Freelancer Payment Methods: Fees, Speed, and What to Put on Your Invoice

You wrap the project, send the invoice, and the client replies: How should I pay you? If you haven't decided that already, you'll grab whatever feels easiest. Often that's PayPal: fast, familiar, already in your inbox. A few months later you're watching a few percent of every payment vanish in fees, or you're in a dispute you didn't plan for.

How you get paid shapes what you keep, how fast cash hits your account, and how much exposure you have when something goes wrong. It also shapes what belongs on the invoice itself.

Below: the main options, what they tend to cost, how reversals work, and how to write payment instructions so nobody has to guess.

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The Main Payment Methods

ACH / Bank Transfer (US)

ACH (Automated Clearing House) moves money bank-to-bank inside the US. It's a common default for domestic B2B freelance work.

Speed: Often 1–3 business days for standard bank transfers, though processor-based ACH debits can take longer to confirm or settle. Same-day ACH exists but isn't what most clients reach for on a typical invoice.

Fees: Frequently low or free for the payer. If you receive through a processor, fees tend to run lower than cards: a flat amount per transfer or a small percentage, depending on the product.

Reversal risk: ACH risk depends on the type of transfer. ACH credits and properly authorized B2B bank transfers are usually more final than card payments. ACH debits still carry return risk, especially if the payer claims the debit was unauthorized or not in line with the authorization.

Best for: Domestic clients, larger invoices where card fees would hurt, repeat clients where trust is already established.

Credit and Debit Cards

Card payments through Stripe, Square, or similar processors feel normal to clients and are quick to turn on.

Speed: Money often hits your processor in 1–2 business days. Another day to your bank isn't unusual.

Fees: Varies by processor, card type (credit vs. debit, domestic vs. international), and your plan. Many standard setups land in the range of 2.5–3.5% per charge, but your agreement decides the number. Check your processor's current pricing page for exact rates.

Reversal risk: Highest among common methods. Cardholders can initiate chargebacks through their bank, and you're typically the one who needs to prove delivery and authorization. For a full walkthrough on disputes, see Client Chargeback? A Freelancer's Guide to Payment Reversals.

Best for: Clients who want one-click payment, smaller invoices, or cases where you'd rather pay a fee than add friction.

PayPal

Recognizable, easy to set up, and often the first method freelancers use.

Speed: Balance is often available quickly. Moving it to your bank usually adds 1–3 business days (instant transfer may cost extra where offered).

Fees: Depends on transaction type, country, and account setup. Domestic commercial, cross-border, and currency conversion all price differently. Check PayPal's fee page for your situation.

Reversal risk: PayPal runs its own dispute flow, separate from card network chargebacks. Buyers can open claims for a long window on some dispute types. The chargebacks post covers PayPal's dispute timeline.

Best for: International clients when you don't have a better cross-border setup, clients who insist on it, smaller jobs where tooling overhead matters.

Wire Transfer

A wire is a direct bank-to-bank transfer. Domestic wires often settle the same day; international timing depends on correspondent banks.

Speed: Domestic: often same day. International: commonly 1–5 business days.

Fees: Charged per transfer, not as a percentage, by both sending and receiving banks. On a large invoice, a flat fee beats a percentage. On a small one, the fixed cost can sting.

Reversal risk: Generally very low once settled. Wires aren't subject to chargeback mechanisms the way card payments are, though bank-initiated recalls for errors or fraud can occur in rare cases.

Best for: Large amounts, international work where ACH isn't an option, situations where finality matters.

For currency, intermediary banks, and cross-border paperwork, see How to Invoice International Clients.

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P2P Apps: Zelle, Venmo, Cash App

These tools are built for person-to-person payments. Freelancers sometimes use them for small jobs or informal deals anyway.

Zelle moves money bank-to-bank, often in minutes. There's no balance sitting in the middle like some wallets. There's also no merchant-style dispute system: completed sends are generally not reversible through Zelle itself. The service's terms expect you to know who you're paying and discourage stranger-to-stranger commerce.

Venmo has business profiles with their own fees and rules. It's still not built like a full B2B processor.

Cash App has business-facing options with their own fee schedules.

P2P apps are not automatically free for business use: Venmo business profiles charge seller transaction fees, and Cash App for Business charges processing fees on business payments. Check their current terms before assuming "no fees."

What they share: thin invoicing integration, limited dispute scaffolding, and a weaker paper trail than a dedicated processor plus a proper invoice. For tiny amounts and people you trust, fine. For anything you'd need to document later, use a proper method and a proper invoice.

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What to Put on Your Invoice

Tell the client how to pay and by when, in plain language.

Include:

• Accepted methods (one or two you actually prefer, not every option you've ever tried)
• Bank details for ACH or wire (routing number, account number, bank name), or a note asking them to request details securely
• Payment link if you use a card processor
• PayPal address if you accept PayPal
• Currency, especially for cross-border work

Example block:

Payment

Preferred: ACH bank transfer or the payment link below.

Bank: [Bank Name] | Routing: XXXXX | Account: XXXXX

Or pay online: [payment link]

Due within 14 days of the invoice date.

Lead with what you want. Don't list five methods and let the client pick the one that costs you the most. If they need an exception, they'll ask.

For the rest of the invoice layout, see How to Create a Professional Invoice. For the email that carries it, see How to Email an Invoice to a Client.

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Match the Method to the Situation

There isn't one "best" method. Invoice size, where the client banks, and how much reversal risk you'll tolerate all matter.

Practical defaults:

• Domestic repeat client, larger invoices: ACH. Lower fees, lower drama, clean for books.
• New or one-off client: Card via payment link. You eat some fee; they get speed and familiarity.
• International client: Wire for large amounts. PayPal or a service like Wise for smaller ones. See How to Invoice International Clients for cross-border details.
• Small informal job with someone you trust: P2P can work. Don't use it when you'll need a clear audit trail.

If your terms include late fees or tight due dates, make sure the payment path doesn't add mystery delays that fight your own wording. Invoice Payment Terms Explained walks through lining up terms with how money actually moves.

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Fees Are a Cost of Doing Business, Not a Last-Minute Surprise

Some freelancers bake processing fees into their rate. Some show a processing-fee line on the invoice where surcharging is allowed. Check your local rules, processor terms, and card-network rules before passing card fees through directly — credit card surcharges are prohibited in some states and restricted in others, and card networks impose their own caps and disclosure requirements. Either way, the client should see the cost before they agree to the price.

If you pass fees through, label them:

Processing fee (2.9%): $87.00

If you absorb them, build them into the number you quote. Same math, different presentation.

Avoid quoting a flat project price, then dropping a fee line on the invoice the client didn't expect. That's how approvals stall.

For how pricing decisions land with buyers, see The Psychology of Pricing.

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One Default, One Backup

You probably don't need five payment rails. You need one you trust for most invoices and a second for edge cases.

Pick what balances fees, speed, and risk for your typical invoice size. Put the same instructions on every invoice. Revisit once a year as your rates and client mix change.

Getting this right is the bridge between "work is done" and "money landed." BillerBear lets you attach a payment link and free-text payment instructions to each invoice, so clients aren't bouncing emails asking how to pay.