Working abroad

Do you have employees working abroad or are you considering hiring abroad? Then there are a lot of aspects to consider: do I need a foreign payroll, what about tax administration and social security, how do I find the right partners?

Acerta can guide, assist and support you through the entire process.

Do I need a foreign payroll?

As a Belgian company you can employ a foreign employee full-time abroad. Can this employee be added on the Belgian payroll or is he subject to a foreign payroll?

When you have employees working abroad full-time (e.g. in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg ...), they would generally be subject to foreign legislation. You, being the employer, will have to affiliate to the foreign tax and social security administrations and you will have to start up a foreign payroll.

For example: you hire a Dutch employee who will work 100% in the Netherlands. You, being the Belgian employer, will have to register with the Dutch tax administration and set up a Dutch payroll to have his salary calculated according to Dutch social security legislation.

This may sound complicated but Acerta is here to support you and guide you through the entire process.

Acerta makes working abroad easier

You have decided to employ local employees abroad or you already have foreign employees working abroad? If that is the case, Acerta can assist you in different ways:

  • We analyze your specific situation and give you advice about the next steps to take
  • We assist you with the start-up of your foreign payroll and guide you through the entire payroll process
  • In cooperation with our foreign payroll partners we make sure that your foreign payroll runs smooth

Is this music to your ears? Contact us for more information, no strings attached.

Secondment or employees working abroad temporarily

When you want to employ a local employee abroad for a certain period, this is called secondment. It comes with its own set of legal and formal obligations, which can vary depending on the situation.

Social security

If you send employees abroad, they will - under certain circumstances - remain subject to the social security and the pension system of their ‘original’ country of employment. This is called a secondment and it requires an A1 document.

Taxation

Whether the employee must also pay taxes depends on a number of factors: the duration and the set-up of the secondment must be taken into account as well as the double tax treaty with the country in which the employee will be employed temporarily. 

Local administrative formalities

Unless an exception applies, you should register the assigned employee with the local authorities. If you are a foreign employer who seconds foreign employees to work in Belgium, this is called the Limosa declaration. In most cases, you are also required to nominate a liaison officer, who will be the main contact with the foreign authorities in case they have any questions.

International expertise

If you are considering secondment, Acerta has all the international expertise in house to research all the requirements regarding secondment.

Acerta can assist you with:

  • A thorough analysis of your current situation
  • Advice about the approach of secondment
  • Applying and preparing documents (A1 document, secondment letter ...)
  • Correctly filling in your foreign obligations (tax declaration, payroll ...)

Join our international partner network

For advice on foreign employment, payroll for employees working abroad and foreign legal formalities we rely on an extensive international partner network. Depending on your needs, we choose the right partner for you. To make the entire process easier, we can be your single point of contact, so that you do not have to deal with foreign legal or payroll offices yourself.

Audit International employment

Working internationally comes with many legal and administrative regulations. To make sure that you comply with all the necessary requirements, Acerta can run an international audit. We map it all out so that you will never have to worry again.