Contracting in Belgium - A Short Guide to Tax and Social Security

[sleek]

Hi
My client based in UK has asked my to go to the Belgian office of one of there customers for a few weeks. Do I need to be aware of any tax implications? do not expect it to be more that 5 weeks over the next 3 months

I would not worry anything if you stay under 3 months... Just apply for E101/A1 certificate form you home country and your social security payments are covered.

You should have no need to pay any taxes to Belgium if you home country have any sane double taxation treaty with Belgium... You may want to check it of course to be sure.

You can also ask Belgian tax office (E-mail address is buried to somewhere on their web site). I actually received very polite and accurate answers from them even when the answers did favor me. You can call also to your own country's tax office, they should also know.

Edit: Ah yes, UK everything. You should be fine... Tax treaty is available in the net if you want to read it (just google, can't remeber).

[BlasterBates]

Hi

My client based in UK has asked my to go to the Belgian office of one of there customers for a few weeks. Do I need to be aware of any tax implications? do not expect it to be more that 5 weeks over the next 3 months

Uk ltd
Uk agency
Uk client (paid in uk pounds)
Staying in hotel
Returning at weekends

Perhaps have a consultation with a Belgian tax advisor. A consultation usually doesn´t cost very much.

The Belgian tax authorities deem anything beyond 5 days per month to go beyond the scope of a business trip.

You wll however be working for a UK client so this may mean there are no tax implications.

If there are any tax implication, it would be very low since you wouldn´t be much above the tax threshold.

[sleek]

Why pay for tax advisors while you can just ask this from Belgian tax office? If you are going to be 100% legal then there is no reason why you should avoid contact with them...

[helen7]

Do you have the contact details for the Belgian tax office?

Since I am only paid a low salary from my ltd company, surely any tax implecations would be low. Or do they look at the company invoice for the days worked? In which case, that is company money, not my personal money.

[sleek]

Do you have the contact details for the Belgian tax office?

Since I am only paid a low salary from my ltd company, surely any tax implecations would be low. Or do they look at the company invoice for the days worked? In which case, that is company money, not my personal money.

If found this address from some Belgian goverment website, cannot remember which:

contr.db.brussel.buitenland@minfin.fed.be

I sent mail to there and it took few weeks tom somebody to answer but my subsequent E-mails have been processed musch faster. I bet they are getting pissed already since I have asked so many questions concerning how to NOT become Belgian tax-resident. But they have always replied and provided accurate information.

[Brussels Slumdog]

Seems like a business trip

Hi

My client based in UK has asked my to go to the Belgian office of one of there customers for a few weeks. Do I need to be aware of any tax implications? do not expect it to be more that 5 weeks over the next 3 months

Uk ltd
Uk agency
Uk client (paid in uk pounds)
Staying in hotel
Returning at weekends

This sounds like a genuine business trip. The question I would ask your UK client is whether they are billing the Belgian branch

If you work as trainer for a UK client and they sent you to all their EU branches over 6 months, would you declare tax in all the countries where you delivered training

[n00b]

Dude, I would hire Belgian accountant right now. You may still have time to save yourself and get away just by paying due taxes and social security payments (unless you had E101 or A1, did you?) since tax return for 2012 needs to be filled before end of June 2013 if I am not wrong? Yes that will be MUCH but you could perhaps actually get away with nothing and you wont need to fear for next n years that you get call from police?

Yes yes you did not register and everything but probably they are not that interested in it if you just give them their money? Especially if you have any proof that you we screwed... But do not trust my word since I do not know by myself how it goes, hire accountant or even lawyer NOW. They should know better.

Of course, you can always run and hope that they won't care. For 300e/d they could not even care. If you didin't register anywhere then they may not be able to find you, but somewhere must be bill which has your name in it, right? One tax inspection and they will find it and start checking if you have paid anything. I would not take that risk...

On a side note... Those consultant companies have no honor at all it seems. When I said to my company that I will leave before I will become tax-resident, they tried to feed some BS to me and introduce n+1 schemes how I could continue and they all were supposed to be 100% legal. Yeah right, none of them were legal, not nearly. Every single one of them was based on faking my location for the rest of the year. And when I pointed it out, they started to act like street merchants in India (no offence Indian people!), acting hurt of my words, me claiming them liars etc. etc. And finally starting to insult me because I am sooooooo honest, nobody else is etc. God I was mad when I left.

I had issued the European Health Card which I think I had to fill up an A1 or E101 paper for that. Just not for my company though..but that would be company money, so I dont care so much. Plus I paid myself a low salary so I guess the implications of any tax owed would not be very big..anyway..this week i'll know, at the audit firm..

I wouldn't like to go back home though and I'm about to register in brussels. I just booked the appointment in the commune.

[n00b]

I had issued the European Health Card which I think I had to fill up an A1 or E101 paper for that. Just not for my company though..but that would be company money, so I dont care so much. Plus I paid myself a low salary so I guess the implications of any tax owed would not be very big..anyway..this week i'll know, at the audit firm..

I wouldn't like to go back home though and I'm about to register in brussels. I just booked the appointment in the commune.

Did anyone cancel their LIMOSA declarations? I see the only way to do so is to call them...

[sleek]

Let us know how things went, it is interesting to hear.

[tomcruise]

i am italian working 1 year in Belgium as contractor. i recommend you next if being payed from a non-belgian agency:
1-be in limosa only the first 3 months (to seem fair to the agency)
2-don't register you anywhere (apartments,flats...)
3-pay yourself a payroll specifying diets: it demonstrates how many days are you abroad
4-keep all receipts demonstrating your travel (flight,rental car,hotel)
5- avoid crap management companies 'compliant' ( in my case agency offered one to be payed from Cyprus ((((() and i refused).always trade directly with the agency

normally nobody will notice you are there,so you can pay taxes (much less) in your home country and deduct expenses (i get 80% of my incoming)
if any inspection, you can demonstrate you are less 183 days in Belgium (travel days does not count)