French ConnectionUK

French ConnectionUK

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Hi 

one of our staff is moving to France - she's very good at selling so we'd like to keep her on the payroll and sell to our Gallic friends.

just to avoid the legendary French redtape for now we are thinking of just keeping her on the UK payroll for 6 months until she has to declare French residence and then perhaps to pay her commission only thereafter.

is this the best solution? - would like to hear from anyone else with a similar experience merci!

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Caroline
By accountantccole
09th Sep 2015 17:12

Employee in France

If the employee is planning on making a permanent move, you will need to be very careful.  If she is performing her duties in France then she is likely to fall under French legislation, you'll be running a French payroll and adhering to French employment laws (which are massive!).

There are some rules for temporary overseas employment - see www.gov.uk/guidance/paying-employees-working-abroad but these may not apply if the move is not temporary.

You need to be careful that having an employee working regularly in France doesn't mean you end up with a French branch of your own company and you'd need to watch what she is doing (you don't say what your business does) from a VAT point of view too to make sure you get that right.

I have seen a couple of people set up their own sole trade in France to perform services for UK businesses, this would (potentially) save you having to worry about the French side of things, but I'd double check this actually works on the French side (It wouldn't work here unless she works for other businesses etc).

There is a lovely lady called Debbie Bradbury at a firm called SAREG in the alps who is English but works in a French firm of accountants who I refer to when it comes to the detail.

 

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