Contracting in Belgium - Help...............

[garethdavies1]

First of all I have read the thread that contained very detailed information about the how to go about contracting in Belgium.

However I am not really sure how this relates to my own position. I have been offered a 5 month contract in Belgium by a UK agency, The contract I have signed is more or less identicle to my other contracts that I have signed, in effect my limited company will invoice and I will be paid my monthly fee to my uk company bank account.

Is this legal?

[Boo]

However I am not really sure how this relates to my own position. I have been offered a 5 month contract in Belgium by a UK agency, The contract I have signed is more or less identicle to my other contracts that I have signed, in effect my limited company will invoice and I will be paid my monthly fee to my uk company bank account.

Is this legal?

Yes. You can work in Belgium for 6 months through your own Ltd Co. under the 183 day rule.

My understanding (Note : IANAL, IANAA etc) is that under Belgian law the days which are counted are days at work excluding travelling days. My own current situation is that I work 4 days in Belgium and travel back on one of those days. For that reason 183 days for me amounts basically to "in perpetuity".

Before blithely going ahead with a renewal you need to check with your own Belgian accountant, which you will most easily find by searching for "accountant" + the name of thetown you will be working in.

Bottom line : for 5 months you are safe.

If you want to work for longer than 6 months then it is worth doing as follows :

1. Swing a 4 day week or otherwise work partly in the UK
2. Travel back to and from the UK on days you work in Belgium
3. Stay in a B&B not a flat (probably cheaper and certainly easier)
4. Make certain your "centre of economic activity" stays in the UK by:
a) Keeping your car registered in the UK
b) Keeping your main residence in the UK
c) Earning part (ideally most) of your income in the UK
d) Don't rent a house or flat in Belgium (B&Bs, remember ?) - this also means you don't have to register at the local commune
e) Leave your family in the UK
5. Limosa
a) If you can avoid registering at LIMOSA / the Commune then you will most likely not receive a Belgian tax return.
b) You can register for LIMOSA retrospectively (ie after starting work ) all the website does is pop up an info box rapping your knuckles.
c) If the agency doesn't insist on seeing your LIMOSA reference until after starting work you can regularise the situation by b) above.
d) LIMOSA won't do you any harm but may mean dealing with a Belgian tax return which is an expense best avoided


Hth,

Boo

[Brussels Slumdog]

Belgian Work around

Yes. You can work in Belgium for 6 months through your own Ltd Co. under the 183 day rule.

My understanding (Note : IANAL, IANAA etc) is that under Belgian law the days which are counted are days at work excluding travelling days. My own current situation is that I work 4 days in Belgium and travel back on one of those days. For that reason 183 days for me amounts basically to "in perpetuity".

This means that if we all bought a private jet and left London airport at 7am and returned at the end
of the day at 7 pm we would never be a Belgian Tax residenthttp://forums.contractoruk.com/images/smilies/extras/2.gif