No company needed

Merchant of record for freelancers: invoice clients without a company

Your client pays us. We pay you. PayOdin, a registered US company, puts its name on your invoice, collects the payment and pays you out — and a real person checks every invoice before your client sees it.

In plain words

What a merchant of record does.

A merchant of record is the company named on the invoice — the one your client actually pays. When you work through PayOdin, that company is PayOdin, not you.

That matters because many clients, especially larger ones in the US and Europe, can only pay registered vendors. Their accounts payable software wants a company name, an address and a proper invoice. Send one from an individual in another country and the payment stalls while someone asks questions. (Wondering whether that's even allowed? Read can you invoice without a registered company?)

With a merchant of record, your client gets an invoice from a real US company and processes it like any other vendor payment. You get paid as an individual. No company to form, no compliance maze of your own. If you'd like the long version, read our plain-language guide to merchants of record.

How it works

How it works with PayOdin.

It starts at the proposal, not the invoice.

  1. 1

    Proposal

    You send your client a proposal — scope, price, timeline. They review it and agree.

  2. 2

    Agreement

    The proposal becomes a signed agreement, so the invoice later matches exactly what was agreed.

  3. 3

    Invoice, checked by a person

    A PayOdin team member reads your invoice before it goes out. Then PayOdin issues it in its own name, as a registered US company.

  4. 4

    Your client pays PayOdin

    By card or bank transfer, through a payment link. No account needed on their side.

  5. 5

    PayOdin pays you

    The invoice amount minus one fee, in USD, EUR or GBP — by local transfer where it's supported, or by wire.

Every step in detail: how PayOdin works.

Your options

Merchant of record vs other ways to get paid.

Four ways to bill a client abroad, side by side.

Question Invoice as an individualForm your own companyPayment or transfer accountMerchant of record (PayOdin)
Company needed? NoYes — you form and run itNoNo
Name on the invoice YoursYour company'sYoursA registered US company's
Client asks for a registered vendor Can stall the paymentCoveredCan stall the paymentCovered
Who checks the invoice YouYouYouA real person at PayOdin
What it costs you Bank and conversion feesSetup, accounting and upkeepTransfer and conversion fees4% per invoice, 20 minimum
Honest fit

When it makes sense — and when it doesn't.

It makes sense when

  • Your client's finance team needs a registered vendor before they'll pay.
  • You don't want to form and run a company just to send invoices.
  • You want someone to check each invoice before your client sees it.
  • Your work is legal — design, development, writing, consulting, software, digital work. What you sell doesn't matter; how you bill does: per client, from a proposal.

It doesn't when

  • Your clients already pay you without friction, and you're happy running things yourself.
  • You live in a country under US sanctions — Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba or Syria. That's a legal requirement, not a choice.
  • The work itself isn't legal.
Choosing one

What to look for in a merchant of record.

Whose name is on the invoice?

It should be a registered company your client's finance team can pay. With PayOdin, it's a registered US company on every invoice.

Can you read the contract first?

You'll be working under their agreement, so read it before you sign up. PayOdin's subcontractor agreement is public.

Does a person check your invoices?

An invoice that bounces off your client's accounts payable holds up your payment. At PayOdin, a real person reviews every invoice before it goes out.

Is the fee one number you can see upfront?

Watch for subscriptions, withdrawal fees and markups hidden in the exchange rate. PayOdin charges one fee per invoice, and you can see it before you send.

Does it start at the proposal?

Most of what goes wrong with an invoice was decided earlier — in the scope and price. PayOdin starts at the proposal and carries it through to the agreement and the invoice.

The fee

What it costs.

4% of the invoice, or 20 in the invoice's currency ($20, €20 or £20) — whichever is higher. It comes out of your payout after your client pays. No subscription, no setup fee, no withdrawal fee, and no hidden currency-conversion markup.

Put in a real invoice amount and see what you'd keep with the freelancer payment calculator, or read the full pricing.

Questions

Merchant of record questions, answered.

Do I need a registered company?

No. That's the point. PayOdin is the registered US company on every invoice. Your client pays a US entity, and you get paid as an individual — no LLC, no VAT registration of your own.

If you already have a company, that works too.

Whose name is on the invoice?

PayOdin's. The invoice your client receives comes from PayOdin, a registered Delaware LLC, not from you personally. Their accounts payable team processes it like any other vendor invoice.

You work as PayOdin's subcontractor, under an agreement that's published on this site — you can read every clause before you sign up.

What kind of work can I bill through PayOdin?

Any legal work — design, development, writing, consulting, software, digital work. What matters is how you bill: per client, through a proposal, an agreement and an invoice.

Does my client need a PayOdin account?

No. PayOdin sends your client a payment link. They pay by card or bank transfer, the same way they'd pay any vendor, without signing up for anything.

Is a merchant of record the same as a payment processor?

No. A payment processor moves money from your client to you — the invoice is still yours, in your name. A merchant of record is the company your client actually buys from: it issues the invoice in its own name, takes the payment, and then pays you.

What does the person reviewing my invoice check?

Currency, whether the amount matches what was agreed, required fields, and formatting. If something is off, you hear from PayOdin before your client sees it. This happens on every invoice.

Who handles my income tax?

You do. A merchant of record handles the invoice and the payment side. How your income is taxed depends on the country you live in and your own situation — worth a conversation with an accountant who knows your country.

What does it cost?

4% of the invoice, or 20 in the invoice's currency ($20, €20 or £20) — whichever is higher. No subscription, no setup fee, no withdrawal fee, and no hidden currency-conversion markup.

The only cost outside our control is your own bank: some banks charge to receive an incoming transfer.

Can I use PayOdin from any country?

PayOdin is available to freelancers in most countries. The exceptions are jurisdictions under US sanctions — Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba, and Syria cannot use the platform. This is a legal requirement, not a choice.

Your client can be based anywhere.

Your client pays us. We pay you.

Create an account, send your client a proposal, and invoice through a registered US company — no company of your own needed.