I have a prospective new client in the US, just thrashing out the final negotiations. Exchange rates from Euro to Dollar is great for shopping but not so great if you are being paid in dollars for a service. Just wondering how other non-US based VA's work things when invoicing US clients? I'm looking for another perspective. I would rather charge all of my clients the same rate ... yet a Euro rate to a US client makes my service more expensive. If I bring my rates in line with the US exchange rate, then I'm working for a lot less. Any advice, thoughts or solutions?!

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e-quip business solutions
Transcription Specialists & 24-7 Virtual Assistance
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I asked this question once and the general thought of most VAs was that you charge in the currency of your home country. The reason being is that you wouldn't expect to pay in Euros if you were buying something from the US and vice versa.

However, when I first began working virtually I was paid in USD as a consultant. That was the deal. Then I began to pick up other US clients and I billed them in USD. Generally I don't lose money because the USD is usually higher than the Canadian dollar. But a short while ago the Canadian dollar was higher and I lost money which made me start to rethink my practices. I still have clients that I charge in USD but am rethinking this. I am leaning more towards charging new clients in Canadian dollars and here's why:

I have subcontracted work out to VAs in the States and they don't charge me in Canadian dollars, they charge me in USD and I don't have a choice. It all comes down to whether or not I trust them and if I want to work with them. If the answer is yes, then I just accept that I must pay them in USD.

So, having said all of this, I think you should charge in Euros. If your clients want to work with you they will pay it.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

Thanks Shari. I think it's so true what you say especially in the way you put it down in words. If we were to bill in US dollars then even taking on this project or a US client would not really make sense. We believe we offer a great service and therefore it is really up to the individual client whether or not they are willing to pay the local rate for the experience that we can offer them. We have worked with a few other US based clients but they were referrals from local clients and they never quibbled about paying in Euros. It just wasn't an issue. Likewise at the moment we are working with a Canadian (who is based between here and Canada, back and forth) and Euro was always the currency just taken for granted.

I am so glad I posted this quandry on here ... it has just put it totally in perspective. I guess I was just so chuffed we were possibly getting a new client (without a referral) that it made me re-think everything temporarily.

How did I live without this forum I wonder

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e-quip business solutions
Transcription Specialists & 24-7 Virtual Assistance
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I am also from Ireland and I say on my contracts that I invoice and need payment in Euros. I do not see any problem with this, as Shari said, if you are purchasing anything from another country, you pay in their currency.

Hope you get the client.

Regards
Vicky

I always invoice in my home currency Aussie dollars. There are times that I invoice in USD but it gets too hard to reconcile my PayPal account in QuickBooks because I'm not using the currency feature in QB. Big headache every month so I just invoice in AUD.

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Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services - Making virtual personal

What are the odds if non US VA's invoice their clients per client's home currency, Euro for European countries and USD for the rest...I don't know..what do you think?

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VirtualDeskDepot.com-(comingsoon)

I agree with the concensus. You should bill in the currency of the country from which you work. If I buy goods from the US I don't expect to pay in £sterling, so your clients should not expect to pay in US$...

Sharen

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Sharen Crane
http://www.virtualassistantservices.co.uk/

Originally Posted by marnz_06

What are the odds if non US VA's invoice their clients per client's home currency, Euro for European countries and USD for the rest...I don't know..what do you think?

My situation has changed since I answered this thread in February. Here's what I think now:

I have clients in the US, UK and Canada. When I billed my clients in their home currency it made my bookkeeping a nightmare. The conversion rates alone were enough to make me cry sometimes. That's why I only charge in my own currency now. It makes it so much easier for me and my clients just accept it and have never questioned it. My clients also get a break because the UK and US currency's are higher than Canadian thus they save money.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

I'm making this decision now. I already do some work on freelance sites in US$ (which is great at the moment since the aussie dollar isn't so good against the US$).

My issue is that I want my business to be appear global, rather than just Australian, yet I also want to capitalise on local clients.

I'm leaning towards charging in Australian dollars, but do you think this would make US clients wary? Has anyone found it a problem to not charge in US$ or does anyone outside the US only charge in US$ and find it works well?