2023-08-23 08:57:00
Over the past decade, Belgians have shown that they are more and more tempted by the idea of becoming independent. In 2012, there were just under a million (988,567 to be precise). Ten years later, 1,257,356 Belgians have decided to opt for this special status. This represents a non-negligible part of the active population in Belgium, which would be 72.1% according to the latest figures from Statbel.
There is no doubt that this category of workers will increase further in the coming years. But do you still need to know how to go about getting started? What are the points to take into account and how to optimize its status to obtain maximum benefits? Here are some five-point answers.
About a quarter of the self-employed are of foreign origin in Belgium
The choice of status
To start as a freelancer, the first step is to know in which sub-categories. The choice is particularly important because it will determine the amount of social contributions to be paid each quarter and will have a general influence on social rights. For the vast majority of cases, the person must choose the option of becoming self-employed as a main or additional occupation.
In both cases, the contribution scale to be paid is the same, i.e. 20.5%. What are the differences then? This is played out in the amount paid according to the income earned. Indeed, a complementary self-employed person carries out his activity, as the name indicates, on a complementary basis, that is to say that his main work is not subject to this status. For example, a part-time employee who builds, in parallel, a small activity on the side. In this case, the worker will only pay social contributions if his annual income exceeds 1621.72 euros. He will therefore have to pay 85.65 euros each quarter via his social insurance fund. An amount that rises crescendo according to his income, but which remains very minimal compared to the other choice.
Indeed, a self-employed principal will have more income and therefore more contributions to pay. The minimum is around 875 euros per quarter and 5,000 euros for the maximum. The amount may vary depending on the benefit fund in which the self-employed person is registered.
Accountable helps the self-employed in their accounting: “Profitability is not a priority”
This type of status can also be divided into two categories: natural person or company. In the latter case, it is interesting to start if the turnover exceeds 80,000 euros, according to the recommendations of a majority of accountants. For what ? Because as a natural person, the taxes linked to this status can reach a rate of up to 50%. “In a company, you pay corporate tax, which reaches a maximum of 25% of the profit. In addition, you also pay personal income tax on the profits you pay into your private account, but this rate is significantly lower than that which the self-employed person must pay. A company therefore makes it possible to pay less tax”, indicates the Brussels company Accountable.
Possible reductions in the first year
For the first four quarters, and therefore the first year, it is possible to request a reduction in social security contributions, sometimes up to 50% of the amount. But beware, this is not automatic. This tool is only applicable if the self-employed person has registered as a “main occupation” and only concerns if the income is not particularly high. Indeed, this reduction is mainly used by the self-employed person to launch his activity, which would imply that he does not yet have a large income from the start. In general, and this again varies depending on the benefit fund in which the self-employed person is registered, this is around an annual income of 8,500 euros. For Xerius, for example, the self-employed person will only have to pay 447.53 euros per quarter instead of 866.62 if his annual income is less than 8,473.80 euros. If this amount is exceeded in the meantime, the reduction no longer applies and the amount of contributions to be paid will be calculated on the basis of annual income.
The Malt platform, intermediary between freelancers and companies, doubles its sales every year
The professional account: an essential
In the case of company status, holding a professional bank account is mandatory. This is not necessarily the case for individuals, although it is strongly recommended. And this for many reasons. Starting with saving time.
The professional account makes it much easier to manage your cash since everything is centralized on the same account and not mixed with private purchases. In addition, in the event of an audit by the tax authorities, the self-employed person will be able to provide the necessary information without difficulty.
In addition, most banks provide fairly advantageous professional account formulas, with higher rates and lower management fees. The online tools provided by banks are also different from a private account to a business account. In general, these platforms make it possible, for example, to associate accounting software with your account, which once again saves significant time.
(Almost) everything is deductible
The amount that the self-employed person must pay for his taxes will largely depend on his professional expenses stipulated during his tax declaration. And an interesting element to know is that many things can be deductible, totally or partially. This varies depending on the type of costs incurred and its professional use. A restaurant bill, for example, can be deducted at 69%, while a business gift will only be at 50%. On the other hand, hiring the services of an accountant is totally deductible.
The arrival of telework in our professional model has also changed the situation for the self-employed. If a professional space has been created at his home, any type of purchase directly or indirectly related to his activity can be deducted. This ranges from the purchase of furniture and equipment (desk, chairs, lamps, computer, headphones) to more variable costs, related to the house (water, coffee, electricity, internet, cleaning products, fire insurance, etc.) . The percentage of these deductions must however correspond to the space dedicated to his professional activity in relation to the total surface area of the habitat.
What costs can be deducted as a freelancer?
Deduct his rent? Yes and no
The question regularly comes up on the table for freelancers who regularly work from home. And the answer is likely to disappoint since no law to date mentions the possibility of deducting your rent via a monthly flat rate. It is therefore not really recommended according to professionals in the sector.
For its rent to be deducted, the dwelling in question must have a registered commercial lease. For the self-employed in person, this is most of the time not the case. For those registered as a company on the other hand, and therefore when the director is the owner of the accommodation, a lease contract linked to the company is possible. But that would therefore mean that the rent would be taxed, which is generally not very advantageous in the end.
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