Social Security procedures tend to be a hot topic of conversation among business owners, and one that is high up on the list is whether it is better to take out a private pension to complement obligatory monthly payments or to simply increase Social Security payments. As I looked into this matter further, I was taken back to the Law of Urgent Measures for Sole Traders which was approved in 2017.
We have discussed in past issues the serious battle Social Security has on its hands. Although we may complain about the amount of money we pay each month towards our Social Security contributions, they are essential if we want to receive our well-earned pensions come retirement age.
When a business owner hires an employee, they do not only have to take their salary into account when calculating costs, but a portion of Social Security and a quarterly tax amount must be factored into the overall expense. These two concepts are based on a percentage of said salary so it stands to reason, the fewer hours the employee works, the lower their salary and the lower the taxes to be paid out by the business owner.
If as a business owner you have employees, you may have received communications from your Advisors to implement a method to register your employees regular work hours as well as overtime as per Royal Decree 8/2019, 8th March, to be enforced from 12th May 2019. Why has this come about and what is the point of registering employee work hours?
There has been much talk over the past few years about bringing the Spanish Social Security system in line with the rest of Europe because as I’m sure you’re aware, sole-traders in this country pay a heck of a lot more than most other European countries (currently a minimum of 278,88 euros without taking possible reduced rates or flat-rates into consideration). In any case, the proposal currently on the table and a source of debate is for sole-traders to contribute in accordance to their income.
20th April, 20th July, 20th October and 20th – 31st January… No, I haven’t gone mad! Many business owners tremble when these four dates are mentioned because it is when quarterly taxes are due and a portion of the income earned with blood, sweat and buckets of tears goes straight into the tax man’s pocket. The economy is well on its way to recover but there are still some sole-traders out there whose businesses continue to struggle and the thought of quarterly taxes or payment of their monthly Social Security contribution can send them into a panic.
One of the first things I advise new clients to my office is no matter how difficult it gets, they must always make sure to pay Social Security and the Tax Offices within established deadlines because failure to do so can set off a series of events that can snowball and leave the business owner with a mountain of ever increasing debt when late-payment interest is added on top of an existing debt. What can one do though if it is impossible to make payments on time?
