Just been offered a contract in Germany...

[BlasterBates]

Payroll! do they mean employee? If so forget it, and then they take 9%. Yup you can most certainly get this done via a Steuerberater, for a great deal less.

Seems like you have a longterm aim here. I would just go native to be honest. Tax rates in Germany not a lot different to the UK, and you avoid any potential pitfalls like the German authorities deciding you should have been paying VAT from the outset.

Oh no just realised you're doing this through a UK agency co.....oh <throws hands up in despair> VAT becomes horribly complicated.

In the future go through a German agency, makes life a lot lot easier. You can easily find the same contracts advertised in Germany.

[Olly]

You can easily find the same contracts advertised in Germany.

I only know of gulp.de at the moment.......any other job boards or sources please?

[BlasterBates]

Nope Gulp is it. If it aint on it don't exist, just keep pressing the refresh button.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Payroll! do they mean employee? If so forget it, and then they take 9%. Yup you can most certainly get this done via a Steuerberater, for a great deal less.

Seems like you have a longterm aim here. I would just go native to be honest. Tax rates in Germany not a lot different to the UK, and you avoid any potential pitfalls like the German authorities deciding you should have been paying VAT from the outset.

Oh no just realised you're doing this through a UK agency co.....oh <throws hands up in despair> VAT becomes horribly complicated.

In the future go through a German agency, makes life a lot lot easier. You can easily find the same contracts advertised in Germany.

That sounds like good sense, I'll bear it in mind for the future

Right now, I may have a contract in Germany. I hope it will be long-term, and I do want to stay there. But it is with a UK agency. Assuming I don't just shaft the agency, what are my options? I do want to rent a flat there right from the start, so no stealth stuff.

Can I work the first 6 months through my Ltd Co and then get a new contract as a Freiberufler? What about VAT in that first 6 months?

Or should I wait till (if) I get the contract, then break the bad news to the agency that I will not work as a UK Ltd, on thr grounds that he probably won't abandon it when he has already virtually pocketed his money, and if he does then I'll proceed without him?