Can you work remotely for a US company from another country?

The three ways a US company can hire you abroad

US companies that want to hire someone outside the US have three realistic options. Each one has different implications for you as the worker, so it helps to know which arrangement a company is offering before you accept a role.

• Direct employment: The company hires you as an employee on its own payroll. This requires the company to register as an employer in your country, withhold local taxes and comply with local labour law. Many smaller US companies avoid this because it is administratively heavy.
• Employer of Record (EOR): The company uses a third-party service such as Deel, Remote or Rippling to employ you locally on its behalf. You get a local employment contract, local benefits and correct tax withholding. This is increasingly common for US companies hiring in Canada, the UK, Australia and the EU.
• Independent contractor: The company pays you as a freelancer or self-employed contractor. You invoice the company, usually in USD, and handle your own taxes in your home country. This is the most common arrangement for international hires, but it comes with no employment protections and no employer tax contributions.

Tax rules you need to understand

Your tax obligations are set by your country of residence, not by where your employer is based. If you live in Germany and work for a company in San Francisco, Germany taxes your income. The US generally does not tax non-US citizens who live and work outside the US, so you will not owe US federal income tax in most cases.

If you are a US citizen or Green Card holder living abroad, the rules are different. The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. You may be able to use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), which in 2026 allows you to exclude up to around $130,000 of foreign-earned income from US federal tax, but you still need to file a US return every year.

As a contractor, you are responsible for paying your own social contributions, pension contributions and income tax in your home country. In the UK this means registering as self-employed with HMRC and paying Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance. In Australia it means registering for an ABN and paying income tax through the self-assessment system. In Canada it means filing as self-employed and paying CPP contributions on your net income.

Do you need a visa or work permit?

If you are working remotely from your home country for a foreign company, you generally do not need a work visa for the US. You are not entering the US to work; you are working in your own country for a foreign client or employer.

What you do need to check is whether your current visa or residency status in your home country allows you to work for a foreign employer. For example, if you are in the UK on a student visa, your right to work is restricted and earning income from a US company may breach your visa conditions. If you are in Canada on an open work permit, you can generally work for any employer including foreign ones.

Some countries have introduced digital nomad visas specifically for this situation. Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica and around 50 other countries now offer visas that let you live there legally while working for employers or clients outside the country. These typically require proof of income above a set threshold, usually between $2,000 and $3,500 per month depending on the country.

What US companies actually mean by 'remote'

Not every remote job is open to international applicants. Many US companies post roles as remote but mean remote within the US only. This is often because of the tax and legal complexity described above, or because the role requires US work authorisation.

Job postings that are genuinely open to international candidates will usually say one of the following: 'remote worldwide', 'open to candidates in [specific countries]', 'contractor role, open internationally', or 'we use an EOR for international hires'. If a posting just says 'remote' with no further detail, assume it means US-based unless you can confirm otherwise.

Time zone requirements are another practical filter. A company based in New York may need you to be available between 9am and 5pm Eastern Time. If you are in Berlin that means 3pm to 11pm, which is workable. If you are in Tokyo it means 10pm to 6am, which most people cannot sustain. Always check whether the posting specifies a time zone overlap requirement.

• Look for phrases like 'EMEA', 'APAC', 'Americas' or specific country lists in the location field.
• Check whether the role requires a US Social Security Number or EIN, which signals US-only hiring.
• If the posting mentions W-2 or 1099 forms, those are US tax documents and the role is likely US-only.
• Roles that mention Deel, Remote, Rippling or Oyster as the employer of record are almost always open internationally.

How to find and apply for genuinely international US remote roles

The most reliable approach is to filter job boards by location terms that signal international openness, then read every posting carefully before applying. Applying to roles that require US residency wastes your time and the company's.

Break-In Bad's assistant Omar reads the full job posting, including the location requirements, visa restrictions and time zone notes, before scoring a role for you. If a posting is US-only or requires work authorisation you do not have, it will score below 45 and Omar will flag it as one to improve your eligibility for first rather than apply to immediately. This saves you from spending credits on applications that will be rejected at the screening stage. You get 50 free credits when you sign up, which is enough to test the scoring on a batch of roles you are already considering.

Contractor vs employee: which is better for you?

Contractor arrangements are more common and easier for US companies to set up, but they shift risk and cost onto you. As a contractor you pay both sides of social contributions, you have no paid leave entitlement, and you can be terminated without notice in most cases. You also need to manage invoicing, currency conversion and late payments yourself.

Employee arrangements through an EOR give you local employment rights, employer pension contributions and statutory leave. They are better for long-term stability. If a company offers you a choice, the employee route is usually worth taking even if the headline rate is slightly lower, because the total package including employer contributions is often comparable.

One practical tip: if you are offered a contractor role, negotiate a rate that accounts for the additional costs you will carry. A common rule of thumb is to add 20 to 30 percent to the equivalent employee salary to cover taxes, benefits and the lack of job security.