Skill tutorial

Receive international payments with Payoneer or Wise

You will pick Payoneer or Wise, verify your account, share the right receiving details with a client, and withdraw a payment to your local bank.

8steps

45minutes, about

Beginnerlevel

Updated October 30, 2026 · Built from the official sources listed at the end · How we research

What you’ll need

A government-issued photo ID
A local bank account in your own name
A phone with a good camera
45 minutes

45 minutes, about. Your progress saves in this browser, so you can stop and come back.

Step 1 of 8

Map how the money will reach you

Before you sign up for anything, write down the path your money takes. A client pays a platform or pays you directly. The money lands in a payment account like Payoneer or Wise. Then you move it to your own bank.

Client
Platform
Payoneer or Wise
Your bank

Each hop can add a fee or a currency conversion. Check both before you pick a route.

Each hop can add a fee or a delay. Knowing the path helps you spot where costs come from.

If you work on Upwork or Fiverr, read the withdrawal guides first. The platform decides which payout methods you can choose: Withdraw money from Upwork and Withdraw money from Fiverr.

Checklist I wrote down who pays me and through which platform I know which payout methods my platform offers in my country

Step 2 of 8

Choose Payoneer, Wise, or both

Both services give you account details so foreign clients can pay you like a local. They differ in fees, which countries they support, and which platforms connect to them.

Payoneer is offered as a payout method by many freelance marketplaces. Payoneer says receiving into a local-currency receiving account is free, and a non-local currency costs 1% (minimum 1 USD), as of 2026 (Payoneer pricing).
Wise lists getting account details as free for personal accounts in 22 currencies, as of 2026 (Wise receive pricing). Not every currency is available in every country.

Our side-by-side guide goes deeper: Payoneer vs Wise for freelancers.

Tip: Fees change. Always check the live pricing page for your own country before you decide.

Checklist I checked that my country is supported by the service I picked I checked that my platform pays out to that service

Step 3 of 8

Sign up and pass verification

Sign up with your legal name, exactly as it appears on your ID. Use the same name your bank account uses. Name mismatches are a common reason for delays.

Payoneer may ask for a government ID, proof of address, and a bank verification document. You upload them in Settings > Verification Center (Payoneer Help). Wise asks personal customers for a photo of their ID and a separate selfie before giving account details (Wise Help).

Take clear photos. Show all four corners of the document. Avoid flash glare and fingers over the text.

Watch out: Never send your ID or login details to a "helper" or client by chat. Upload them only inside the official app or website.

Checklist My account name matches my ID and my bank account I uploaded clear photos with all four corners visible My ID and proof of address are not expired

Step 4 of 8

Get your receiving details

Once you are verified, open your receiving details for the currency your client pays in. For USD in Wise, you add USD to your account and select Get account details (Wise Help).

Wise explains what to share. A US payer needs your name, routing number, and account number. A payer outside the US sends by Swift and needs your Swift/BIC code, account number, and the bank name and address (Wise Help).

Example: "Please send by ACH to: Name, Routing number, Account number, Account type Checking."

Checklist I copied my details straight from the app, not from memory I know whether my client will send ACH, a domestic wire, or Swift

Step 5 of 8

Learn the fee on each type of payment

The way a client pays changes what you receive. Wise lists USD ACH as usually free to receive and USD wire or Swift at 6.11 USD per payment, as of 2026 (Wise Help). Payoneer lists a fee of up to 3.99% plus 0.49 USD for payments made by credit card, and 1% for US ACH bank debit, as of 2026 (Payoneer pricing).

Ask your client which method they use. For small amounts, a cheaper method can matter a lot.

Tip: Use the fee calculator to see what a fee does to your take-home: /tools/fee-calculator

Checklist I asked my client how they plan to pay I checked the fee for that method on the live pricing page

Quick checkA US client wants to send you USD into your Wise account. Which method does Wise list as usually free to receive?

Show the answer

ACH. Wise lists ACH as usually free, while USD wires and Swift payments carry a fixed fee. (Wise Help)

Step 6 of 8

Add your local bank account

Link a bank account in your own name. In Payoneer, you add it under Settings > Bank Accounts. Payoneer says new bank accounts are usually reviewed within three business days (Payoneer withdrawals).

In Wise, you add your bank as a recipient and mark it as yourself (Wise Help).

Watch out: Do not use a friend's or relative's bank account. It can block your withdrawal or your account.

Checklist My bank account is in my own name I double-checked the account number and bank code

Step 7 of 8

Withdraw your first payment

When the money arrives, withdraw a small amount first to test the route. Payoneer shows the fee and exchange rate before you confirm. Payoneer says most withdrawals arrive within about two business days (Payoneer withdrawals).

1Client pays
2Money lands in your account
3You withdraw
4Money in your bank

As of 2026, Payoneer lists a same-country, same-currency withdrawal at 1.50 USD, and withdrawals with currency conversion at 1.2% to 4% (Payoneer pricing). Wise says sending to your own bank in the same currency is usually free, and a different currency adds a small conversion fee (Wise Help).

Checklist I read the fee and rate on the confirm screen before I pressed confirm I made a small test withdrawal and saw it arrive

Quick checkWhat does Payoneer show you before you confirm a withdrawal?

Show the answer

The fee and the exchange rate. Payoneer says the applicable fee and exchange rate are shown before you confirm. (Payoneer withdrawals)

Step 8 of 8

Watch for account fees and keep records

Payoneer may charge an annual account fee of 29.95 USD if your account receives less than 6,000 USD in any 12 months in a row, as of 2026 (Payoneer pricing). Check if this applies to you.

Download a statement each month. Save it with your invoices. You will need these records for your taxes. See Invoicing and taxes for freelancers.

Tip: If you are in Pakistan, read the local guide: /guide/how-to-receive-payoneer-payments-in-pakistan

Checklist I checked whether an annual fee could apply to my account I set a monthly reminder to download my statement

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Platforms change their rules often, so follow the links for the latest version.

Payoneer: Pricing payoneer.com
Payoneer: Withdraw funds to a local bank account payoneer.com
Payoneer Help: Document Verification FAQ payoneer.custhelp.com
Wise Help: How do I receive money with my USD account details wise.com
Wise Help: How do I send money from my Wise account to my bank wise.com