Better Freelance Card or Toiminimi?

[JohnGabriel]

Hello everybody,

after my arrival in Finland, I eventually managed to land a "job contract" with the following features:

• Duration of "employment": 4,5 months

• Payment 1000€ in one solution at "work done"

Since I am an EU citizen, so I can work up to 3 months without permit, and therefore it'd useless to apply for a residence permit, because the working time and money conditions will lead to a rejection of my application for a residence permit.

Now I would like to know if the Maistraatti can give me a tax card (or Finnish ID) without a residence permit, and if yes, what kind of tax card can I ask for? Considering the figures in my contract, is it better to ask for a Freelance Card or Toiminimi?

And anyway, which would be the pros and cons of a Freelance Card in my case? How much does it cost to obtain it? How much am I going to pay to maintain it (monthly/yearly expenses)?

Is the Freelance Card considered as "establishing a business"? Will I lose any Social Benefit like in the case of "Starting-up a Company"?

Can I obtain a "normal" tax card like a common citizen, so to avoid paying more taxes than the average? Is there a way to earn this money tax-free?

After all, is it worth accepting this contract, given that I shall be outside any Social Security Coverage?

[Pursuivant]

For a freelance card you would actually be needing more than one contractor.. but what you do is you go to the tax office, with your contract... they can "fix" you with the ID number, it just takes a couple of days they rotate it through the maistraatti... its supposedly been streamlined but I'm not 100% sure they've told all the offices about it yet. And yes, of course you can get an ID number without residence - i.e. police paper - how you expect people working getting paid otherwise? The residence thing means getting domiciled and thats a whole different can of worms.

[Rosamunda]

If you have any problems try this place: www.intofinland.fi

That office regroups tax and social security under one roof and they speak several languages. No phone service but they do answer emails and you can always walk in to the office in the Kamppi area of Helsinki.

[JimmyBang]

For a freelance card you would actually be needing more than one contractor.. but what you do is you go to the tax office, with your contract... they can "fix" you with the ID number, it just takes a couple of days they rotate it through the maistraatti... its supposedly been streamlined but I'm not 100% sure they've told all the offices about it yet. And yes, of course you can get an ID number without residence - i.e. police paper - how you expect people working getting paid otherwise? The residence thing means getting domiciled and thats a whole different can of worms.

what the frick is a freelance card?

[EP]

Tax paper with your tax percentage.

[karel]

after my arrival in Finland, I eventually managed to land a "job contract" with the following features:

• Duration of "employment": 4,5 months

• Payment 1000€ in one solution at "work done"

With all the other issues aside...

€1000 at work done for 4,5 months?
I wouldn't get out of bed for that kind of money. I don't know what kind of work you're doing, but you should be getting AT LEAST €1000 per month.

[JohnGabriel]

And yes, of course you can get an ID number without residence[...] The residence thing means getting domiciled and thats a whole different can of worms.

Thanx Pursuivant for the info, straight to the point, that's what I needed to know: I can get the ID-number without residence permit.

But this means that I have the "right to pay taxes in Finland", without the "right to reside in Finland". So, where is the "free mobility of EU workers"?

@Penelope:

I went to the InTo Finland office in Kamppi and they answered "Yes, the work lasts more than 3 months, so you should register your right to reside for 4,5... but you are EU citizen, so you don't need to register for the first 3 months... which means asking for 1,5 months of residence permit... and also the payment per month is not enough, so they won't give the residence permit for so little time and money... uhm... let's see... I don't know... this case it's complicated"

- "Excuse me, but why you don't know?"

- "Because we have only been processing normal job contracts, usually one or two years employment with enough monthly wage"

- "So, what can I do now?"

- "Ask for a normal job contract: full-time employment with a monthly wage that meets the collective agreement of your sector"

- "Thank you for your valuable help, have a nice day"

[Rosamunda]

So if you are an EU citizen just set yourself up as self employed in your own country and then you bill your customer for services provided.

Your customer will probably find this much easier to cope with anyway since he will have one invoice to pay each month (or whatever T&Cs you decide) rather than having to faff around with payroll.

[JohnGabriel]

...set yourself up as self employed in your own country and then you bill your customer for services provided...

Yes, this is a good solution to make the life of my Finnish customers much easier.
But will it make easier to achieve my goal of settling down in Finland?
Since this work lasts for less than 6 months, I am "allowed" to stay here and I have to pay 35% tax rate to Mother Finland but I shall be outside any Social Security Coverage. Is it fair? Is there a way to fix it?

[Rosamunda]

...set yourself up as self employed in your own country and then you bill your customer for services provided...

Yes, this is a good solution to make the life of my Finnish customers much easier.
But will it make easier to achieve my goal of settling down in Finland?
Since this work lasts for less than 6 months, I am "allowed" to stay here and I have to pay 35% tax rate to Mother Finland but I shall be outside any Social Security Coverage. Is it fair? Is there a way to fix it?

I don't get it.

You are an EU citizen.

You can move here whenever you like.

If you want to settle here then all you need is a job, an address and a KELA ID number.

You have been offered a job (you have a contract) so what's stopping you getting the KELA ID? Have you actually made the application?

Your EU Health card from your home country covers you for the first three months here.

[JohnGabriel]

You have been offered a job (you have a contract) so what's stopping you getting the KELA ID?

Regardless of the Country of origin, social coverage begins if the pay & weekly hours meet the minimum requirements of:

• - at least 18 hours per week

• - 961€ per month (where no collective agreement exists)

Therefore, with my "job contract", I am outside any social coverage, meaning that I will be working for 4,5 months without any KELA ID, besides paying 35% tax-at-source, so after 4,5 months I will get only 75% of 1000€, that is 750€ for 4,5 months

I'm learning the hard way that the "right of EU citizens to move freely inside EU" does not include the "right to live in another EU Country".

And I've been "living" in Finland without job contract (with my savings) for 2 years, desperately job-hunting without any EURES help, finally getting 750€/4,5months and since my 3-months health coverage from EU insurance card is long past expired, I really would like to get the right to be registered with a residence permit.

But with my "job contract" the story is simple:

No minimum requirements met --> No residence permit --> No Finnish ID --> Welcome to work in Finland

[Pursuivant]

Yes well usually people get the idea in 3 months instead of 2 years... if theres no work, then there is no work.

[onkko]

Thats sad but when you think about bigger picture youll understand it.
If its really open to just come and be covered finlands social security would collapse, there is already big problem with romas from EU who found out that they can ask asylym and be under social security and housing for 1 to 3 months + other social shoppers.
We just cannot afford social security for whole world or even for EU.

[Rosamunda]

You have been offered a job (you have a contract) so what's stopping you getting the KELA ID?

Regardless of the Country of origin, social coverage begins if the pay & weekly hours meet the minimum requirements of:

• - at least 18 hours per week

• - 961€ per month (where no collective agreement exists)

Therefore, with my "job contract", I am outside any social coverage, meaning that I will be working for 4,5 months without any KELA ID, besides paying 35% tax-at-source, so after 4,5 months I will get only 75% of 1000€, that is 750€ for 4,5 months

I'm learning the hard way that the "right of EU citizens to move freely inside EU" does not include the "right to live in another EU Country".

And I've been "living" in Finland without job contract (with my savings) for 2 years, desperately job-hunting without any EURES help, finally getting 750€/4,5months and since my 3-months health coverage from EU insurance card is long past expired, I really would like to get the right to be registered with a residence permit.

But with my "job contract" the story is simple:

No minimum requirements met --> No residence permit --> No Finnish ID --> Welcome to work in Finland

Well, you didn't give all that info in your original post and we can't guess the questions you don't ask.

But I think you will find the rules are pretty much the same in all the EU countries.

Maybe you are just barking up the wrong tree. Maybe you need to re-train or study before you continue the job search.

You can live here, no one will throw you out if you are EU (unless you commit some kind of a crime) but no, the state won't finance your extended vacation. If I were to move to your country, it would be the same.

[JohnGabriel]

Maybe you need to re-train or study before you continue the job search [...]but no, the state won't finance your extended vacation.

Actually, since my arrival two years ago, I have been first attending a Finnish course at Helsingin Yliopisto, then a Swedish course at Arbis, then a Web-oriented programming course at Arcada, and finally I have just applied to a Master's Degree in Computer Science at Helsingin Yliopisto. I will get my acceptance/rejection letter in April. Yes, it has been a relaxing extended vacation, except for my full-time job-hunting process,

Anyway, back to my original questions:

Which would be the pros and cons of a Freelance Card in my case? How much does it cost to obtain it? How much am I going to pay to maintain it (monthly/yearly expenses)?

Is the Freelance Card considered as "establishing a business"? Will I lose any Social Benefit like in the case of "Starting-up a Company"?

Can I obtain a "normal" tax card like a common citizen, so to avoid paying more taxes than the average? Is there a way to earn this money tax-free?

After all, is it worth accepting this contract, given that I shall be outside any Social Security Coverage?