Hoping someone is in this situation and can tell me if it's possible?

At the moment I'm in France and have had to turn down a freelance internet job as the laws in France make it impossible to work for a UK firm, without registering as part of the business in France, or getting your employer to jump through some weird hoops.

Would it be possible when we move to work via the internet for a few hours per week and be paid gross salary from the UK, then simply add the earnings to our household income, or am I missing something?

My OH will be employed full-time in Switzerland, and will be paying all the usual deductions, but I'd like the opportunity to earn a little money too.

Thanks in advance.

An attempt to simplfy the above in hope that someone out there is in the same situation and can advise.

We're EU citizens and will be moving to Switzerland in the next couple of months. My OH will be in full time employment and I'll be at home (bound by the school hours).

I have the opportunity to work via the internet for a company in the UK who will pay a gross hourly salary, in sterling, direct into a UK account (note in this case 'gross' does not mean extra large )

Can this be done? How do I go about paying tax / social charges on these earnings?

I work for a UK company, but we opted to go down the route of me being self employed. This has led to all sorts of issues, the Swiss authorities wanted me to set up a Ltd company, I said no, since I would loose too much of my pay in reductions with a Ltd. The long and the short of it is , if you are domicile here you can pay Swiss tax as opposed to UK tax , but as yet I am not fully integrated into the Swiss social system.

The Swiss may also take a view that since you are working for a UK company, why don't they set up an office here.

Every canton may take a slightly different view. Best to find a local accountant, who will help you get through the hurdles.

I take it that you OH will have a job in CH and that you are married, ie you have come with his job.

I think much of what you're asking is covered in here: How to freelance in Switzerland?

Actually this situation is covered in Swiss law when you are acting as an agent of a foreign company and you are then obliged to set up a point of contact for the company in Switzerland which indeed would need to have a register in the handelsregister etc although it need not be a legal entity.

Not quite sure why you think you lose too much of anything though?`A GmbH allows you to be more flexible in your outgoings and is therefore in the long run often more tax efficient...

See lobs mail re the link.
However you can do this without any problem, although you will need to register your intent to be a business here. This can be self-employed (not so easy) or a GmbH or you can use the cover of a 3rd party GmbH to do these kind of things. It is important you are not an agent of the company in the UK though otherwise there will be problems.

Thanks, I'm printing all the relevant parts of the forum off and plan to sit down with a bottle of wine and a notepad this evening to see if I can find an easy way to do this!

One final question (for the moment), although it may sound odd - can I work in Switzlerland on a freelance basis for the English firm (who will pay gross salary) and then simply do a tax return to the Inland Revenue in the UK to declare all untaxed income? This would solve a million problems for me, especially as I'll be paid in sterling and will probably earn under the tax free income.

Hi Naps

This is my situation, I work for a UK company on a freelance basis. The Swiss don't like it, since I only work for one company and they pay me a gross salary and pay my expenses. I can stay in CH because I am here with my partner and our three children. I am still not integrated into the social system, but hey step by step. I pay tax (Quellensteuer) in CH and still fill out a UK return, but state that my tax is paid in CH. Send me a PM if you want a chat.

Andy

Don't really understand - do you mean you will invoice the UK company for your efforts, pay tax and social duties in Switzerland, and then provide a UK tax return where they will ask for a % of your gross to the value of normal UK tax (and probably under IR35 or whatever it is now) less the Switzerland tax (double tax agreement) ? I can't see how you save anything, actually more expensive, and you only complicate life for yourself .

Sorry, I'm doing a really good job of confusing everyone! It appears that my idea to be paid from the UK and therefore taxed in the UK does not apply as I will be 100% resident in Switzerland.

As for payment - there will be no invoices, etc. - just log on, clock up the hours and get paid (gross), nothing more complicated than that. I realise that I can't get a gross wage from the UK and not contribute somewhere, but it is starting to look like it's not going to be an option to just pay the tax without having to register in some way or another.

More info. which may or may not help.

The job is internet based, as I mentioned, it's a case of logging on and clocking up the hours. At the moment I only expect to work 1 hour per day.

Salary will be paid in Sterling to my PayPal account for hours worked - 10 quid per hour gross (not much, but nice to earn something) - I could then transfer the money to my UK bank account.

and that basically is it. Is there anyway that I can do this above board without the expense of registering in some form or another? Any registration could wipe out most of my potential earnings for the first year or more!

I'd just keep quiet - but don't quote me!

Just visiting to add an update to my situation.

The OH arrived in June (in Vaud) and started his full-time contract. I arrived in July and we began to set the wheels in motion for me to begin work.

He spoke to his company's accountants/legal advisors who told him I'd have to complete a notice of intention to work and send it with a covering letter to our Communal.

We did this, informing them that I'd be starting work beginning September.

At this point his permit had been approved in writing, but we were waiting for it to actually arrive.

I started work in September, as planned, working 8 hours per week.

At the beginning of this month I took on some extra freelance work, hours are averaging 15 per week, but this can rise to 30 and fall to 8.

Money is being invoiced with a template supplied by one of the companies which I freelance for and I need to create my own invoice for the other company, which I assume will need to begin sequential numbering for my records.

Our permits arrived last week - we've both received B permits.

MOH's company cover us for health with us paying a contribution, so I'm covered healthwise.

All that's left to do (according to the accountant) is to declare how much I've earned when MOH enters his tax return, and pay income tax owing.

Fingers crossed that this is all above board and we're not going to run into any problems.

Have you registered for AHV (social security)?

As you have apparently registered with the local authorities as a freelancer it is possible you will have to complete your own tax return.

No no one has mentioned registering for AHV along the way.

You say 'as I have registered', if I'd not bothered to tell them, is it possible I could have just added my tax onto the OH's return?

Ask your accountants mentioned in your earlier post (assuming these are Swiss accountants?)

You are obliged to tell them.

Hi,

Thanks. Yes the accountants are based in Switzerland, they were actually suprised that we were actually going down the official route and declaring the work as it's of such a small value.

I think we'll go back to them and ask for further advice.

In the meantime I'm not spending my earnings. Is there a guide percentage that I should keep aside to meet the tax and AHV contributions?

Thanks

Hi,

I've just read your story, can you update me how things are now, a while later. I'm looking at doing the same but different if you see what I mean. I've been offered a full time job (salary, car, expenses) and would like to know how to go about staying resident in CH with a "B" permit working for a UK companx.

Can anyone update on this issue. Living in Switzerland and getting paid and working in the UK.
The UK tax office was not very forthcoming with any information.

You can be tax resident in 2 countries, if your here about 183 days a year you won't have any problem keeping your B permit.

You will pay tax in the UK, then fill in a CH tax return, as UK taxes are higher you will have a tiny or zero liability in CH due to double taxation agreements.