Pay international contractors, compliantly
Send a compliant agreement, collect the right tax forms, and pay contractors in 150+ countries from your US company. Flat $49 per contract, no FX markup, no subscription.
How paying a global contractor works
Four steps take you from a handshake to a clean payment record you can hand to your accountant.
Collect a W-8BEN
Have the contractor sign a Form W-8BEN. It certifies they are not a US person and is your proof that the payment is foreign-source.
Confirm the source of income
Work done entirely outside the US is foreign-source under the source-of-income rules, so there is usually no NRA withholding and no 1099.
Pick a payment rail
Pay in the contractor's local currency where you can. A poor exchange rate hides a cost, so watch the FX margin, not just the headline fee.
Keep the packet
Save the signed agreement, the W-8BEN, and the payment receipts in one place. That records packet is what you need at tax time and in an audit.
Country-by-country payment guides
Tax treaty status, the right paperwork, and the best way to pay, for every market we cover.
North America
Africa and the Middle East
Learn the essentials
Start with the pillar guides before you dive into a single country.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to withhold US tax when I pay a foreign contractor?
In most cases, no. When a non-US contractor performs the work entirely outside the United States, the income is foreign-source and is not subject to US withholding. You collect a signed Form W-8BEN to document their foreign status, and you generally do not issue a 1099 or a 1042-S. If any of the work happens on US soil, different rules apply, so confirm the facts with your tax advisor.
What is a Form W-8BEN and why do I need one?
Form W-8BEN is the IRS form an individual foreign contractor signs to certify they are not a US person and to claim any tax treaty benefit. You keep it on file. It is your evidence that the payment is foreign-source and that you were right not to withhold. Collect a fresh one when it expires, which is generally after three years.
Which countries do not have a tax treaty with the US?
Plenty of common contractor markets have no US income tax treaty, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Vietnam. The absence of a treaty does not mean you have to withhold on foreign-source income. It mainly matters for the contractor, who cannot reduce their own home-country tax by treaty. Our country guides note treaty status for each market.
What is the cheapest way to pay an international contractor?
A local bank transfer in the contractor's own currency is usually cheapest, because it avoids correspondent bank fees and lets you control the exchange rate. Wire transfers and card-based services often hide a markup in a poor FX rate. With Omnivoo you pay a flat $49 per contract, fees are passed through at cost, and there is no markup on the exchange rate.
When do I need a contractor payment platform instead of paying by bank?
Manual bank transfers work for one or two contractors. Once you are paying several people across multiple countries, you want one place to send compliant agreements, collect W-8BEN forms, pay everyone at once, and keep a clean records packet for tax season. That is when a platform like Omnivoo pays for itself.
Pay your contractors the simple way
Flat $49 per contract, payouts in 150+ countries, no FX markup. Send a compliant agreement and pay in minutes.