{"id":19917,"date":"2025-11-20T11:31:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T10:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/?p=19917"},"modified":"2025-11-20T11:31:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T10:31:50","slug":"5-myths-freelancing-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you considering becoming self-employed? If so, you probably have a<\/strong> lot of<\/strong> questions, like: Is it mandatory to hire an accountant? Do I still pay taxes, even if I\u2019m not earning much yet? Do I have to join a union for the self-employed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we debunk 5 common myths about self-employment, so you can get started with confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth #1: Hiring an accountant is mandatory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u274c False.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many new freelancers think they need to have an accountant. This isn’t entirely true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re self-employed as a sole trader in Belgium, you can easily manage your own accounting using an app like Accountable, for example.<\/strong> This will save you several hundred euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The added value of an accountant lies in the financial advice they provide. This becomes increasingly useful as your business grows and your accounting becomes more complex.<\/p>\n\n\n \n

\n \"exclamation\"\n \n
\n

Are you self-employed with a company? In that case,\u00a0<\/span>hiring a<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>chartered accountant<\/b> becomes a must.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth #2: You need to join a union for the self-employed <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u274c False.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you become self-employed, you receive various letters in the post that look like official invoices from unions for the self-employed, e.g. an invitation to join the SDI\/SDZ, a Belgian union for the self-employed and SMEs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beware: these are often commercial in nature and not legitimate invoices. You only need to pay if you want to become a member.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n

\n \"exclamation\"\n \n
\n

A genuine invoice always features the word\u00a0<\/span>Invoice <\/b>(or<\/span> Facture <\/b>\/<\/span> Factuur<\/b>)\u00a0and mentions your company registration number on the document. If it doesn’t? Then it’s not a real invoice, and you\u2019re under no obligation to pay!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth #3: When you don\u2019t earn much, you don’t pay taxes <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u274c False.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many newly self-employed people think, “I don’t earn much yet, so I won’t have to pay taxes.” Unfortunately, that\u2019s not how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with a limited income, you still need to pay taxes, although there is a \u2018tax-exempt portion\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year (2025), the amount is \u20ac10,570. If your net taxable income (i<\/strong>.e., <\/strong>turnover – social security contributions – professional expenses) is less than or equal to this amount, you w<\/strong>on\u2019t <\/strong>have to pay i<\/strong>ncome <\/strong>tax.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you earn more, the tax-exempt portion is calculated as a \u2018reduction\u2019 of the total amount you need to pay in taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n \n

\n \"exclamation\"\n \n
\n

Important!<\/b>\u00a0Before becoming self-employed in a secondary occupation, note that\u00a0<\/span>your income from your self-employed activity is added to your employee salary for tax purposes.<\/b>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, even if your secondary income is below the tax-exempt threshold, you\u2019ll still be taxed on it if your total income exceeds the tax-exempt amount.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

The best way to keep as much of your income as possible is to generate\u00a0sufficient business expenses.<\/strong> Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth #4: The more money I spend, the better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u274c False.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everything you buy is tax-deductible. Also, you can only claim professional expenses against your taxes, as private expenses are not taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n \n

\n \"bulb\"\n \n
\n

It’s tempting to make a few expensive purchases at the end of the year to reduce your tax burden. But remember:\u00a0<\/span>every expense costs money, and the most important thing is that your business is making a profit.<\/b> So, only invest in expenses that actually bring value to your business.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth #5: Accounting software is only for experts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u274c False.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t need an accounting degree or years of experience to be able to handle your own accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to user-friendly tools like Accountable,<\/strong> accounting is easy, even for those starting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools like this allow you to track your income, expenses, and taxes right from your smartphone, so you have a clear overview and can manage everything easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

We hope these answers give you the confidence to embark on your freelance adventure. Ready to take control of your admin and accounting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try Accountable free for 14 days<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you considering becoming self-employed? If so, you probably have a lot of questions, like: Is it mandatory to hire an accountant? Do I still pay taxes, even if I\u2019m not earning much yet? Do I have to join a union for the self-employed? In this article, we debunk 5 common myths about self-employment, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[269,270],"tags":[247,248],"class_list":["post-19917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-important-things-to-know","category-insights","tag-become-self-employed","tag-bookkeeping"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBecoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-20T10:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-20T10:31:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valesca\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valesca\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/\",\"name\":\"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-20T10:31:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-20T10:31:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/e9b420257ec5e7ac236d337e8c3aa7ad\"},\"description\":\"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-BE\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/\",\"name\":\"Accountable\",\"description\":\"Your accountant and tax advisor on your smartphone\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-BE\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/e9b420257ec5e7ac236d337e8c3aa7ad\",\"name\":\"Valesca\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-BE\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/842a00073a87c3c1af38f724115771bae6278a353edd8ee1e85161e791790047?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/842a00073a87c3c1af38f724115771bae6278a353edd8ee1e85161e791790047?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Valesca\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable","description":"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable","og_description":"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/","og_site_name":"Accountable","article_published_time":"2025-11-20T10:31:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-20T10:31:50+00:00","author":"Valesca","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valesca","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/","url":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/","name":"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths! - Accountable","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-20T10:31:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-20T10:31:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/e9b420257ec5e7ac236d337e8c3aa7ad"},"description":"Having an accountant is mandatory\u2026 You have to incur as many expenses as possible. As a future freelancer, don\u2019t believe everything you hear!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-BE","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/5-myths-freelancing-belgium\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Becoming self-employed soon? Beware these 5 myths!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/","name":"Accountable","description":"Your accountant and tax advisor on your smartphone","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-BE"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/e9b420257ec5e7ac236d337e8c3aa7ad","name":"Valesca","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-BE","@id":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/842a00073a87c3c1af38f724115771bae6278a353edd8ee1e85161e791790047?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/842a00073a87c3c1af38f724115771bae6278a353edd8ee1e85161e791790047?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Valesca"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19917\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}