{"id":16655,"date":"2024-11-26T18:06:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/?p=16655"},"modified":"2024-11-26T18:06:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:06:36","slug":"combining-several-activities-freelancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/combining-several-activities-freelancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Career slashing: can you combine several activities as a freelancer?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dog trainer and translator, house painter and tourist guide\u2026 Career slashing is the art of combining professional activities that are sometimes worlds apart. Can you do this when you\u2019re self-employed? What are the implications for your accounting and social security contributions? If you\u2019re self-employed in Belgium and want to diversify your activity, this article is for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career slashing: choosing to do \u2018more\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2018What do you want to be when you grow up?\u2019 Our grandparents probably didn’t imagine that you could become a self-employed accountant and<\/em><\/strong> a home chef. Their generation had a certain tendency to prioritise stability above all else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger generations, on the other hand, are often looking to find meaning and flexibility<\/strong> in <\/strong>their work. And career slashing is one of the ways they\u2019re achieving that. Like Alina, the \u2018translator \/ private tutor \/ founder of an e-commerce site\u2019 or Bastien, the \u2018web developer \/ home pastry chef\u2019. These career slashers<\/strong> have decided to combine different professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career slashing is therefore a way of life that is chosen consciously,<\/strong> unlike the situation of those forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the question here is: can a self-employed sole trader in Belgium carry out different professions?<\/strong> The answer is: yes! However, this choice will have consequences for your accounting and your admin. What does that mean in practice? Let us explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 This article focuses on freelancers<\/strong> who have multiple activities. Another way to be a career slasher is to be an employee in one profession and self-employed in a completely different secondary occupation<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple activities, one business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, it\u2019s entirely possible to carry out several activities under a single sole proprietorship.<\/strong> The only condition is that you have to define several NACEBEL codes<\/strong> for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium, each economic activity corresponds to one or more NACEBEL code(s). These codes are useful for the authorities for statistical purposes, but they\u2019re also important for you! They determine your rights to support and subsidies<\/strong> according to your sector, and they determine any obligations<\/strong> you might have. That\u2019s right, some activities come with requirements that need to be met, such as professional qualifications, permits, insurance, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a concrete example: Ilias is a hairdresser during the day, but devotes a few evenings a week to his graphic design activity. He declares at least two NACEBEL codes: \u201874103 – Graphic design activities\u2019 and \u201896021 \u2013 Hairdressing\u2019. While he can work as a graphic designer without any particular qualifications, he must have a diploma or be able to prove his experience to work as a hairdresser.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on NACEBEL codes, see our full article on the subject<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding an activity along the way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What about adding an activity to your business at some point? You can! Even several years after starting your business. If you do this, you\u2019ll of course have to add the corresponding NACEBEL code(s) to your activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding one or more NACEBEL codes (in the same request) costs \u20ac109 (in 2024) per establishment unit or address.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Accountable tip:<\/strong> Since you can choose several NACEBEL codes when setting up your business and need to pay to add extra ones, it\u2019s better to choose too many NACEBEL codes than to limit yourself. Let’s imagine that Ilias, \u2018graphic designer \/ hairdresser\u2019, plans to help his clients with web development in the future. He can anticipate this and mention the code \u201862010 – Computer Programming\u2019 when setting up his business, even if he\u2019s not yet sure if he\u2019ll offer this service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does all this mean for your accounting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if you combine different activities, you still have one single VAT number.<\/strong> This one number groups together all your professional activities. To avoid getting mixed up, it\u2019s crucial to keep clear accounts<\/strong> for each activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, here are the points to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n