By Hannah Price, international billing systems analyst with 9 years of experience supporting multi-currency invoicing and client payment workflows
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026
FreshBooks business users sign in to set a base currency, assign a different currency or language to individual clients, and send invoices that match those client settings. Clients normally open the invoice link sent by the business rather than using the owner’s FreshBooks login.
This independent guide is not affiliated with FreshBooks.
Check the client profile before editing the invoice. A wrong currency often begins with the client’s saved setting, while a report that appears incomplete may simply be displaying one currency at a time.
What FreshBooks Multi-Currency Billing Does
FreshBooks is cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and self-employed professionals. Its account settings include a base currency for the business, while client profiles and individual billing documents can use another supported currency or language.
The base currency is the account default. It is not a permanent restriction on every invoice.
For example, a U.S. business may keep USD as its base currency while assigning EUR to one European client and GBP to another. The client-specific setting can then carry into new invoices, estimates, and proposals created for that client.
That does not mean FreshBooks converts all reports into one consolidated home-currency figure. Several reports are reviewed separately by currency, and bank reconciliation works only when the FreshBooks transaction currency matches the connected bank account.
One invoice currency. One payment record.
Choose the Correct FreshBooks Route
| Your task | Correct starting point |
|---|---|
| Manage the business account | FreshBooks login |
| Recover account access | Forgot Your Password? |
| Change the account default currency | Basic and Financial Information |
| Change one client’s currency or language | Client profile or document settings |
| Change a specific invoice | Currency and Language on that invoice |
| Record an offline payment | Add Payment in the invoice currency |
| Review foreign payment costs | Online payment fee documentation |
| Reconcile a foreign-currency bank account | Matching single-currency bank connection |
| Pay as a client | Invoice link sent by the business |
FreshBooks’ current login screen includes email and password fields, Google and Apple sign-in, Forgot Your Password?, Can’t Log In?, and language controls.
Do this first: confirm the correct business and client. Skip currency changes until you know which record should control future invoices.
Log In to the Correct Business
FreshBooks supports direct login credentials as well as Google and Apple sign-in. A user who has access to several FreshBooks businesses should verify the active company before changing its base currency or client records.
A valid login can lead to the wrong books.
Check the company name, country, base currency, and client before opening an invoice. Currency settings changed under the wrong business can affect later documents and reports even though the login itself worked correctly.
FreshBooks recommends typing credentials manually when browser autofill may be inserting an outdated email or password. Users who normally sign in through Google or Apple should recover that provider’s password through the provider.
Priority one is the established account. Skip creating another FreshBooks business because it will not automatically contain the original clients, invoices, payments, reports, or currency settings.
Set the FreshBooks Base Currency
The business base currency is managed under FreshBooks’ Basic and Financial Information settings. FreshBooks describes it as the account’s default currency while noting that another currency can still be selected on a client, invoice, estimate, or proposal.
The base currency should reflect the business’s normal accounting environment, not simply the currency of its newest client.
Review it against:
- the business’s primary bank account;
- normal operating expenses;
- local reporting requirements;
- the currency used for most customers;
- the account currency of the connected payment processor.
Changing a client’s currency is generally narrower than changing the business default. Use the client setting when one customer needs another currency. Skip altering the entire account merely to prepare one foreign invoice.
A base-currency decision can affect how users interpret reports, balances, and processor settlements. Ask an accountant before changing an established accounting setup with significant historical activity.
Change a Client’s Currency and Language
FreshBooks lets a business set currency and language through the client profile or while working on an invoice, estimate, or proposal. On a document, the client must be selected before the Currency and Language option becomes available.
That order matters.
If no client is attached, FreshBooks does not yet know which client settings should be loaded. Select the intended client first, then review the currency and language.
FreshBooks says changing these settings updates the client profile and applies to future invoices, recurring templates, retainers, estimates, and proposals created for that client. Existing documents retain their original currency and language unless edited individually where supported.
Check before saving:
- currency code;
- invoice language;
- client country;
- taxes;
- payment options;
- recurring templates;
- active retainers.
A client may prefer a translated invoice while still paying in the business’s usual currency. Language and currency are separate choices.
Priority two is the client profile. Skip correcting each future invoice manually when the saved client setting is wrong.
Why the Invoice Still Shows the Old Currency
Several conditions can explain an invoice that remains in the previous currency.
The invoice already existed: A later client-profile change may apply to new documents without rewriting an earlier invoice.
The wrong client was selected: Similar client names can load another profile’s settings.
The document was duplicated: A copied invoice can retain settings from the source document.
The user changed only the business base currency: The client profile may still carry another currency.
A recurring template already exists: Review its currency before the next invoice is generated.
Open the invoice and inspect Currency and Language after confirming the client. FreshBooks also includes currency controls during invoice creation.
Do not delete the invoice first. It may contain delivery history, payment activity, reminders, or links that should be preserved.
Correct the setting before sending. Skip asking the client to calculate a conversion from a document issued in the wrong currency.
Online Payments in Another Currency
The currency shown on the invoice and the currency of the merchant’s payment account can differ. FreshBooks’ U.S. and Canadian payment-fee guidance identifies a foreign-exchange fee when the invoice currency differs from the FreshBooks Payments account currency. It separately identifies an international-card fee when the client uses a card issued outside the merchant account’s country.
Those are two different conditions.
A domestic card can pay an invoice in another currency and trigger currency conversion. An international card may create an additional international-card fee even when the invoice currency matches the merchant account.
Review the transaction record and current fee schedule rather than estimating the net payout from the invoice total. Fees and availability can vary by country, processor, card type, and currency.
FreshBooks Payments merchant accounts are based in USD or CAD for eligible U.S. and Canadian businesses. Other processor choices may offer different regional and currency support.
Do not promise the client a particular bank conversion rate. Their issuer or bank may apply its own rate or charge.
GBP and EUR Direct Debit Payments
FreshBooks supports BACS Direct Debit for eligible GBP invoices and SEPA Direct Debit for eligible EUR invoices when the business has activated the payment method.
The client opens the invoice and selects the Direct Debit payment tab. For BACS, the setup uses a sort code and account number. For SEPA, the client provides an International Bank Account Number (IBAN).
The presence of an invoice in GBP or EUR does not guarantee that Direct Debit will appear. The business must have the supported payment setup enabled, and the client must use the payment option presented on the invoice.
Check the invoice currency first. Skip troubleshooting BACS on a EUR invoice or SEPA on a GBP invoice.
Payment processing time and bank handling can vary by region. A submitted Direct Debit payment may remain in progress before it is completed.
Record Offline Payments in the Invoice Currency
FreshBooks lets businesses record payments received outside its online payment system, including cash, checks, or other supported offline methods. The amount entered is recorded in the same currency as the invoice.
This prevents one invoice from mixing payment currencies inside its balance.
Suppose an invoice is issued for EUR 1,000 but the client sends USD through another channel. The business should not simply type the USD amount into the EUR payment field. It must determine the appropriate EUR amount represented by the payment and preserve evidence of the conversion or settlement.
That accounting treatment can affect exchange gains, losses, fees, and bank reconciliation.
Do not guess.
Use the actual settlement records and ask an accountant how to record material foreign-exchange differences. Skip forcing the invoice to zero with an unsupported conversion.
Why Reports Appear to Be Missing Revenue
FreshBooks supports multi-currency invoicing, but financial reports commonly need to be viewed separately by currency. FreshBooks’ own multi-currency guidance lists reports such as Invoice Details, Expense Report, Revenue by Client, and Profit and Loss as reports that can be reviewed for each currency used by the business.
A USD report may not include EUR or GBP activity.
Check the currency filter before concluding that revenue or expenses disappeared. Then export or review a separate report for each relevant currency.
This is not the same as currency conversion. Selecting EUR does not necessarily convert USD records into euros; it filters or presents records maintained in that currency.
A consolidated home-currency financial statement may require accountant adjustments or another accounting workflow. FreshBooks should not be assumed to calculate every foreign-exchange gain or loss automatically for every reporting need.
Review one currency at a time. Skip adding totals together without a consistent conversion method and date.
Bank Reconciliation Has a Currency Limit
FreshBooks states that Bank Reconciliation operates in a single currency. FreshBooks transactions appear for matching only when their currency matches the connected bank account.
This explains a specific missing-entry problem.
An EUR invoice payment will not appear as a normal match inside reconciliation for a USD bank account merely because both records belong to the same client. The currencies do not match.
Use bank accounts that reflect the transaction currencies where the business maintains them, or follow an accountant-approved process for settlements converted by a processor or bank.
Do this before reconnecting the bank. Skip duplicating the payment as a manual expense or income record simply because it is absent from the matching column.
The connected bank statement, processor payout, invoice currency, and FreshBooks entry may represent different stages of the same transaction.
FreshBooks FAQ
Can FreshBooks invoice in different currencies?
Yes. Currency can be set on a client, invoice, estimate, or proposal.
Does changing the client currency update old invoices?
Not necessarily. The client setting controls future documents, while existing invoices may retain their original settings and require separate review.
Can each client use a different language?
Yes. FreshBooks lets businesses set a client’s invoice and estimate or proposal language separately from the account default.
Why is Currency and Language missing?
Select the client on the invoice, estimate, or proposal first. FreshBooks displays the setting after a client has been chosen.
Can clients pay GBP invoices by Direct Debit?
Eligible GBP invoices can use BACS Direct Debit when the business has enabled it. Eligible EUR invoices can use SEPA Direct Debit.
Why is my payout lower than the invoice?
The payment may include processing costs, a foreign-exchange fee, an international-card fee, or bank conversion activity. Review the actual payment and payout details before recording a difference.
Can FreshBooks combine every currency in one report?
FreshBooks reports commonly need to be reviewed separately for each currency. A consolidated home-currency view may require additional accounting work.
Why is a payment missing from Bank Reconciliation?
FreshBooks transactions appear for reconciliation only when their currency matches the connected bank account’s currency.