Out research According to ABN AMRO, in recent years a job as an employee combined with a side job as a self-employed person has been on the rise. Increasingly, people choose to work as self-employed for a number of months and then return to salaried employment, or to do both at the same time.
According to sector economist Mario Bersem, this is due to the tight labour market that strengthens the position of employees, whereby “workers have more choice and bargaining power. They can therefore carry out their work with more autonomy and variety.”
How much are you allowed to earn as a part-time entrepreneur and what rules must you comply with? With the tips below you can soon get started as a self-employed person (zzp’er) alongside your permanent job. What do you need to take into account?
How much are you allowed to earn on the side as a self-employed person?
There are no strict rules about how much you may earn on the side as a self-employed person (zzp’er). However, it's wise to keep the following in mind: the more money you earn alongside your salaried job, the higher your tax will be. Your additional earnings are added to your income from your salaried job. Ultimately you pay income tax on that total amount.
Do you want to start working as a self-employed person (zzp’er) alongside your salaried job without having to pay tax on your extra income? If your turnover per calendar year maximum €1.800 is, then you are not required to register your business with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK). Moreover, you are then also not required to register as a VAT entrepreneur with the Tax and Customs Administration.
What about the Tax Authority?
If you are employed, you don't have to worry about the annual income tax return. If you're self-employed, you do. In principle you can only officially start working as a freelancer after you have registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) – unless you do not meet the turnover threshold of €1.800.
Are you officially an entrepreneur for the Chamber of Commerce (KvK)? Then you are required to file VAT returns quarterly, monthly, or yearly. You must also ensure that each year you file your income tax return on time.
Tip:Hold you administration good to avoid any surprises. You can enlist the help of an accountant so that your administration always runs smoothly.
How many hours do you have to work as a part-time entrepreneur?
The Tax and Customs Administration offers some benefits for self-employed people. In order to be able to make use of these tax benefits you must as a part-time entrepreneur at least 1,225 hours per year in your business (the hours criterion). This comes down to approximately 24 hours per week, if you do not count vacation days. But you can count both direct and indirect hours for the hours criterion. Indirect hours are, for example, the hours you spend in your business but are not paid for, such as travel time, doing administration, or attending a course to brush up on your knowledge. Direct hours are billable hours, that is, the hours worked for clients and principals.
What tax benefits are there?
As a self-employed person (zzp’er) you can make use of some tax advantages such as, for example, the self-employed and start-up deductions. Besides your regular job, as a part-time entrepreneur you have to a considerable number
spend hours on your own business. That can be quite a challenge. Can't you meet the hours criterion? Then the Tax Authority does not see you as a self-employed person and you may not make use of business tax deductions. For a self-employed person with a part-time job, it then concerns ‘ income from other work .’
Deductions:
1.Start-up deduction: a tax deduction for starting self-employed entrepreneurs. As a self-employed entrepreneur you can make use of this three times. The start-up deduction amounts to € 2.123 in 2023.
2.Self-employment deduction: if you, as a self-employed person (zzp’er), qualify for this, you may deduct a fixed amount from your profit which means you have to pay less tax. The self-employment deduction amounts to € 5.030 in 2023, but the government is phasing it gradually af. In 2024 the self-employment deduction is € 3.750.
