How freelancers can receive money: Paystack, PayPal, Payoneer and bank transfer compared

Getting the work done is half the job. The other half is getting paid in a way that does not cost too much, take too long or leave you stuck. Freelancers in Nigeria have more options than they did a few years ago, and they all work differently.

In this post we compare common routes. To keep it honest, we only quote fees that we could read on the provider’s own page, and we say where we could not. Fees and rules change, so use the links to check before you decide.

First, who is paying you?

• A local client paying in naira. You want something fast and cheap that the client already uses.
• A foreign client paying in dollars, pounds or euros. You need a way to receive that currency or a transfer that lands in naira. The client usually picks from what you offer, so offer one or two clear choices.
• A platform such as Upwork or Fiverr. The platform sets how you are paid. Read what you really keep after platform fees.

Local client in naira

Bank transfer. The most common route. The client sends from their app to your account number. There is no extra service to sign up for. Your own bank sets its charges, so look at your bank’s tariff. Put the account number and your invoice number as the payment reference on your invoice.

Paystack. Paystack lets you take payments by card, bank transfer and more. From Paystack’s pricing page for Nigeria:

• Local transactions: 1.5% + NGN 100, and the NGN 100 is waived for transactions under NGN 2,500
• Local fees are capped at NGN 2,000 per transaction
• International cards: 3.9% + NGN 100
• Settlement to your bank account is the next working day

Here is what that means in naira. A client pays you ₦50,000 with a local card: 1.5% is ₦750, plus ₦100, so the fee is ₦850. A client pays ₦200,000: 1.5% is ₦3,000 plus ₦100, but the cap applies, so the fee is ₦2,000. And a client pays ₦100,000 with an international card: 3.9% is ₦3,900 plus ₦100, so ₦4,000.

Paystack decides who it can open an account for. Check Paystack’s own requirements to see whether your type of account is eligible before you build your invoice around it.

Foreign client in dollars

Payoneer. Common for people who are also paid through marketplaces. From Payoneer’s fee page: receiving from another Payoneer customer is free, fees from marketplaces vary by marketplace, and there is an annual account fee of 29.95 USD that only applies if the account receives less than 6,000 USD or equivalent in any 12 consecutive months. What you pay to withdraw depends on the destination bank, currency and route, so read the fees section inside your own account before you pick a withdrawal method.

PayPal. Widely known to clients abroad, which makes it easy for them to pay you. The catch is getting the money out. PayPal’s own fee page says withdrawal to a bank account or card may not be possible in all markets or regions. Check what your account can do in Nigeria before you rely on it, and do not copy what a blog said two years ago.

A dollar account at a bank. A domiciliary account lets you hold foreign currency. Your bank decides the charges, the incoming payment details it needs and how long it takes. Ask the bank for its fees in writing. The Central Bank of Nigeria published a new Foreign Exchange Manual in 2026. We could not open the full text from our tools, so we are not summarising it. Ask your bank what it means for incoming client payments.

Fintech dollar accounts and wallets. Several Nigerian fintech companies offer foreign-currency account details. We have not compared their fees here because we could not verify them from the companies’ own pages. Read the pricing page, the eligibility rules and the withdrawal limits before you share account details with a client.

Cards vs transfer

• Cards are convenient for the client, and easy to pay in the middle of the night. They often have a percentage fee, as in the Paystack example above.
• Bank transfers are cheaper for small amounts but need the client to type your account number correctly. A wrong digit can cause delays. Ask the client to send proof of payment.
• Wallet balances (PayPal, Payoneer and similar) may charge when you move money out, convert currency or leave the account idle. Read those lines on the provider’s fee page.

Who pays the fees?

Check where each fee is taken. On Paystack, the fee comes out of what you are settled. On a wallet, there may be a fee when the money arrives and another when you withdraw. On a marketplace, the platform takes its share before you see anything.

A habit that helps: when you quote a foreign client, write your price as the amount you want to receive, then add the fee if you have agreed that the client covers it. Say so clearly in the quote.

Which one should you show on your invoice?

• Offer one main option and at most one backup. Too many choices confuse the client.
• For a local client: bank transfer, with Paystack as the card option.
• For a foreign client: the account that can truly receive their currency to you, whichever it is.
• Always show the currency, account name, account number or email, and your invoice number as the reference.
• Do not add a method you have not tested. Send yourself a small payment first.

The free invoice generator has a box for payment details so they print on the PDF.

Where a2lance fits

a2lance never touches the money. You raise the invoice, add your own payment details, and your client pays you directly. That means no payout delay from us and nothing for us to withhold. a2lance supports the payment details you choose to show. We do not process payments and we are not a bank.

For tax records, keep proof of every payment. Our post on Nigeria’s tax law for freelancers lists what to keep.