Anyone using/used Access Financial Services?

[Brussels Slumdog]

Exception to the rule

Join date Dec 2009
Only 1 post, and that was today.
Public profile not visible.
Me thinks insider

By the way, No Fixed Abode does not = no tax residency.

If you are single it might be possible

You are British but you never work or live in the UK which
means that you have the right to work in Europe.
You have a contract to work for say a US multinational in France but
don't live in France.
During the contract you work sometimes remotely from your girlfriend's flat in Spain and sometimes from your mate's flat in Amsterdam.
There are contractors out there who believe it or not live this lifestyle.

[nodric]

If you are single it might be possible

You are British but you never work or live in the UK which
means that you have the right to work in Europe.
You have a contract to work for say a US multinational in France but
don't live in France.
During the contract you work sometimes remotely from your girlfriend's flat in Spain and sometimes from your mate's flat in Amsterdam.
There are contractors out there who believe it or not live this lifestyle.

Can you imagine the stress levels keeping that one together

The French would require registration if the person is present for more than 8 days a month, or if the person intends to be there for more than the 183 days in anyone tax year then you are supposed to pay the French some money!

Also, the US corp would be telling IRS all about you if you are on their payroll, so you might find the US tax man would like to have a chat. The UK also has that wonderful concept of Domicile. Even if you don't live there, or pay tax there, as a British citizen you can still be classed as Domiciled. To escape this, you normally have to be permanently out of the UK for more than 5 years, having spent no more than 90 days a year there in any 4 year period. Then you can ask Hector to make you a non Dom. It took me 3 years of asking to get them to stop sending me self assessment returns, even though I was a tax payer in Belgium!

But, I see the idea. If you keep on the move, never live anywhere for more than 3 months in any one year, change jobs or payment streams every 180 days, then you could keep slipping through the net. Phew, I'm exhausted

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[Casall]

Good that I found this thread…!

I am potentially being offered an 18-month contract in Finland and would prefer to work there through a UK-based limited company.

Agent tells me that if I use Access Financial Services, my take home pay would be about 70%. It sounds too good to be true and I question whether that would be illegal.

It looks like there are divided opinions about this company.

Should I use them or go with a limited company instead?

Thanks.

[nodric]

Good that I found this thread…!

I am potentially being offered an 18-month contract in Finland and would prefer to work there through a UK-based limited company.

Agent tells me that if I use Access Financial Services, my take home pay would be about 70%. It sounds too good to be true and I question whether that would be illegal.

It looks like there are divided opinions about this company.

Should I use them or go with a limited company instead?

Thanks.

Sorry for the delay in responding, but life is busy!

I have no knowledge of the Finnish system for tax and SS etc. However, I would be careful of anyone proposing a split income system. i.e. Involving trust funds, offshore banks etc. Finland, like all of Scandinavia has a very high standard of living, funded by an equally high level of taxes.

If Access are offering a fully approved and legal solution, ask them for documents from the Finnish authorities, or a recognised Finnish tax lawyer. e.g. Earnst & Young, that details the approvals etc.

If they can’t, more likely won’t, then I suggest you walk away.

Will you be employed, self employed, or work via your own company?

Who will be responsible for taxes and SS?

Will some of your income be held by a 3rd party to avoid personal liabilities? If so, how will you access this, and when. What taxes will be due, and where, on this balance?

Where will your tax residency be? UK Law states you must declare your Worldwide income, so if you intend to take a big chunk as you leave Finland, will you tell Hector?

These are some of the questions you should be asking...

As to whether you should specifically avoid Access per sey, you should remember my earlier advice:

How is their accountant in China or India going to represent you in French or Dutch [and now Finnish], when the local inspector wants to come and do an inspection of your accounts? Will they come over and explain your accounts and defend any penalties? I think not

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[moocherx]

Not sure what the comments about accountants in India is about. I use Access Financial. I work, for the moment, in Paris. They provide me with a French accountant who has registered me for the various things I need in France (N° SIRET, CPPAV, other stuff I can't remember, and she also enroled me with a union, which results in a large tax saving in itself).

They pay on-time. Yes, they have some back office activities in India, but I find I can talk to those guys more easily (because of their English capabilities) than most of the French authorities with my limited French.

I wouldn't normally reply to these things, but since AFS do me the honour of paying me before the client has paid them, and sorting everything out for a very reasonable fee, I think they deserve a positive comment. They even arranged a meeting with a bank in CH to open an account for... something.

[Fred Bloggs]

My take on all these schemes is that you'd be totally nuts to use one.

[nodric]

See the post from moocherx from 2nd December 2009, 15:21 .

Seem familiar... Note the comments afterwards.

I also Google'd moocherx and a few single post made on related IT forums. Unfortunately the cache has expired so no details.

I feel no need to defend my previous comments, and can only advise any new client to do their research, and ask some searching questions. If you get poor responses, move on and avoid!

Just as a footnote, Connexions and Access used the famous Roland in Brussels. The same Roland that got turned over by the BTA in Belgium, and a lot of people got burnt due to his 'expert' advice. When Connexions got caught they thought only of themselves, and not of the 100s of contractors who trusted them, and paid substantial fees for their service!

I wonder how loyal to the contractors Access would be if the same thing happened?

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[Brussels Slumdog]

Access and Indians

I am currently using AFS in Netherlands. The Indians sort out the Admin work
and a local Dutch Accountant does the payroll work. The Swiss just manage the operation and make a profit.

Always choose the 100% Compliant option
If not choose a country you will never return to or has no double taxation agreements with your resident country
Do your own research on Tax ,residency and SS

All payroll european companies have one thing in common

They are tax compliant in their own operating country ie Commission less expenses eq tax payable
They assume that you wish to avoid tax
They seldom have an office in the country you are working
They pay your salary via a local accountant

Remember All you are paying them is to do is the following
Receive money from the client.
Transfer your net pay to your bank account
Transfer your salary deductions to the local accountant

Be aware of payroll companies that pay you before they receive payment as this needs to be financed

[nodric]

I am currently using AFS in Netherlands. The Indians sort out the Admin work
and a local Dutch Accountant does the payroll work. The Swiss just manage the operation and make a profit.

Always choose the 100% Compliant option
If not choose a country you will never return to or has no double taxation agreements with your resident country
Do your own research on Tax ,residency and SS

All payroll European companies have one thing in common

They are tax compliant in their own operating country ie Commission less expenses eq tax payable
They assume that you wish to avoid tax
They seldom have an office in the country you are working
They pay your salary via a local accountant

Remember All you are paying them is to do is the following
Receive money from the client.
Transfer your net pay to your bank account
Transfer your salary deductions to the local accountant

Be aware of payroll companies that pay you before they receive payment as this needs to be financed

Everything BSD says is valid. I would add the following.

The Netherlands has a 30% rule, and any 'management' company operating there should be/has to be, compliant. It's very hard not to be compliant in the Netherlands. Similar rules exist in Switzerland, and some other countries.

The problem I have with management companies is that few make it 'very clear' to their clients (YOU), that splitting income offshore is dodgy at the very least, potentially criminal at worst. If they were upfront and told you from the off that they'll stick your cash anywhere you want, but the tax and other legal issues are your problem, then at least you go into it with your eyes open. The problem is that is they did, they would not grab as many contractors, or would leave themselves open to legal action for operating a tax evasion/money laundering scheme.

However, if they try to claim some sort of tax compliant voodoo, but don't tell you how it works in detail, or still get you to sign contracts to absolve them of any liability if it all goes T**Ts UP, then they are not acting in your best interests.

It is YOU, the contractor, who are supposed to declare your income to the local authorities in the jurisdiction where you are tax resident, mainly the place were you are working, unless it’s very short term. Most dictate that you must declare all your Worldwide income, and be taxed on it in their country.

As many have found out recently, even the most 'compliant' systems are fragile. BN66 anyone. Connexions split income for years via numerous offshore tax havens, and via other mechanisms, but when it all came crashing down on them the contractors were hung out to dry.

Be very wary of any scheme that takes a big slice of your wedge and sticks into some ‘fund or trust’ that is not in your name, that you have no access to, and that will pay out to you at some later date when you move countries. Many of these are failing right now and leaving the contractor with none of his war chest. A search on this forum will bring many stories of anguish and huge losses from such arrangements.

I have no problem if a contractor wants to ‘swing the lead’ for a while when working overseas, and good on em if they get away with it. Just be sure you have made that conscious decision, and are not being lulled into some false sense of security, and paying high fees for some promise of protection that will dissappear as soon as the knock at the door comes.

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[NicosAF]

Intelligent contractors

I must say that it is encouraging to see professional contractors making the effort to investigate the solutions and options available to them, when considering a cross-border assignment. Unfortunately, for every one that takes the time to investigate, there are 100 that dont, or, even worse, seem to think that they are a law unto themselves.

I represent AFSS ( head of sales and business developement ) worldwide and, by far the most problematic solutions are those agreed to under duress from the contractor or his/her agency. In these instances, the only objective appears to be net retention, regardless of the risk or the consequences. What many dont appreciate is that we, as a payroll company, are obliged to sign a contract with your agency or end client and every contract we sign holds AFSS personally liable for all of your fiscal obligations in the work country. Therefore, those payroll companies that take the view that ' it is the contractors problem if things go wrong ' are either ignorant of the contracts they sign, or dont care. Furthermore, it is incorrect to think that the payroll company carries no liability, especially where the solution provided is that of 'employment'.

Bottom line........I am not aware of one solution that AFSS has made available where the consultant has not first spoken with the candidate contractor, asked a great many probing questions and, on the back of the information provided, offered a suitable solution. Suffice to say that, if a solution is sought in a rarely visited country, for a short term and where we do not have a solution, we might, with the authorisation of all concerned ( agency/client/contractor ), agree to a simple payment and invoicing service ( P&I ). In such an instance, the facts would be clearly explained and any potential risks made known upfront. Other than that, the typical information we would require would be:

FULL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
NATIONALITY/PASSPORT(S) HELD
MARITAL STATUS
NO. OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN
WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY REGISTERED FOR INCOME TAX
WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY REGISTERED FOR SOCIAL INSURANCE
WHICH COUNTRY WILL YOU BE WORKING IN
HAVE YOU EVER DONE CONTRACT WORK BEFORE & WHERE
WHAT WILL BE THE CONTRACT RATE
WHAT IS THE EXPECTED START DATE
HOW LONG WILL THE ASSIGNMENT BE FOR
WHO IS THE AGENCY
WHO IS THE END CLIENT
CONTACT NUMBER
EMAIL ADDRESS

1.Do mistakes happen? Without a doubt.
2. Are we infallible. Definitly not.

We do, however, strive to provide all of our customers with the most appropriate advice, at a commercially attractive fee and ensure that they retain as much of their hard earned money as possible.

I and my team are available and willing to speak to anyone who requires our assistance and, as importantly, encourage all to check what we state and ensure that you fully understand and are comfortable with the recommendations. It is your money and your security at stake and you owe it to yourselves to check before buying.

Regards,

Nicos

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