How to accept payments from US customers as a foreign company

To accept payments from US customers as a foreign company, you can either invoice from your home entity and receive dollars into an account that accepts them, or form a US company and run payments through it. The first route is faster to start. The second fits how US buyers and US payment providers are set up, but it brings tax IDs, bank onboarding and compliance with it. This guide walks through Stripe with a US entity, getting paid in dollars, invoicing enterprise buyers and where sales tax comes in.

Decide which entity sends the invoice

Before you choose a payment tool, decide who the seller is. If your home company issues the invoice, your US customer is paying a foreign supplier. Some buyers accept that easily. Others add vendor checks, wire approvals or a request to contract with a local entity.

A US company changes that conversation. The customer is contracting with a domestic supplier, paying into a domestic account and filing a familiar set of vendor documents. That is one of several commercial reasons covered in our guide to the benefits of incorporating in the US. It is not free: a US entity brings tax filings, a registered agent and annual state obligations, so payments should not be the only reason to incorporate.

If enterprise accounts are pushing you toward a US entity, start with the accounts. Greatweek's Enterprise Sales & Partnerships work helps set target-account priorities, opportunity plans and pipeline qualification, so the entity and payment setup follow real deals.

Stripe with a US company

A US Stripe account needs a verifiable tax ID. Stripe's support page states that if you do not have an EIN, you will be asked for an SSN or ITIN instead. For business representatives outside the US, Stripe says that without an SSN or ITIN it expects your local non-US tax ID and documents confirming you are not a US taxpayer. Both points are taken from Stripe's US tax ID guidance as of October 2026.

There is a second checkpoint later. According to the same page, once an account reaches US$500,000 in lifetime payment volume, all listed owners must provide the last four digits of their SSN or ITIN.

The page does not explain how owners who have neither are handled. If your owners are all non-US residents without US tax numbers, ask Stripe how this applies to you before you build your billing around a single provider.

The EIN unlocks most of this. Our guide on how to get an EIN without an SSN explains the IRS routes for applicants abroad.

If you formed the company through Stripe Atlas

Stripe Atlas companies have a slightly different path. Atlas documentation states, as of October 2026, that Atlas companies can accept US card payments on Stripe and open a Stripe Treasury account before the EIN is issued. Payouts before the EIN arrives are capped at US$100,000, and other payment methods become available only after the EIN. A US phone number is required for the EIN application, and Atlas points founders to partners for virtual numbers.

That helps if you want to take card payments soon after incorporation, but it does not remove the need for an EIN. For card processing costs, check the current rates on Stripe's payments page for your own account rather than relying on figures quoted in third-party guides.

Getting paid in US dollars

Card payments are only part of the picture. Many US business customers pay by ACH or wire, so you need US account details they can pay into.

A US business bank account is the most common answer. Mercury, for example, requires customers to be formed and registered in the United States and to have existing or planned US operations, and asks for formation documents, the IRS-issued EIN document and ID for each founder or majority owner. As of October 2026, Mercury lists domestic and USD international wires at $0 on all plans, and describes itself as a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank, with banking services provided through partner banks. Our guide to opening a US business bank account as a non-resident compares the main options and what each asks for.

Wise Business is another route. Its USD account details include a routing number and account number for ACH and wire transfers from the US, and a Swift/BIC for USD payments from outside the US. As of October 2026, Wise lists no fee for receiving ACH and 6.11 USD for receiving domestic wires and Swift payments. Wise also states plainly that this is not a bank account, and USD details depend on your address being in an eligible country.

Side by side, per each provider's pages as of October 2026:

Invoicing enterprise buyers

Enterprise customers rarely pay by card. They onboard you as a supplier first, then pay against invoices on agreed terms. Expect a vendor setup process that asks for:

• your legal entity name
• your tax identification
• your remit-to bank details
• a contact for accounts receivable

US procurement teams commonly ask a US supplier for IRS Form W-9, which is one reason an EIN matters well before your first large deal.

Make the invoice easy to approve. Use the exact legal name of the contracting entity, quote the purchase order number and show ACH details clearly. If you have both a US and a home entity, make sure the one that signs the contract is the one that invoices.

Sales tax: know it exists before your first invoice

The US has no national sales tax. Each state sets its own rules. In South Dakota v. Wayfair, decided June 21, 2018, the Supreme Court abandoned the earlier physical-presence requirement, so states can require remote sellers to collect sales tax based on economic activity.

Thresholds differ by state. California requires remote sellers to register and collect once combined sales of tangible personal property for delivery in California exceed $500,000 in the preceding or current calendar year, as stated by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (as of October 2026). Texas offers a safe harbor for remote sellers with total Texas revenue below $500,000 in the preceding twelve calendar months. Whether software or SaaS is taxable at all also varies by state. Treat these examples as a reason to ask the question early, not as a rule for your product.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an EIN to accept payments through Stripe in the US?

For a US Stripe account, Stripe asks for a verifiable tax ID and, without an EIN, an SSN or ITIN instead. Stripe Atlas companies can start accepting card payments before the EIN arrives, with payouts capped at US$100,000 until it does (as of October 2026).

Can a foreign company receive ACH payments without a US bank account?

Wise Business USD account details can receive ACH and wire transfers from the US, if your address is in an eligible country. Wise states that these details are not a bank account, so check whether that suits your customers and your own finance team.

Do I have to collect sales tax on sales to US customers?

It depends on the state, your sales volume there and whether your product is taxable in that state. Thresholds such as California's and Texas's $500,000 figures apply to specific types of sales, so get state-by-state advice before you assume either way.

How do US enterprise customers usually pay suppliers?

Most pay invoices after onboarding you as a vendor, typically by ACH or wire into a US account. Have your entity details, tax form and bank details ready before procurement asks.

Payments are where a US entry plan meets the customer's finance team, so it pays to get the entity, tax ID and bank details right before you push for signatures. If you want a second view on whether you need a US entity yet, book a 20-minute US Entry Review. Confirm sales tax and entity questions with a qualified US tax advisor before acting.