Working for a UK company while full time resident of Germany

0POSTS

5 years ago

Hi,

I know this has probably been asked 1000 times before.

I have been living in Germany since 01/11/2020. I am registered resident with health insurance.

My UK employer has engaged with a international tax company and have a applied to pay my taxes via the German payroll (they have advised me as I am just a single employee, with them having no fixed address in Germany this is likely to be allowed and I will have to pay my taxes myself).

If this does not workout they will pay my social contributions on my behalf but I will need to pay my own income tax. I am not 100% sure how I would do this so I will likely contact a tax account to make sure but if anyone has any pointers that would be helpful.

From what I understand no one really knows what鈥檚 happening at the end of the brexit transition period and if I am still technically employed by a UK company then I won鈥檛 be able to leverage this for residence visa, is this correct (it kind of makes sense, why do I need a visa to work for a UK company)?

I am engaged to a German citizen but. It yet married so I don鈥檛 know how that would affect my visa situation. I assume, I till we are married it doesn鈥檛 make a difference?

I was also wondering if I could get some clarification on the double tax agreement. My understanding is you pay your tax in the country you are resident in (over 183 days) so in my case as I am planning to stay permanently this would be Germany, is this correct?

I will be seeking professional advice on the matter but I just wanted to get an idea of I am on the right track.

If anyone could shine a light on their this with their experience, I would appreciate it.

See also

The German labour market - Guide
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Paying US taxes as a resident in Germany - 4 Replies
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beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

15644POSTS

5 years ago

Please read the various other discussions of the same topic that took place on this forum in the last few months. There seem to be many Brits now who try to stay inside the EU at the last moment.
Assuming after Brexit you will be treated like any other non-EU-citizen, you will need a visa that allows long-term residence and work in Germany. A work visa (for being employed by the German entity of your employer) is one possibility, family reunion to your spouse (married or in a registered partnership) the other.
If you are not working for a German entity of your UK employer, you will be counted as self-employed, which will complicate matters.

TominStuttgart Germany Expert

2807POSTS

5 years ago

I would point out that according to German law, an employer pays half of the health insurance cost but this is NOT a group insurance over the employer like in the USA. The employer usually has nothing to do with other Social security payments. And an employer certainly doesn鈥檛 pay one鈥檚 income taxes.

But like Beppi mentioned. If you are being paid from a company abroad without it being registered in Germany then you will likely be seen as self-employed. In this case the employer has no legal (but possibly contractual) obligation towards your health care costs. But since you will be residing in Germany then you almost certainly have to pay German taxes. It is strongly advised that one go to a tax advisor known as a Steuerberater.

If your permission to work in Germany comes into question because of Brexit then it is advisable to go ahead and get married. The permission one would have through a family reunion visa includes being able to work but also has some requirements. Usually you will have to pass an A1 German exam for example.