Your employer pays you $5,000. You receive $4,750. Nobody explains where the $250 went.

If you work for a US or European company and live outside that country — Thailand, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, Brazil, anywhere — your payroll passes through a platform that takes a cut before you see it. Gusto, Rippling, Deel, Found, Wise Business, Payoneer — they all handle international contractor payments differently, and they all charge differently. Most of those charges are invisible to you.

This guide breaks down what each payroll platform actually costs the contractor receiving the money in 2026.

The Problem: Your Employer Sees One Number, You See Another

When your employer runs payroll through Gusto or Rippling, they see a clean $5,000 payment leave their account. They might pay a small platform fee on their end — $5 to $15 per payment.

What they do not see is what happens between their payment and your bank account. That gap is where the money disappears:

FX conversion spread — the platform converts USD to your local currency at a rate that includes a markup over mid-market. This markup is not listed as a “fee.”
Wire or transfer fees — intermediary banks or the platform itself charge per transaction.
Receiving fees — some platforms charge the contractor a percentage on arrival.

Your employer thinks they paid you $5,000. You received $4,750. Both of you are looking at different numbers and neither of you knows exactly why.

Platform-by-Platform Breakdown

Gusto

Gusto charges your employer a small per-payment fee (roughly $5 for US bank transfers, 1-1.5% for international wires). For payments under $1,000, there is a $15 minimum fee.

What the contractor pays: Gusto does not clearly disclose its FX spread for international payments. The conversion rate shown “includes any associated fees” according to their documentation — but the exact markup is not itemized. Reports from contractors suggest the effective spread is 1.5% to 3% depending on the currency pair.

One Gusto employer reported their Brazilian contractor lost 20% on a payment due to combined FX spread and timing — an extreme case, but it illustrates the opacity.

New in 2026: Gusto now offers same-day payments via Wise or USDC for eligible employers. If your employer enables this, you can receive USD or stablecoins directly and convert on your own terms.

Cost on $5,000 paycheck: ~$75-$150 (1.5-3% FX spread) + potential wire fees

Rippling

Rippling charges employers per-employee pricing (custom quotes, typically $8-15/employee/month for payroll). International contractor payments go through Rippling payment rails.

What the contractor pays: Similar to Gusto, the FX spread is baked into the exchange rate and not separately disclosed. Contractors report effective spreads of 1% to 2% on major currency pairs (USD to EUR, GBP, CAD). Less common currencies see higher spreads.

SWIFT wire transfers from Rippling may involve intermediary bank fees of $15-30 deducted from your payment.

Cost on $5,000 paycheck: ~$50-$100 (1-2% FX spread) + $15-30 intermediary fees

Deel

Deel charges employers $49/month per contractor. The contractor pays withdrawal fees that depend on the method chosen:

SWIFT wire: $5-25 + intermediary bank fees ($15-30)
Instant card transfer (non-US): 2% (max $15)
Payoneer: 1%
PayPal: 2.5%
Wise/Revolut: No Deel fee (but those platforms charge their own conversion fees)

On top of withdrawal fees, Deel applies a 0.6% to 2% FX markup that is not itemized on your receipt.

Cost on $5,000 paycheck: $55-$200 depending on withdrawal method (see our Deel fees breakdown for the full analysis)

Found

Found is a banking platform for freelancers and self-employed workers. It offers US checking accounts with built-in tax features.

What the contractor pays: Found accounts are US-based, so receiving USD is straightforward if your employer sends via ACH. The issue comes when you need to move money out of the US or convert currencies — Found does not offer multi-currency accounts or built-in FX conversion.

If you use Found to receive your paycheck and then transfer to a local bank via wire, you will pay $25-40 per wire plus your receiving bank conversion spread.

Cost on $5,000 paycheck: $25-40 (wire out) + local bank FX spread (1-3%)

Wise Business (Employer-Side)

Some employers use Wise Business to pay international contractors. This is often the best scenario for the contractor:

What the contractor pays: If paid into a Wise account, receiving is free. Conversion costs 0.43-0.75% — the standard Wise transparent rate.

Cost on $5,000 paycheck: ~$27-43 (conversion only, no receiving fee)

The catch: your employer has to be using Wise Business. Most large companies use Gusto, Rippling, or Deel instead.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Annual cost for a contractor receiving $5,000/month:

Platform	Monthly Cost	Annual Cost	FX Transparent?
PayPal	$375-$430	$4,500-$5,160	No (3-4% hidden spread)
Payoneer	$52-$150	$618-$1,806	Partially
Deel (SWIFT)	$55-$160	$660-$1,920	No (0.6-2% hidden)
Gusto	$75-$150	$900-$1,800	No (undisclosed spread)
Rippling	$65-$130	$780-$1,560	No (undisclosed spread)
Found + wire	$75-$190	$900-$2,280	No
Wise	$27-$43	$330-$522	Yes
VaultLeap	~$62.50	~$750	Yes

What You Can Actually Do About It

You probably cannot change which payroll platform your employer uses. But you can change where the money lands.

The fix: Ask your employer to send your payment to a US bank account (ACH or domestic wire) instead of an international wire. Most payroll platforms — including Gusto, Rippling, and Deel (for direct contractors) — support paying to a US bank account.

Then use a virtual USD account as that US bank account. The money arrives in dollars. No FX conversion at the payroll platform hidden rate. You convert when you want, at a rate you can see.

VaultLeap gives you a US routing number and account number that works with ACH and wire transfers. Your employer adds it like any other US bank account. The payment arrives in USD. You convert at 0.75% transfer fee + ~0.5% market spread — fully transparent, no hidden markups.

On $5,000/month, that is ~$62.50 versus $75-$200 through your payroll platform default rails. The savings range from modest (vs. Wise) to massive (vs. Gusto or Deel), but the real value is control: you hold USD, you choose when to convert, and you see exactly what every step costs.

For employers reading this: You can also add your contractor VaultLeap account directly in Gusto, Rippling, or your payroll system. It looks like a regular US bank account. No workflow changes on your end.

Set up your USD account at vaultleap.com.

VaultLeap is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking and payment services are provided by Bridge, a licensed money transmitter and regulated payment provider, in partnership with Lead Bank, Member FDIC. VaultLeap does not hold or have custody of customer funds.

International Payroll Fees: What Every Paycheck Actually Costs You in 2026