2023-07-24 02:00:00
“S go to a business counter was clearly not the most complicated step when I started my project. It’s a obligatory passage. What was tricky was making a choice: why one rather than the other? ” Like the Arlonnaise Valérie Diez, any self-employed person must go through a business counter to settle the administrative formalities related to the launch of their activity.
In Belgium, there are eight accredited organisations, for more than 150 offices spread across the four corners of the country. This contact point is responsible for registering new self-employed persons with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (BCE). “Registration with the Crossroads Bank is the only legal obligation for which the self-employed who wish to establish themselves must go through a counterexplains David Sobrie, regional manager at Partena Professional. You create your company number, which is called “BCE number”. Then, it is activated – or not – for VAT. Because there are professions that do not require VAT activation. This is the case of doctors, for example.”
Management as a good father
To be able to set up as a self-employed person, there are nevertheless certain prerequisites. In Wallonia and Brussels, the candidate must prove that he has the management skills necessary to run his business as a good father.
“There are several ways to demonstrate that one has access to management, advances Vincent Walbrecq, regional manager at the Union des Classes Moyennes (UCM). You have management if you have a graduate degree, whatever the sector. An upper secondary diploma can also be valid, if it was obtained before September 30, 2000. There is also the classic management diploma, which is obtained via the central jury or Ifapme. Technical and vocational schools can also organize it. As a last resort, a relative who has management can vouch for it.”
The person must be of legal age and have a professional or private bank account. “However, we recommend opting for a professional account, in order to have a separation with private assets.”
The optional makes the difference
These steps have a cost. At a minimum, the future self-employed person will have to pay 101 euros for registration with the Crossroads Bank. This is a legal tariff, identical for all business counters in the country.
But then, how to choose your organization? Very often, it is the range of additional services that makes the difference. Among these, the most widespread is certainly the VAT registration, for which it will be necessary to pay around 70 euros. The counter can also take the steps concerning Afsca authorizations, or even for Sabam, for example.
“In itself, the independent can very well do the steps themselves, without calling on us, says Vincent Walbrecq, but the forms are quite complex. It’s a bit like being faced with your tax return. We quickly lose time trying to understand… Many customers therefore ask us for assistance.” That said, an accountant can also take these steps, particularly with regard to VAT registration.
“For the counter, it’s really all that we are going to offer in terms of services alongside BCE registration that will come into play: the quality of what we offer before the person starts, our advice once they are installed, training, legal advice. Do they find answers to their questions? Are they being directed to the right organization? etc. “
David Sobrie agrees with this idea of attractive complementary services. He was also at the origin of a department dedicated to supporting the self-employed at Partena Professional, the “Dreams lab”. “The idea started from the observation that we still had too many customers who were not ready to become self-employed. It was only after obtaining their business number that some wondered how they were going to find customers, invoice their services, etc. C’ that’s why I said to myself that I had to create something to accompany them. The Dreams lab is workshops, the possibility of presenting your project in front of professionals, but also a pop-up store.”
Finally, it should be noted that the self-employed person does not only go to the business counter when setting up his activity. “You can call on the counter to modify a business address, change the type of activity or even, at the end of the process, for a cessation”, explains Vincent Walbrecq. Good to know: each modification, whatever its nature, is payable by the independent.
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