Photo: Kari Shea ( Unsplash ) If you’re a U.S.-based freelancer, working with international clients can be a good way to expand your portfolio and earn extra money—but it can also come with some unexpected costs. Different time zones might mean working unusual hours The first cost? Your sleep. As The Freelancer reminds us, working for a client in a significantly different time zone can lead to some late nights or extremely early mornings: A client emails you asking to set up a call at 1:00 p.m. “That sounds great,” you think to yourself. “I’ll have time to grab a little lunch and then get back to it.” You draft a confirmation email, but you stop halfway, remembering this client is based in India. You’re in New York, where 1:00 p.m. for them is actually, uh, hold on, let’s Google it…3:30 a.m. for you. Not great. The Freelancer suggests being clear about your boundaries and availability—that is, being upfront about which hours you generally work and which hours you don’t—but acknowledges that sometimes you’re going to have to sacrifice a night of sleep if you want to keep those international gigs. The same goes for remote freelancers who want to work while traveling the world, by the way. If you’re out of sync with the people who pay you, you’re the one who’s going to need to make the sacrifices. Getting paid might cost you money When you do get paid, you might get stuck with extra fees. The Write Life has a good list of the different types of payment methods available—PayPal, wire transfers, international bank accounts—but notes that you’ll still probably have to pay a few extra dollars just to get access to your hard-earned dollars. When you’re being paid online for international services, you have to understand that you’re going to pay extra fees, in comparison to working with a local client. These fees are tax-deductible, but if you’re currently pinching pennies, you might be better off looking for domestic clients with a more streamlined payment system. (Direct deposit is my favorite method of payment, hands down.) Your taxes might become more complicated On the subject of taxes: When you work with international clients, you’re going to have to be extra-vigilant about your tax obligations. As The Freelancer explains, those international clients might not send you 1099s—but that doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for accurately reporting the income you’ve earned: If you’re based in the US, your international client may not provide 1099s. They’re only an American tax provision. If this is the case, you should still confirm your yearly income with your client, just to be sure your records match and your tax information is accurate. If you’re a U.S. freelancer earning money from international clients while working from a non-U.S. location, it gets even more complicated. The IRS has a calculator to help you determine whether your work is eligible for the foreign earned income exclusion (that is, whether income earned in a foreign […]
