A few months ago I sent a $2,000 invoice to an overseas client. By the time the payout finally cleared into my local bank account, almost $400 had quietly vanished.
Upwork took their cut first. Then the wire routed through two intermediary banks that shaved off another $20 each without warning. On top of that, the payment gateway took a 3.5% markup hidden inside their exchange rate.
When I tried looking for a calculator to figure out what I should actually be charging to cover these fees, almost everything online was either five years out of date or trying to trap me into a paid SaaS subscription just to do basic arithmetic.
So I sat down and built my own free tool: Baznek.
I had a few strict rules for myself while building it:
- No npm packages in the browser: It is 100% plain Vanilla JavaScript. No bundlers, no heavy frameworks, no bloated dependencies shipped to your machine.
- Super lightweight: The whole client bundle is under 850 KB uncompressed, so it loads instantly even on weak mobile connections.
- Privacy-first: Everything runs right in your browser using IndexedDB and Service Workers. You do not need to create an account, and your numbers never touch a server.
- Real math, not guesses: It runs a reverse gross-up calculation and checks 70+ international tax treaties so you know if your client has to withhold tax under Form W-8BEN.
It is completely free with no paywalls or signups: https://www.baznek.com
I am still actively refining the fee models and would love to get your thoughts on it. If you do freelance work across borders, what payment method has been hitting you with the biggest hidden fees lately?
Drop your thoughts in the comments below, or feel free to email me directly at hello@baznek.com if you have private contract questions or edge cases to share.
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