Rafiki Blog • Operations
Paying fractional teams across the US, UK, EU and South Africa: fees, speeds, and a practical playbook
A founder’s guide to real-world payout choices, cost trade-offs, and a workflow that connects time tracking to multi-party invoicing and instant cross-border settlement.
- US, UK, EU to South Africa payouts often incur 1.0 to 3.5 percent in fees, plus spread, and can take 0 to 3 business days depending on rail.
- Most delay and cost comes from fragmented steps between time logging, approvals, invoice creation, and multi-party payment routing.
- Rafiki links timesheets to invoices and routes split or merged payments in one flow, with instant settlement between Rafiki accounts and low-cost off-ramps to ZAR, USD, EUR, or GBP.
When speed and cost actually matter
For fractional teams and micro-agencies, cash flow is oxygen. Clients want one clean invoice. Contractors need fast, predictable payout in their currency. Finance teams need compliance checks without unnecessary back-and-forth. The right rail and the right workflow decide whether a project runs smoothly or bleeds hours.
While tools for global payments are abundant, few connect how work is tracked to how it is paid. That is where delays and costs multiply.
Typical payout options
| Rail | Speed | Indicative cost | Best for | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional wires | 1–3 business days | Bank fee plus FX spread, often 1.5–3.5% | Large invoices, strict procurement | Opaque FX, shared banking details, reconciliation pain |
| Card or PSP payout | Same day to 2 days | 2.5–4.0% typical | Small invoices, fast approval | Higher fees, chargeback risk |
| Stablecoin to local off-ramp | Near-instant rail, local cash-out varies | Often under 1.0% end-to-end, with market spread | Cross-border payouts with frequent repeats | Policy and compliance need a proper workflow |
| Local bank rails | Same day in-country | Low, depends on partner bank | Domestic transfers once funds are in country | You still need cross-border funding flows |
The real blocker is the workflow
Most costs creep in because the work is not tied to the money. Time logging lives in one tool, approvals in another, invoices in a third, and payouts in a fourth. Every export and manual check adds risk.
This is worse for multi-party projects where a lead agency manages several subcontractors or fractional specialists. Each extra handoff adds friction, delay, and cost.
A practical playbook
- Log time at the source. Use one timesheet per role and per milestone. Lock entries at approval.
- Generate invoices from time. Convert approved time to billables automatically. One client-facing invoice, many supplier lines under the hood.
- Use split or merged payments. Route funds by role or team in a single transaction. Avoid many one-off payouts.
- Pick the right rail per corridor. Use instant rail between Rafiki accounts, and low-cost off-ramps to ZAR, USD, GBP, or EUR.
- Automate compliance. Run KYC or KYB once, then reuse across projects and counterparties.
How Rafiki helps
- Timesheets to invoices: approved time becomes billables and line items, with rates and roles applied automatically.
- Multi-party invoicing: one client invoice, many subcontractors, one clean payout flow.
- Fast cross-border settlement: instant between Rafiki accounts, low-cost off-ramps to bank accounts when needed.
- Compliance built in: KYC or KYB once, reusable across projects and counterparties.
- Currencies: ZAR, USD, EUR, GBP, and stablecoins supported in a single workflow.
FAQs
How fast can I pay a South African contractor from the US or UK
Instant between Rafiki accounts, with local cash-out dependent on partner rails. Traditional wires may take one to three business days.
What do typical cross-border fees look like
Total cost depends on rail and spread. Traditional methods often land between 1.5 and 3.5 percent. Modern workflows can reduce this, especially on repeat payouts.
Can I combine multiple subcontractor invoices into one client invoice
Yes. Rafiki supports one client-facing invoice with split payouts to multiple roles or teams in a single transaction.
