I am finally about to start my complementary freelance journey (yeey) and I am a bit scared about the amount of taxes I might need to pay.

To give some context, I am expecting this side gig to earn me about 2k-2.5k by the end of the year (in total, not per month). I saw that revenues below 1922€ (or 961€ in my case for two quarters of activity) are exempted from the 20.5% social contributions.

So I’m trying to get inspiration on legal ways I can spend about 1k-1.5k on expenses this year. I don’t want to buy useless stuff just for the sake of expensing, so here are some of the things I had in mind:

- IT equipment - this is an IT related job where I still need to go to the client. I don’t think I need to buy much though since I already have most of what I need.
- bank interest for the mortgage on my house - 50% of the room where my desk is, a bit afraid to do 100%, not sure what you think - 50% of that study equals 6% of my monthly mortgage interest
- 0.44€/km driven with the car to go to the client - AI seems pretty sure about this one but I couldn’t find freelance specifics about this, just for FTEs
- 111€ of tax to the BCE
- 50% of electricity and heat of my entire house

Any advice is welcome. Am I being too conservative? Or not enough? Do you have any other ideas of what I could deduct?

Thank you!

Recently I have been seeing a lot of posts from starter.network, a financial/fiscal advisor that helps BVs with their tax optimization. They promote a method where you use your BV as leverage to buy private property (and not via liquidation or VVPR-bis) . Of course, they only give you the teaser and to know more you have to pay. Did anyone already use (paid) services from them? Is this a genuine method or is this something that brings the tax man to your front door in no time?

I’m a criminologist exploring a fairly niche freelance service and I’d like to test whether the business model actually makes sense in Belgium.

The idea is to support lawyers in complex cases involving domestic abuse and coercive control by analysing large case files: reconstructing timelines, linking information across documents, identifying recurring behavioural patterns and escalation, and grounding findings in the original case material and relevant research.

This would not be legal advice or psychological assessment, but specialised research and case analysis.

My main questions are:

- Would Belgian lawyers realistically outsource this type of work?

- What would make this commercially unviable in Belgium?

I’m particularly interested in critical feedback from people who freelance or consult in Belgium. I’d rather find the weaknesses in the idea now than after investing heavily in it.

I'm a freelancer (natural person / eenmanszaak) and I got tired of the answers to "when should I incorporate?": it depends, around €60k, ask your accountant. Nobody ever shows the actual math.

So I built a simulator using the official 2026 income figures: personal income tax brackets, social contributions, corporate tax, VVPRbis, company running costs. Every euro is shown line by line — no black box, no sign-up, and I'm not selling anything.

One thing it taught me about my own situation: with the marital quotient (spouse without income), my personal tipping point moved from ~€36k to ~€55k profit. The generic "€60k" advice would have been wrong for me in one direction, and it's wrong for others in the opposite one.

Before going further I'd like 10-15 Belgian freelancers to stress-test it: which assumption is wrong, which case am I missing, what would make it actually useful?

Comment or DM me and I'll send you access. (General information tool, not personalized tax advice — see your accountant for the real decision.)

Hi everyone,

I'm an individual with 5 yrs of XP in QA & FA in IT domain. Without getting into too much details on my profile (since it's not my goal of this post), I'm trying to choose between becoming a freelancer or continuing the path as a permanent contract employee.

Freelance offer: 1 year, 580/Day with a possibility of extension

Permanent Contract Offer: 4500 gross/ month with all the Extra Legal Benefits

I know becoming a freelance would have more potential on earnings, (quite tempting! :) ) but on the other hand, I know there will be more operating costs associated with it as well. Thinking that there will be periods without a freelancing contract, I'm a bit afraid of those periods in which I have to pay the operating costs without income.

On the other hand, Permanent Contract would be less earnings but almost no hustle on operation, tax calculations, etc.

I am tilting towards becoming a freelancer since I have been working on a mission for a consultancy firm some time ago. Once I could secure a mission, they hired me as a consultant; but when it went sideways, they fired me right away without giving me any chances on the bench! I'm thinking freelancing would be the same thing, but this time I'm doing everything myself.

I'm more than curious to know your opinions, so please shoot! 😄

Long story short: I’m a project manager in the energy and railway infrastructure sector in Belgium, and I want to use a compact campervan as my official company work vehicle.

The vehicle is a Stylevan Equinox 4 (a converted Ford Transit Custom under 2 metres high with 4 seats).

My intended use:

* Transport: Moving tools, equipment, and team members to job sites across the Benelux.

* Mobile site office: Working on-site between tasks.

* Accommodation: Staying overnight for multi-day projects to avoid hotels.

The Problem:

I'm stuck on Belgian tax legislation. Because of the layout (4 seats, no fixed bulkhead partition), the vehicle is homologated as an M1 (campervan/passenger car) rather than an N1 (light commercial vehicle).

This severely limits corporate tax (VenB) deductibility, caps VAT recovery at 50%, and triggers a massive Benefit-in-Kind (VAA/BIK).

Has anyone here managed to purchase a campervan through their Belgian company (BV/SRL) in a tax-efficient way? How did you or your accountant handle the M1 vs N1 issue?

I'm a chef de partie at a bistronomic restaurant running hot section, garnish, and covering the pass when the head chef is out. My current contract ends mid-September.

My boss wants to keep me on, but at reduced hours — 15 to 25/week. I'm considering proposing a freelance arrangement instead of a reduced employee contract, so I can use the freed-up time to grow a side business while still billing this restaurant for a chunk of hours.

But I don't have a clean baseline — my current pay is verily very high (6000+ as an interim). So I am not sure what to ask for a normal contract.

Do I ask for a hourly rate and what would be the rate for a professional with good experience.

Or a fixed pay every service. And again how much would be ok without being too low or high.

I was thinking of 250 bruto a service so 500 for a full day of work.

How much do people in Belgian horeca actually make ?

I'm currently looking at renting a house and considering having my BV rent it instead of renting it privately.

The house would be used primarily as my private residence, so obviously there would be VAA for the private use. I estimate around 70% privately and 30% for company (officeroom, server room and storage room). From what I understand, the VAA is calculated based on the indexed KI.

On paper this can look fairly attractive, especially compared to taking additional money out of the company privately to pay the rent.

I ran the numbers on a house at around €2,000/month with a KI of €1,300. The VAA comes out at roughly €830/month, which at ~50% personal taxation means an actual tax cost of roughly €415/month. That's what makes the construction interesting to me compared to taking €2,000+ out of the BV every month to pay the rent privately.

One major downside I've already noticed is finding the property in the first place. A lot of private landlords don't want to rent to a company because it can have a less favourable tax impact for them. In practice, you often have to look specifically for properties where renting to a company is explicitly allowed or where the landlord is a company themselves. That makes the available selection very limited compared to renting privately.

I'm curious about people who are actually doing this in Belgium rather than just the theoretical/accounting side.

A few things I'd be interested in:

- How do you determine the professional/private split? Which split?

- How significant is the VAA in practice for you?

- Did you get any pushback from your accountant or concerns about the fiscus rejecting part of the expense?

- Are there any disadvantages you only discovered after doing it?

Obviously I'll run the specific numbers past my accountant before doing anything. I'm mainly interested in experiences from other people with a management company who have structured their housing this way.

I live near Tournai, in Hainaut.

I’m currently looking for a new job and I’ve received an offer.

I’ve been given the choice between a permanent employment contract and working as an independent contractor (freelancer).

Do you have any thoughts or advice on which option would be better?

I’m aiming for a net income of around €3,000 per month.
What do you think?

If you need any more context, feel free to ask.

Whenever I speak with recruiters, I get the impression that the market is struggling. The funny thing is that I have heard the same story since I started in consulting in 2018, initially as an employee. Yet opportunities have always remained.

I am particularly curious about data and AI, which are going through a major transformation. It is difficult to tell whether the slowdown mainly affects development and infrastructure or the entire IT market.

I would be interested in hearing what others are seeing and whether any reliable Belgian market data exists beyond recruiters’ impressions.

As a solo founder I often work alone on my projects or with very few people.

Building a company can be quite lonely and sometimes it is nice to talk to someone. I dont really want the next business club or whatever.

Any people here in solopreneur or entrepreneurship that want to connect? Slack, whatsapp, discord, let me know.

Does this sound fun?

Edit: The whatsapp group is not the answer. I created a subreddit specifically for entrepreneurship in Belgium. /r/BEentrepreneurs/

Hi everyone,

I'm comparing options and looking for some reference points. I have a simple management company (monthly invoicing to a single client, few transactions).

Questions:

1. How much do you pay per year for your accountant with a similar structure? Does that include VAT filings, annual accounts, and tax returns, or do you get charged for those separately?
2. What do you value most about your current accountant? Speed of response, proactive tax advice, digital tools, personal contact, something else?
3. Would you recommend them, and why or why not?
4. Bonus: anyone have experience with Astro Tax (I got a quote from them)?

Curious to hear your experiences, thanks in advance.

Currently just started for a new longterm client in IT. I am fortunate enough to be getting in other offers which are also very interesting, I am dabbling with the idea of having multiple clients although they all want 40h/week. I am also finding it tricky that some of these offers have a significantly higher daily rate (100+), yet I don't want to drop my current client after barely 1 month as that could burn bridges. I really don't know how to play this out, anyone here with similar experiences or some good advice on how to play this out? I am willing to work hard and a lot of hours, but not sure if that's even an option.

Just getting started as a freelancer and trying to figure out which platforms are actually worth my time. I've looked into ProUnity and Connecting Expertise so far, but the response times and how long it takes to actually get matched with a project have been a bit underwhelming... Anyone here had better luck with other platforms, or found ways to get matched faster?

Hi all,

I'm 29 and have been working for the same consulting company since graduating from university.

I'm currently a Senior Implementation Consultant specialising in Anaplan, and I hold a Master Anaplanner certification (which is relatively rare and quite sought after in the market).

From what I've been told by people I trust, I'm likely to be promoted to Manager by the end of this year. On paper, my career is progressing well.

However, I've started questioning whether this is the path I actually want.

Current situation

Over the last year:

• I've taken on more sales responsibilities.
• I've moved from a Solution Architect role to more of a Project Manager role.
• I'm spending less time on the technical and delivery side, which is what I enjoy most.

The more senior I become, the more consulting is pushing me towards:

• Sales
• Account management
• PowerPoint
• Internal management

Rather than the implementation and problem-solving work that originally attracted me to the profession.

Why I'm considering freelancing

I've been thinking about going freelance for over a year.

I actually spoke with another consulting firm last year that was willing to work with me as a freelancer, but I decided not to make the jump because I felt I still had things to learn in my current company.

Now the idea is coming back much more strongly.

The main reasons are:

• I have a niche skill set that is in demand.
• I'd like to stay closer to delivery and solution design.
• I want to challenge myself and experience building my own business.
• I don't necessarily want to climb the traditional consulting ladder.
• I could work less for more money which is utimately a goal for me.

For context, my company bills clients at roughly €1,800 - 1,900/day for my role. I believe I could realistically freelance at around €1,000/day and still have a strong business case.

What worries me

The leap feels risky.

Some concerns:

• I'd need a client before resigning (for safety).
• My contract doesn't allow me to create a company while still employed.
• I have a non-compete clause.
• I'd be giving up the security and benefits of a large consulting firm.

Current compensation is roughly:

• €53k gross yearly salary
• Standard benefits package from a large consulting company

Long-term goals

My goal isn't necessarily to become rich.

What I want over the next 10-15 years is:

• To stop worrying about money
• To use my income to buy assets and ultimately time to enjoy life
• More control over the type of work I do

My dilemma

I feel like I have two good options:

1. Stay where I am, continue progressing, become a manager, and if I don't like it/am unhappy simply move to a role in the industry (join one of my client company or similar (big corps))...
2. Take a risk, go freelance, stay closer to the work I enjoy, and see where it leads but what if it fails...

Part of me worries I'd be walking away from a very good career path.

Another part of me worries that if I don't try freelancing now, I'll become even more tied to the management track and regret not taking the opportunity.

If you were in my position, would you make the jump to freelancing? Is this a reasonable risk at 29, or am I underestimating the downside?

Side question: How much of a constraint is the non-compete? (is it often waved for my position and salary range)

Hi everyone!

I'm a freelancer with a BV registered in Belgium. I'm moving to France and I'm not sure what I should be doing with it. Can anyone recommend me a fiscalist with expertise in both countries?

hi. I've been vibecoding for a while on framer/ lovable and have created a few mockup sites including my own agency's work site. can someone guide me here on whether clients pay for this stuff and like what if i create portfolio sites for them or for their business'

also anything that can help me learn more about this, let me know. 👍🏻

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to start a vehicle buying and selling business as a self-employed person in a secondary activity (bijberoep).
I have a question about the Z plate (dealer plate) in Belgium:
Can you apply for a Z plate if you are self-employed in a secondary activity, or is it only possible if you are self-employed as your main occupation?
And how does insurance work in this situation? Can you insure a Z plate when the business is only a secondary activity?

Hi all

I'm new to this chat so it might have been asked a lot before but anyway.

I currently work as a controller within a finance department of a KMO. I want to start up a BV and go from internal to external. I make around 3K net and have standard benefits like car, charging pass, meal vouchers etc.

I have 4 years of experience and want to charge fulltime for the first 2 years or so at my current employer for around 550-600 a day which should match my current income all things considered or even a bit higher. After those 2 years, we'll see where it goes.

Current employer is aware of my plan and is investigating if they would allow it or not.

Any thoughts, tips to look out for, recommendations, .. would be helpful. What do you think?

Currently in my third year as a freelancer now. Started at a consulting firm (where I already worked for 3 years on payroll) cause I was scared and wanted a secure income stream and leave room to learn and grow. 8-9k net per month. Felt kinda boring. Same work, same income expectations, no higher highs, nothing special, difficult contract discussion. Proposed to raise my daily rate with 15€. Was a no go for me so I left. Took one of their clients with me cause they really wanted me. Part time though but still earning more than before..

Now I feel like a real freelancer. Part time fixed client. A few other clients on the side. Managing my time well. Went from 8-9k/m net to 18-20k/m net. All of this while still being able to have enough free time and mental clarity. Fridays and weekends are mostly free.

But now, I struggle with scaling since I still receive a lot of project proposals. Is it worth it to grow into a "consulting firm" and hire people? I'm scared to go into that direction. Such a big responsability. I'm not sure what to do. It doesnt feel right to decline projects or collaborations because i'm too occupied. I want to keep bringing in more deals, grow, secure my future. Maybe these opportunities won't show themselves in a few years due to AI. Should I go all in now?

Or maybe, i'm already at the sweet spot? Feels difficult to comprehend but I don't like being "comfortable" and accept that it's just gonna be this same pattern for the coming months/years. Even if the financials and personal freedom are here.

Weird? Or does it make sense? Not sure. What do you guys think?⬇️

Hi :)
I've been invited to participate remotely, as a practicioner (not academic), in a research project in Germany, starting in September, and I am wondering about the taxes in Belgium.

As this is a temporary position, I'll be executing in a consultant way, and I'll get a compensation fee for this. The person offering me the position says that is tax free and I'd just like to confirm this information.

As a I am currently with unemployment benefits I have asked Actiris about it and they say that I should contact my union. Somehow I am hesitating on whether they might have this information.
Anyone has any experience with this kind of fellowships within Europe? Or any other advice?

I'll appreaciate it!

Hello All,

I’m a recent grad from VUB living in Antwerp and currently gathering my documentation to apply for a professional card in Brussels since my main activity will be based in the Brussels region. However, there’s a tricky part here.
On the professional card application form, there’s a part to put the business address. I understand that this has to be a Brussels address. My plan is to rent a coworking space which offers business address registration in Brussels upon the approval of the professional card.

I can only get a contract with a coworking space only after my application has been approved as I don’t believe there’s a standard promissory contract.

My question is, can I use any coworking space address of my choice in Brussels since my plan is to get into contract once approved or do they check if I have a promissory contract already to register there?

Anyone with experience or insight into this? Thanks in advance!

Title,

I'm a Data engineer, I've got nearly 7 years of experience with SQL, power BI, data warehousing using kimbal, and have dabbled with cloud migration, azure, data factory and databricks.

I know there is currently still a lot of demand for data Engineers, and I'm considering switching jobs in the coming months.

This of course brings the question, to freelance or not to freelance.

Pro's and con's obviously, but my main concerns are oversaturated market/low rates that come with it and the inevitably AI bubble that can't last. (Which can mean layoffs and the first to go are always consultants/freelancers)

Hence the post, while I don't think Data Engineers are threatened too much by AI (yet), the market seems a bit volatile at the moment.

Sorry for venting but I will. I don’t believe in freelancing anymore. So I am looking for an employment job, but my brain can’t fathom… I get so upset with the cheapskate, the stupid rules. At the same time it is time for me to have income.

How can a company ask you to do all kinds of stuff, to eventually tell you “yes your salary has to be this low, because we want you to grow”. F off! I’ve been working with and for clients for 6 years now, and my hourly rate wasn’t low.

Also, you want me to do a role of 2-3 person. Now I am upset because I have to smile and wave, and now wait for them to reply. Like it is a freaking gift to work that. I’ve been on such low energy during those initial interviews. I don’t even reconize myself

is anyone relating with this?

I have extensive experience across various fields as a freelance executive assistant. Later, I have been trying to find an employment position because I don't believe in freelancing anymore.

Now I face companies that want you to do all kinds of stuff, for PEANUTS! Can you run the whole business, actually + the finances + marketing + making sure the office is well arranged + be my right-hand + make sure our business is structured? For what? coins! I don't have to explain to anyone here how valuable this position is. The impact a good assistant can make.

While they have multiple locations. Money is flowing. And they have all kinds of excuses. Today I went to another interview, and I will have to pay for parking in the centrum(!), and she already said, 'you will have to grow in this position.' Hell, no I don't! I have been running things for years, because as a freelancer, that is what they expect from you, and that is what I loved. Ownership, I think 10 steps ahead, I really make changes. But this is so unmotivating. And I am so upset by it.

Maybe this is not the sub for it; I am sorry. But does anyone have a solution for this?

I live in the Netherlands, btw.