Guide
Getting paid in dollars from Latin America: what your software needs
More and more businesses in Latin America sell abroad or want to charge in dollars for stability. The idea is good; the execution is usually painful: how to receive the payment, how to give the customer a professional checkout, and how to square the books when you handle two currencies. This guide goes to the angle we actually control —the software— without finance jargon or giving you tax advice.
By Miguel Alejandro Hayes· Founder, Hayes Projects
Why charge in dollars (and why it gets complicated)
Charging in dollars gives you stability against local inflation and opens you to customers in the U.S. and the rest of the world. So far, everyone agrees. The problem shows up in the mechanics: receiving the money, letting the customer pay easily and with trust, and then squaring everything in your books when part comes in dollars and part in local currency.
Many solve it "by hand": loose payment links, screenshots of receipts, a spreadsheet to reconcile. It works with a few customers; at volume it becomes chaos and a source of errors.
The real problems to solve
Three. Receiving: give the customer a way to pay in dollars that is easy and inspires trust (a professional checkout, not an improvised link). Converting: know the rate each payment comes in at and how it reflects in your operation. Reconciling: have each payment tied to its order/invoice without someone squaring it by hand every week.
The most underestimated part is multi-currency reconciliation. If at month-end your team loses hours cross-checking receipts against orders, you do not have a bank problem: you have a system problem.
What your software needs
A checkout that charges in dollars with trust, tied to your operation (order, invoice, customer), and reconciliation that is automatic, not a manual ritual. If you operate across two countries or two currencies, that is designed —not patched— so the reports square themselves.
We are not financial or tax advisors: the "which bank, which structure, which taxes" part is your accountant’s. Ours is making the software so charging in dollars is as simple for you as for your customer —and the books square without manual work.
Frequently asked
Can I charge in dollars without going crazy reconciling?
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Yes, if the payment is tied to your operation (order/invoice/customer) and reconciliation is automatic. The chaos comes from loose links and spreadsheets.
Will you help me pick a bank or gateway?
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That is your accountant/financial advisor’s call. We handle the software: the checkout, the integration with your operation and multi-currency reconciliation.
What if I sell in two currencies at once?
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It is designed from the start so each payment knows its currency and rate, and consolidated reports square themselves. See also our guide on operating across two countries.
About the author
Miguel Alejandro Hayes — Founder, Hayes Projects
Economist and essayist turned developer. He founded Hayes Projects, a Miami venture studio and custom software lab, to build software that ships, scales and solves real problems.
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