Remote working is becoming more and more popular. You, as a remote worker,
benefit from the perk of working location independently.
There are generally two options: you can work as an independent contractor or
as an employee. In many situations, a remote employee is required to be self-
employed in connection with payment arrangements. Both options have both
advantages and disadvantages that are important to weigh up against each
other.
Independent contractor
Benefits
- You have a certain amount of freedom to manage your own agenda;
- You have the option to earn more money; you can invoice overtime, while overtime as an employee is often included in your contract;
- You can work on personal projects that are not managed by an employer;
- As an independent contractor, you do not pay tax on every euro you earn; you pay tax on the amount you have made, minus the costs of running your business.
Cons
- As an independent contractor, you need to earn about 60% - 100% more to replicate the total compensation of a full-time salary;
- You rarely get any of the major benefits, including paid time off, health care, tuition allowance, continuing education, life insurance, disability, retirement plan, travel allowance, sabbatical time, etc.
- You will never really be part of the company, and it is not possible to grow in function or to be promoted;
- You are often the first to be let go in less favorable times.
- You always have to deliver quality; otherwise, there is a good chance that the collaboration will end (you are less "safe").
Why you should switch to salaried employment
Choosing to switch to salaried employment can be a difficult choice for an
independent contractor. There are advantages and disadvantages. You will have
to sacrifice the benefits of being an independent
contractor. Why become an employee at a company for which you
have been working for a while on an independent basis?
- The benefits, paid leave, health care, tuition reimbursement, continuing education, life insurance, disability, pension scheme, travel allowance, sabbatical time, etc .;
- If you work for the same client for a long time as a self-employed person, you run the risk of being seen as a false self-employed person (read more about this here);
- You do not have to register yourself as an independent contractor if you are starting your first remote job;
- Possibility to grow internally, also remotely;
- You are (contractually) more protected than an independent contractor.
When you work remotely from a country other than the company itself, you
almost always work as an independent contractor. This is because it is easier
for a company to hire an independent contractor than to hire an employee.
However, as an independent contractor, you miss many benefits. Most of the
time, a company is not aware of the alternative. Rivermate acts as an
intermediary between employer and employee so that both get all the benefits
of being employed by a company, regardless of distance or country of
company/employee (Read more about Rivermate).
Founder & Managing Director
Lucas Botzen is the founder of Rivermate, a global HR platform specializing in international payroll, compliance, and benefits management for remote companies. He previously co-founded and successfully exited Boloo, scaling it to over €2 million in annual revenue. Lucas is passionate about technology, automation, and remote work, advocating for innovative digital solutions that streamline global employment.
