Search Q&A
doing online jobs - do I have to become a independent/company?
Hi, I live in Belgium a long time, I quit my job and I am not taking anything from unemployment - I am earning myself working from home doing various writing jobs/projects online for a company in the US so I get paid in dollars.
Can I just be a normal person and declare my income to pay taxes or do I really have to register as an independent / company and start paying also the 22% social contribution?
Thank you!
There's a threshold under which you don't have to pay taxes, but I'm guessing if you're asking the question, you're already over that (about 5000/year?)
You have to register as an independent.
> Can I just be a normal person
Well, you are already. Which means you are either an employee or an independent.
There are "intermediary" companies like www.smart.be which allow you to do odd jobs legally and pay all taxes on them without having to formally adopt an "independent" status. That's actually a very good place to start if you do odd jobs and the work is irregular, however if you're earning a steady income, then a proper independent status is the way to go.
The best status for you depends on a lot of factors. You would do well to consult with a small business advisor
Try here:
http://www.abe.irisnet.be
Put simply:
If you are employed by somebody else, payment of the "social contribution" is shared between you and your employer.
If you are self-employed (i.e. an independent), the payment is still "shared", but now employee and employer are one and the same so it all falls to you.
> just me, working at home on my projects via internet
Makes you a freelancer = independant/zelfstandig
> not an employee of anyone and not a independent
= not earning => dependent on relative, or retired, or unemployed, or too disabled to work
If you have a spouse that works in Belgium (under Belgian social security), you can get registered as an independent in "bijberoep" (meaning it is just and extra job next to a main income) which means you pay a lot less social charges. But you cannot escape from paying social charges nor taxes when you earn a certain amount each year.
