How to get paid by US customers without a US entity

What US customers expect

A US company pays its suppliers through its bank's payables system, by ACH, domestic wire or check. About 80% of ACH volume settles within one banking day, and an ACH payment is cheap for the payer. An international wire is a separate process, usually needs an approval, and costs more. Chase, for example, charges $40 to send an international USD wire online from its Performance Business Checking account.

If you send a US customer SWIFT details for an account in another country, their finance team has to set up an international wire, which usually means another approval and a higher fee. With US account details, they pay you the way they pay any domestic supplier.

Your options

Multi-currency providers. Wise issues USD details to businesses in many countries, but not to those based in places including Bangladesh, Türkiye, Nigeria and Pakistan. As of October 2026 it charges nothing to receive ACH, except for businesses based in Canada or the Netherlands, and 6.11 USD to receive a wire. Payoneer's receiving accounts accept payments from businesses only. Check each provider's eligibility pages before you rely on one.

Your own US company. Stripe Atlas forms a Delaware company for $500, then $100 a year for the registered agent, and applies for the EIN. If you're based outside the US, the IRS takes EIN applications by phone, fax or mail rather than online. A US company can make sense if you have US staff, US investors or a lot of US revenue; take tax advice first, because it brings US tax and state filings of its own.

What to put on the invoice

• Account holder name, exactly as registered with the bank. This should be your company's legal name.
• Account number and routing number, labeled separately for ACH and for wires if they differ.
• Bank name and address, as your provider gives them.
• SWIFT/BIC only for SWIFT payments. Leave it off if you want customers to pay domestically, or label it clearly as "for payments from outside the US".
• Your invoice number, and a request to include it in the payment reference.

Form W-8BEN-E

A US company that pays a foreign company will usually ask for a Form W-8BEN-E. It's an IRS form you give to the payer, not to the IRS. It certifies that your company is foreign, which lets the payer document why it isn't issuing you a Form 1099. Without it, the payer may apply withholding at 30% or the backup withholding rate.

Two points to understand, then confirm with your tax adviser:

• Where the work is done matters. The IRS says the place where services are performed generally determines the source of the income. Payments for services you perform outside the US are generally foreign-source income.
• Licenses aren't services. Payments for software licenses or other intellectual property can be royalties, which are sourced where the property is used and can be subject to withholding unless a treaty reduces it.
• Treaty claims are separate. If you're claiming a reduced rate under a tax treaty, Part III of the form applies, and the IRS instructions explain what you need.

Send a signed copy with your first invoice. Customers' finance teams will often refuse to pay a new foreign supplier until they have it on file. The form generally stays valid until the end of the third calendar year after you sign it.

Getting paid in stablecoins

Some US customers can pay in USDC, especially technology and crypto-native companies. If a customer offers USDC, agree the network and wallet address in writing, send a test, and invoice in USD as usual.

How this works with Align

Align provides a named virtual account in your company's name through our US banking partner, with an account number and routing number, so US customers pay you by ACH or wire as they would a domestic supplier. Dollars you receive land in your balance as USDC or USDT, and you can pay out in USD, EUR, GBP or AED. ACH and wire access is switched on after a secondary review by that banking partner.

Sources

• Nacha, Most ACH payments settle in one business day or less
• Chase, Performance Business Checking fees
• Wise, What are Swift correspondent fees?, Can I get USD account details? and Receiving with USD details
• Payoneer, Receiving accounts FAQ
• Stripe, Atlas
• IRS, Instructions for Form W-8BEN-E
• IRS, Source of income: personal service income
• IRS, Publication 515, Withholding of tax on nonresident aliens and foreign entities
• IRS, Employer identification number