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"Companies are facing challenges not just from globalisation, but also from the changing needs of their employees. Things like tax and social security, residency and work permits aren’t unusual, isolated cases any longer. They are becoming necessary and make things complicated. If you want to be compliant and legal, you often need assistance. And that’s exactly what we’ll do for you!"
Heike Bathke Partner

An overview of global mobility services at Grant Thornton

Below you will find all the kinds of advisory we can carry out for you. Our global mobility services keeps your organisation legal. We work for you in an organised and practical way. From preparing cross-border assignments to preparing income tax returns to tax arrangements for payroll and pension systems. We offer answers to all the questions that the global mobility of your employees brings with it. 

What are global mobility services and what are the challenges?

To companies globalisation means being international and mobile, hence: global mobility.  Today, economic regions around the world are closely linked. That’s why businesses of every size and their workers have to become more mobile. The result is organising and carrying out temporary or long-term cross-border work for employees. This creates challenges in tax planning, tax compliance, residence and work visas, social insurance and pension provision, etc.

With our global mobility services, we give you all-round assistance with the individual challenges of internationalisation at your company – whether inbound or outbound. Contact our experts.

a) Preparing for cross-border assignments

Sending workers on cross-border assignments needs preparation. Besides tax applications, this includes applying for A1/posting certificates and applying to continue to pay social insurance on a voluntary basis. Workers should be given an overview of their social insurance claims, at a comprehensive pre-decision meeting, for example. Before sending employees on assignment to countries with which a treaty for social insurance hasn’t been made, it’s a good idea to perform a risk analysis.

We’ll assist your through all the preparations for cross-border assignments.

b) Arrangement of compensation and pension systems optimised for cost and tax as well as international assignment structures

Are cross-border assignments standard at your business? Do you benefit from compensation and pension systems and structures that follow these assignments?  Assignment policies and contracts can also be standardised. We’ll establish standards and systems at your business by means of which both the costs and tax issues of global mobility are treated optimally.

Our Services

Sending staff abroad on assignment for a longer period of time needs preparation. This includes applying for A1/posting certificates or applying to continue paying social insurance voluntarily. Workers should be given an overview of their social insurance claims, at a comprehensive pre-decision meeting, for example. Before sending employees on assignment to countries with which a treaty for social insurance hasn’t been made, it’s a good idea to perform a risk analysis.

We’ll assist you through all the preparations for assignments.

To ensure tax compliance and to meet your insurance obligations, the status of assignees abroad must be clarified – where are they liable to tax? Is a double taxation agreement in place? How are workers to be insured for pensions and illness? When is there an obligation to double insurance? Which country are the insurance providers resident in? The responsibilities and conditions for compliance will vary depending on the set-up of the business and the employment. The penalties for not complying with the tax and social insurance rules can be high. That’s why this subject should be given high priority.

Our global employer services keep track of everything, from determining assignees’ status to advising on current assignments all the way to restoring the original situation when they return to the home country.

We’ll hold interviews for you on departure and return – entirely for your organisation’s purposes. When it comes to cross-border issues, we know what’s important.

For cross-border assignments, the principle of corresponding taxation applies. This is designed to prevent tax conflicts between countries and to tax the worker consistently and fairly on an international basis. It ensures that double taxation is accurate, and that non-taxation is avoided as far as possible.

We will prepare your income tax returns, taking into account your international commitments.

To ensure tax compliance the status quo related to the tax situation of your employee assignment must be established. We compile a comprehensive tax opinion on the international assignment, taking global mobility rules into account.  To do this we collaborate with local tax advisers who are part of our international network and experts on tax issues in their country.

Pay related to global mobility can easily become complicated. We’ll not only prepare and assist with your national payroll but also your international shadow payroll, complying with all the legislation in the various countries and avoiding double taxation. 

Hypothetical tax is deducted from assigned employees based on the tax they ordinarily pay in their home country. In this way assignees are protected from a higher tax burden in their host country. The employer company takes responsibility for the assigned worker’s actual taxes in the host country so that he or she receives the agreed net pay. To do this a tax equalisation has to be calculated between the hypothetical tax liability and the tax actually paid. Such costs are budgeted in a cost projection. As part of our global mobility services, we calculate for you the hypothetical tax, equalisations to be paid out and the cost projection.

Are assignments standard at your business? Do you benefit from compensation and pension systems and structures that follow your assignments? Assignment policies and agreements can also be standardised. We’ll establish standards and systems at your business with which both the costs and tax issues of global mobility are treated optimally.

Employment law in global mobility is a complex subject. Together with our legal firm and international network, we’ll give you advice on all the issues surrounding the drafting and reviewing of employment and assignment contracts and policies as well as contracts in the country of employment.

Definition of global mobility – the way the world of work is changing 

Many international companies are opening branch offices in other countries or sending workers abroad on assignment. Mid-market companies are global players today as well and send their employees on business trips or enable them to work from their holiday location. The challenges of global mobility are no longer just for corporate groups. That’s why more and more mid-market companies are establishing global mobility programmes which allow standardised procedures for assignments or agreements on working from abroad. Carefully preparing assignees’ stay abroad safeguards against mistakes in implementation, and increases the assignees’ productivity and security.

Global mobility can be designed in various ways and adapted to the needs of the company and its workers. Common models include:

  • remote workers
  • ex-pats – long-term assignees
  • commuters who live in one country and work in another
  • workers who work short-term from a holiday location, and
  • those on business trips.

Avoiding double taxation and double insurance – we can help!

All work that is related to another country may have legal consequences for workers, and also for employers, in terms of employment, residence, tax and social security. This can be disadvantageous and lead to obligations, and is increasingly making compliance a challenge. We’ll help you avoid double taxation on your business and employees. Double taxation agreements exist around the world to aid with this, which we’ll be glad to advise you on.

A double insurance duty may also arise. This is not a problem within the EU because nothing changes for assignments of less than 24 months – assignees remain in the social insurance system of their home country, as long as they make the applications properly. But cooperation with third countries brings challenges.  Double insurance may be necessary in these cases depending on country-specific rules.  If companies don’t comply with these obligations, they run the risk of breaking the law.

Don’t take the risk – our experts at Grant Thornton will advise you on double taxation and double insurance duties related to global mobility. We’ll take pleasure in hearing from you.

Our awards 

We’re proud of the awards we’ve won. And we’re just as happy that our clients give us top ratings! We’re working hard to keep it that way. And that’s a promise!

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