Ask HN: Receive Payments as an Independent Contractor
I'm an Iraqi software engineer, working as an independent contractor for a US-based startup. I've been with the same company for 2 years, and I've faced lots of difficulties receiving my salary. My employer has been very patient and flexible with the whole situation, however, I'm out of alternative solutions, and I was looking for your help.
Things I've tried so far: * My employer used Plane (Formerly Pilot) as an EOR and payroll solution, I added in my local bank and transfers were being made there. Plane stopped sending payments to Iraqi accounts.
* I started using MoneyGram and WesternUnion and after a while both got sanctioned locally.
* I started using my cousin's Turkish bank account, and once he was receiving the payment he was forwarding it to me using a middle man, however, the process was cumbersome for my cousin to do and eventually his bank asked him where the money is coming from, which put us in a difficult spot.
At the moment I'm fully stuck, we thought about crypto, but I have no idea how that works! I can sell crypto p2p on OKX and Binance, but my employer can't make a payment there he can make a payment to Coinbase though which I can transfer to Binance or OKX and use a p2p trade.
But, I'm sure there's a better alternative and that's why I am here! I would REALLY appreciate it if you provide me guidance.