Experience with ITECS?

[Advocate]

Just been paid on time...

[cykophysh39]

<steps out of rehab>

i'm trying to give up but this is important.

i used itecs in the past (early 04 to late 05 in the netherlands) and i would rather eat my own eyeballs than use them again.

</steps out of rehab>

<pops out>

oh and by the way... see that useful search button?

</pops out>

[contractor88]

Experience with ITECS

Is anyone currently with ITECS?

If so, what is your experience, positive? negative?

Would you recomend them for contracting in Europe?

I would have to say that there were very good prior to their "takeover". Ever since then payment were late. The staff are always polite and pleasant but what's the point of using a Management Company (whilst paying them every month) if you don't know for sure when you will receive your payments.

Anyway, becareful and look around.

[ZEN2008]

Itecs

I am starting a new contract in Belgium and my agency insists on ITECS as the management company to use. I have asked them details and they will be sending it sometime next week.
Reading some of the messages here it seem in past few months the service provided by ITECS seems to be bad. I will also check other names mentioned here. Can someone please tell me how much a typical management service company change for contract service in Belgium.
Thanks for some good information on this thread.

[mikeyboy]

Some work on a flat fee per month. Others work on a percentage. €500 per month or 5-6% was what I was quoted from various management companies.

[The Lone Gunman]

If they are insisting on ITECS (and I dont think that is legal) then ask them to indemnify you against any loses due to ITECS going bust or cocking up.
I would also ask for some sort of late payment contingency.
Tell them you want no such assurances or agreements should you choose your own management company.

[Armlostar]

Itecs

Have been working using ITECS for many years in Belgium. Never had an issue being paid by them (lots of problems with agency however, IDS-Scheer I know where you live !) always respond to e-mails, but response is quicker if you have a direct contact rather than a shared mailbox. Scheme works like this for UK contractors. You get registered as ex-pat, which gives you an agreed tax deduction for expenses. I believe this is valid for 5 years but can then be extended. You get a Belgian salary which may vary depending on your personal circumstances (how many dependants etc) + a cost of living allowance. Then you get a U.K. salary (minimal amount) for doing a days work a month (completing a market research form - takes 5 minutes), but importantly this means your N.I. contributions are up to date in the U.K. protecting your pension and meaning you can use E101 for health care in EU. The rest is dividend paid out of ROI and taxed in Ireland. Income from outside of Belgium is not taxable in Belgium so this is legit. In my case the retention rate after all taxes and ITECS fee is 79%. Where you can come a cropper is if you break the 90 day rule in the U.K. as system is designed around non-residency in U.K. ITECS also provide you with your Limosa. Hope this helps - p.s. I have not personaly noticed any problem since change to Parker Woods, my colleague missed a U.K. salary payment but this was rectified immediately with a quick e-mail. Lots of contactors at my site are using ITECS and in fact we where forced into using them by the client who wanted to ensure we where Belgian complient around 8 years ago

[Gonetofrance]

Itecs

Further to this post / thread may I ask if anyone can update me
The comments were advising caution to use them but are things better now?
I may have a contract in France so looking for a solution. Thanks

[alittlerisky]

hmm.. been using ITECS since Feb2006 in Belgium, apart from a six month break in Switzerland Jan-Jun 2009 where I used Tresag (who were great, altho retention rates were lower but that's suisse for you).

5 things tho:

1. they rarely reply to queries (with any speed anyway) once you're on their books.

3. I have never achived this retention of 79-80% I was promised. The most likely reason for this is that they *DO NOT INCLUDE* their €330 management fee in their projections. This is like me walking into a shop, seeing a nice TV for €500 euros, telling the sales guy I'll take one, then going to the cashier topay only to be asked to handover €600 as there's a €100 "admin charge" for getting it from the stock room or something. This particular point I find VERY irritating and tantamount to some kind of misrepresentation.

3. Luckily I had left for Lausanne end 2007, so missed the PW takeover screw up, but a mate told me they were six weeks late processing his december 2007 invoice

4. Major screw up on my Jan2009 invoice, lost my "cost of living allowance" so was underpaid by an amount they still haven't made clear. Retention rate was about 50% before the correction. The "correction" comprised a payment of €500 to my Belgian bank a/c. Belgian Salary for the month was a strangely round €2900... + the €500 "correction. When i queried this, I sent them a long email detailing all the issues I said with them (ITECS). One month later I have not had a reply.

5. Another major screw up on February 2009 payroll where my retention rate was a paltry 51.63%. I was paid on 16th/17th March when I immediately queried this huge drop in retention rate. I was called in Dec2009 and told that due to a change in Belgian tax law I would see my rentention rate drop from this fictitious 79-80% to 74-75% from Jan2009 on. I retained 60ish % in for Jan2009, and now 51.63% for February 2009. Its been a week since I queried this (almost) and have had one phone call to tell me they were looking into the problem. This is despite daily email and phone reminders. One great email reply was "Did you receive and income statement for Feb2009. If so, please can you forward us a copy". WTF????? This is like my bank emailing me and asking if i'd recieved mylast bank statement, and if so please can they have a copy as they seem to have misplaced mine. A contractor colleague also on the ITECS books told me his gross and net amounts for Feb2009, his gross is lower, yet somehow is net is higher, despite him being in pretty much the same situation as me (ie expat status, COLA etc)

Basically have lost faith, and will be "firing" them this month... once they sort my bloody pay out.

I was talking to a friend (lets call him John) who was visiting Brussels a short while back. This John had bumped into a friend (lets call him Barry) of his during his visit. Last time John met Barry, Barry was a barman in one of the numerous Irish pubs in Brussels. John asks Barry how its going and if he's still a barman in **** pub. Barry replies "Nope, I'm tax consultant now". Who was Barry working for... ITECS... I sh*t you not.

[BlasterBates]

Well at least they don't get you wound up in some sort of dodgy offshore scheme. I went with ITECS, and I had Lux and Uk employment contracts that enabled me to pay NI in the UK. Didn,t have any problems, paid on time and no bother with any tax authorities. Yes the retention isn't great but it's 100% legit. Connexions offered me a scheme for "adventurous" contractors which I rejected.