Remote contractor invoicing with Deel and Wise

Status: Outline — full guide coming soon. Get notified when it ships →

What this covers

• Deel, Wise, Payoneer, Razorpay Rize — what each does and where each one wins
• The fee + settlement-time matrix for a typical $5K/month invoice
• FIRC chain: which platforms automatically issue FIRC vs require manual request
• The recommended combo by income size: under $2K/mo, $2-10K/mo, $10K+/mo

Why this matters for Indian devs going remote

Choosing the wrong payment platform costs 2-4% in fees and weeks of cashflow delay. For a $60K/year contractor, that's $1,500-2,500 lost annually. Worse, the FIRC chain matters for tax compliance — picking a platform that doesn't auto-issue FIRC creates manual work every quarter. The setup decision compounds for years.

Outline

The platforms

TODO — Deel (contract + payroll layer), Wise (raw transfer), Payoneer (legacy), Razorpay Rize (Indian SaaS layer); what each is best for.

The fee + settlement matrix

TODO — for a $5K invoice: Deel ~2%, Wise ~0.5-1%, Payoneer ~1-2%, Razorpay ~1%. Settlement times: 1-5 days.

The FIRC chain

TODO — Deel/Wise auto-issue with banking partner; manual request flow; what FIRC actually proves to ITR.

The recommended combo

TODO — small (Wise direct), medium (Deel + Wise for personal), large (Deel + accountant + LUT filing).

Common mistakes to avoid

• Receiving USD via PayPal — the worst fees of any option
• Using a personal Wise account for client invoices at scale (looks unprofessional, no FIRC continuity)
• Forgetting to download FIRC quarterly — they get harder to retrieve after a year

Templates / examples

TODO — a platform decision flowchart by income size, an invoice template that meets FIRC requirements, and a quarterly FIRC-download checklist.

Related guides

• FIRC and taxes for Indian remote contractors
• Negotiating a remote offer from India: USD band, equity vs cash

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