How to pay international contractors in 2026: contracts, taxes, invoices, and payment tools (opens in new tab)

I do not think contractor payments should start with the question “Which payment tool should we use?” That is usually the wrong first question. The first question is: What kind of working relationship are we paying for? A one-off freelancer, a long-term independent contractor, a consultant, an agency, and an employee hired through an Employer of Record are not the same operationally. They may all receive money from the company, but the workflow before the payment is different. That difference...