–5% between the markup on the exchange rate and international transfer fees — invisible but very real. On regular amounts, that's a considerable leak.
Specialized tools solve the problem:
- Wise (formerly TransferWise) applies the interbank exchange rate (the real rate, with no hidden markup) and charges a transparent, low commission. You can hold balances in several currencies and receive like a local in several countries. The reference for cross-border payments, one-off or regular.
- Revolut Business offers multi-currency and favorable exchange, integrated into your business account.
- Wise and Revolut provide local bank details (a European IBAN, a USD account, a GBP account…), letting you be paid by foreign clients without prohibitive incoming fees.
Simple rule: as soon as you pay or collect in another currency, don't use your traditional bank's international transfer. Use Wise or Revolut, compare the real cost (rate + commission), and you mechanically recover several margin points.
If you actually hire: payroll
When the business grows, the moment of the first employee arrives. Payroll is a technical area (compliant payslips, contributions, social filings) best not improvised:
- Payroll software like PayFit automates payslips, filings, and salary transfers. Built for small businesses without an HR department.
- Your accountant can also handle payroll; many firms offer it as a complement.
- To hire abroad without creating a subsidiary, Employer of Record services (Deel, Remote) employ the person for you in their country and bill you back — sparing you the local legal complexity.
At this stage, the right reflex is to delegate or tool up: poorly run payroll exposes you to reassessments and disputes. This is no place for tinkering.
Centralize and trace outgoing payments
As with expenses, the stake is traceability. Every payment to a freelancer must have its invoice (theirs), attached to the transaction, to be deductible and justifiable. The best practices from Chapter 3 apply: receipt capture, categorization, sync with the accounting.
A regular freelancer who emails you their invoice to your collection address, a payment via Wise at the real rate, and an entry that flows in on its own to Pennylane or Indy: that's the fully fluid "outgoing" chain.
In practice
For this week: if you pay abroad, open a Wise account or enable Revolut Business multi-currency, and compare the real cost against your bank on a typical payment — you'll see the gap. Formalize your freelance relationships with a clear contract and an online signature. And anticipate: the day you hire, plan for payroll software or your accountant, never improvisation.