Travail principale, secondaire, Ltd Co ... HELP!

[Kiraude]

I have an interesting situation, trying to make ends meet!!!!

I am employed in France on a rolling CDI contract (which doesn't make ends meet) and consquently pay cotisations etc via this employment.

At the same time I am about to start running a business which will have corporate UK clients, who, no doubt will want to pay in generally to a UK registered company.

Can I:

Set up a UK Ltd company and allow my clients to pay this company.

Send 'my' UK company an invoice each month to draw a salary using a siret number so that this salary will be declared in France.

How will my cotisations be viewed? I want to declare the other (CDI contract) role as my salaire principale (although I probably won't as earn as much through that). This is a type of 'service' company - as opposed to a 'trade' such as building work etc - it wouldn't come under the 'micro-bic' regime ...

Any advice as to how to go about it all ... I'm scared of seeing the Chambre de Commerce and making a mess of it all ...

Thanks

Kira

[Iceni]

LAST EDITED ON 24-May-04 AT 08:23 AM (BST)

We are closing our UK Ltd co as it is far too difficult to run one and live and work in France - and why would you be able to live and work in France and yet start up a UK Ltd Co, I am sure John has views but personally I cannot think how you could do that (rambled on but I hope you get my drift).

Our method which seems OK by everyone including the French accountant and bank manager is to invoice our UK clients in sterling (they pay as they do now) bank this into a UK bank and then once a month transfer the money to France to the company account, we take the exchange rate risks.

I think also if you do go down the Ltd co route you may find you have to have a French office and then you would be in the same position as CoCo was - which is worse than running a legit French business. You will also have to submit UK accounts and do all the tax stuff that UK Ltd co's have to do - so you will need a UK Accountant - if you fail to comply with the IR dates etc they fine you - and of course you would have to declare these earnings in France and have a French accountant to ensure you paid any extra tax and your French cottisations on the money as the IR say that they will not take social charges from Ltd companies who work from France.

Minefield - do not go there, we are not and John is a UK accountant.

Our Micro Bic is for a service so there is no problem.

Di
http://www.iceni-it.co.uk