Stage 7 of 8 · 8 lessons · ~2 weeks

Getting paid, records and safety

Move money from clients to your bank at a sensible cost, keep records for tax, and learn the scams and policy breaks that cost freelancers their earnings or accounts.

Start: Your payout route

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

Map your payout route with the fee, minimum and delay at each step.
Confirm which payment services work in your country on their official pages.
Compare the real cost of converting a typical payment.
Start a monthly income record and save statements each month.
Check your country's tax rules and set aside a share of each payment.
Write your list of scam signals and the replies you will use.
Review your platform's account and off-platform rules once more.

Practise

Zoho Invoice
Numbered invoices, reminders and a record of what each client has paid

Keep handy

Payoneer
The usual payout route for marketplace earnings in many countries; check fees in your account
Wise
Multi-currency transfers; check what an account can do in your country before relying on it

Also worth your time

How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check ScamsRead
How overpayment scams work and why money in your account is not proof of payment
Job Scams (FTC Consumer Advice)Go deeper
The wider family of job scams: paying for work, reshipping and fake checks

Before moving on: A working payout route tested with a real or small test payment, a monthly income record with statements saved, a note on your country's tax rules and where you checked them, and a written list of the scam signals you will refuse.

Tauseef's advice

Set up payments before the first payment, not after. And learn the scams now, while you are calm: every one of them works by making you feel rushed or excited. A client who needs you to pay them anything is not a client.