HACKER Q&A
📣 stormwatcher

Working for a German Company, Living in France


Hi all, I work for a German company and currently live in Frankfurt. Last week, my employer told me I can have full remote if I want it either as a fulltime employee or a freelancer.

Before I investigate the Freelance option I want to see if the fte status is even an option.

Can I be a fte for a German company (the company doesn't have any affiliates in France) without having a TAX ID / Residency in Germany?

(I obviously have a german tax id NOW but I will probably lose it upon leaving the country, I reckon)

Thank you all.

  👤 romanovcode Accepted Answer ✓
Assuming German company won't have branches in France you will have to register as a freelancer/self-employed in France anyway to pay taxes in France (If you are to become Tax Resident of France).

Also note that first 6 months of officially moving out of Germany you are non-tax-resident of any country if you are self-employed and can pay 0 tax if you do everything correctly.

Regarding choice between fulltime or freelance contract - this is where you need to check pros and cons. As a freelancer contract you should take more money because it involves more risks (in Germany if you are contractor they can fire you with a moments notice, if you are full-time employee it gets much more complicated to fire people)

Unfortunately you cannot just go to tax authority at the end of the year and say "I got this money, now I want to pay tax on it".

TL;DR; Pay tax advisor (good one) in France for an in-depth consultation if you are serious about this, it will be worth the money.

👤 BjoernKW
Yes, that's possible.

Technically, you're in the same situation as workers who live near the border and commute to another country every day.

You'd be liable to pay income tax in France.