Your US client will not pay a foreign contractor — what to do
When a US client says they cannot pay a foreign contractor, they usually mean their accounts-payable process cannot: adding a non-US vendor requires a W-8BEN, a withholding decision, and an exception to a purchasing policy written for domestic suppliers. The fastest fixes, in order of how often they work: invoice through a US merchant of record so they pay a domestic company; go through a marketplace they already have an account with; or get finance to approve a one-off foreign vendor, which is slow and often fails. The first option removes the objection entirely rather than arguing with it.
PANORAMA SYSTEMS FLORIDA LLC · updated 2026-08-01
What they are actually worried about
Three things, none of them about you: an incorrect withholding decision that becomes their liability, a vendor-onboarding process that takes weeks of someone's time, and an auditor asking why a payment left the country without documentation. A domestic invoice with a W-9 answers all three at once.
What does not work
Offering a discount, sending a personal invoice template, or asking them to "just wire it". Procurement policy is not a negotiation about price, and a payment that bypasses their process tends to sit unpaid while nobody wants to own the decision.
What does work
Give them a supplier they already know how to pay. Through a merchant of record they receive an invoice from a US company, pay it by ACH or wire like any other domestic bill, and file a W-9. Nothing in their process has to change, which is the only version of this conversation that ends quickly.
How to raise it
Do not present it as a workaround. "You will receive the invoice from our US entity, PANORAMA SYSTEMS FLORIDA LLC, with a W-9 on file" is a normal sentence in a normal procurement conversation, and it is accurate.
Frequently asked
Does the client need to know about the arrangement?+
They need to know who they are paying, and the invoice tells them. There is nothing to conceal: the US company is the contracting party and stands behind the delivery.
What if they still want a contract with me personally?+
That is fine and common — many vendors keep a direct statement of work with the client and route only the invoicing. Ask us and we will explain how the contract chain fits together in that case.
How long does it take to set up?+
Registration and verification usually take under a day. You can issue the first invoice as soon as compliance approves your documents.
More guides
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Invoicing from your country
Bill your first US client
Registration and verification take about 15 minutes. The invoice goes out from PANORAMA SYSTEMS FLORIDA LLC as soon as compliance approves your documents.
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