Romanian IT companies with Western clients: collecting euros and dollars in full

A Iași software company with 25 engineers has two anchor clients: an automotive supplier in Munich and a health-tech company in New York. Munich pays euro invoices by SEPA within a day. New York pays by international wire, ten days late and $40 short, and the dollars are converted into lei by the bank on arrival.

Invoicing in the client's currency

Western clients budget in their own currencies. Romanian IT companies invoice in euros or dollars almost by default. VAT, where it applies, is shown in lei too, but most services to foreign businesses are outside Romanian VAT: reverse charge for EU clients, not taxable in Romania for US clients.

Books stay in lei, converted at the BNR rate. The difference between the rate on the invoice and the rate on payment becomes an exchange gain or loss.

What happens to a dollar wire

A New York client paying a Romanian IBAN sends an international wire. On the way:

• an intermediary bank may deduct a fee,
• the Romanian bank may charge to receive,
• a lei account converts on arrival at the bank's rate.

Many US accounts payable teams also need extra approval for foreign wires, which is why the payment was late.

Make the client's payment domestic

US account details in the company's own name change the client's side completely. The client pays by ACH, like any American vendor. The full invoice amount arrives, in dollars, usually within one to two business days. The same logic applies to euro clients outside SEPA habits and to UK clients with sterling details.

Convert on your schedule

Most of a Romanian IT company's costs are in lei: salaries, office, taxes. Some are in euros or dollars: cloud services, software licences, conferences, subcontractors. Paying those from the matching balance, and converting the rest to lei on a schedule before payroll, removes most of the conversions and makes the lei budget predictable.

Keep an eye on the tax regime

Romania has changed the rules for small companies and IT employees several times since 2023, including the micro-enterprise turnover threshold and the IT salary tax exemption. Check with your accountant at the start of each year which regime applies to you.

Paying into Romania: the local rail

Source: TRANSFOND: instant payments. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.

Where Rivet fits

A Rivet business account gives a Romanian SRL US account details in its own name on every plan, for ACH and wires, and from the Growth plan euro details with an IBAN and sterling details. Payments are matched to invoices, balances can be held or converted at a rate shown before you confirm, and contractors can be paid in 120+ countries. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds.