The pension system must change. Most people agree on that. Employees are increasingly changing jobs and building up less pension. In addition, we are dealing with an ever-growing group of freelancers and self-employed people who do not know how to arrange their pension and do not sufficiently realize how important it is. Because does a pension for freelancers actually exist? And what does it really cost? Many self-employed people spend a significant amount of money per month on their AOV (disability insurance) and think that they have no room to save for a pension.
It seems relatively simple, becoming self-employed. You register with the Chamber of Commerce, create a website and start looking for assignments. Via your network or via the many sites where freelance and self-employed assignments are placed by clients. Practice shows that you have to win a lot of orders to cover your costs. And for most freelancers, a significant part of those costs are in premiums for disability and old-age provision.
Supplementary income in addition to AOW And if, in between carrying out your assignments, you start to delve into the options and providers of pension products, you soon no longer see the forest for the trees. One thing is absolutely clear. As a self-employed person or freelancer you cannot take out a pension in the literal sense of the word. Unless you continue with the pension you already had with your former employer. But that's not always possible. So you have to look for a form of savings that will ensure that you will have a supplementary income in addition to your AOW. The government encourages freelancers to arrange their pension (read: old age provision). If that does not happen, we will soon have a large group of 'self-employed people without a pension', simply because they did not know how to take out additional insurance or did not have the money for it. There is even talk of mandatory pension insurance for self-employed persons and freelancers.
Pension schemes for freelancers and self-employed people Do yourself a big favor and avoid being forced to make a choice or ending up in a situation where you have to settle for just AOW. No matter how difficult and annoying it may be: read up on the arrangements, ask help from fellow freelancers or call in a specialist. Most banks and insurers now offer products for the old age provision of self-employed people. And more and more parties are offering a form of 'collective pension' for freelancers. For example, take a look at ikwordzzper.nl. or at Stichting ZZP Nederland.
To give you an impression, we have listed the most common schemes for you. - Continue the pension scheme with your last employer. If you quit your job to start a business, you can continue your pension scheme, provided this is possible with your pension fund. The premium is deductible for another 10 years. - Saving is perhaps the easiest form. Set aside an amount every month for your old age. But with current interest rates, that may not be the most attractive way. - You can also take out an annuity policy. This pays out when you stop working and you can convert that benefit to a fixed monthly or annual amount. Be aware that you will still pay income tax on this! - As an entrepreneur, you can also use the Fiscal Old Age Reserve (FOR). This means that you use a percentage of your profit every year to save. It also entails a risk, because here too you have to pay income tax on the amount you have reserved. - And then there is the so-called self-employed pension. There are more and more initiatives that self-employed people can join. This form of saving for your old age offers you the opportunity to save variable. If you don't have any money for a while, you don't save. The disadvantage of course is that you do not have a continuous accrual and therefore if you do not have enough assignments, you quickly tend not to pay the pension premium.
There are therefore many options in the field of pension schemes for freelancers and self-employed people. But it is best to determine which form suits you in consultation with a specialist. Give yourself the time and make the investment to arrange it. Because you don't want to end up as a 'former self-employed person without a pension', do you?
By: Elisa Salentijn http://www.es- Communicatie.nu
Elisa has worked for Achmea, Wageningen UR, Jeen Bureau voor Communicatie and Involve, among others. She likes to help get and keep communication on track. With more than 20 years of experience in business, (semi) government and on the agency side, she ensures that communication produces and delivers the desired effect!
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