Anyone Mon-Fri in Copenhagen?

[bigandclever]

Just curious, does anyone work Monday to Friday in Copenhagen and then come home for the weekend? I'm in the early stages of looking at a contract and need to get a handle on the practicalities.

I'm OK with the Expat Tax Scheme (Article 48E) and its details. What's surprised me (perhaps it should've been expected) is the cost of getting there and the cost of staying over. The day rate I'll pitch at will absorb it but, as a consequence, the day rate will be large and I expect off-putting for the client.

So are there any tips? Ta!

[RizzoTheRat]

Can't help with Copenhagen but I spent most of this year doing the same in The Hague.

My tips would be:

• Don't underestimate just how much of a ball ache the travel will be. It was taking me 6-7 hours every Sunday night and Friday afternoon, a short flight delay (I think I had more delayed than on time) can easily turn in to a missed train and another half hour wait at the station.
• Renting a furnished flat is probably cheaper in the long term than hotels, plus you can leave stuff there at the weekend as going hand luggage only means various things you can't carry. Leaving stuff there, and more importantly doing your laundry there, means you don't spend the weekend back at home preparing to go back the following week.
• AirBnB might be an option too.
• Book flights as far ahead as possible (obviously) but expect prices to rocket in school holidays and half terms. I could get a return for 100 euros if I booked far enough ahead, but even booking months in advance busy times were pushing 200.
• Think about what you're going to do with all those evenings away, I took to walking to work and running home, and then watching various box set TV shows
• Hola! is a free VPN that will spoof a UK IP address, meaning you can watch iPlayer
• Take some time to look around the area, I had a few weekends and a week off where I stayed out and the wife came over for some tourism, otherwise because I was only there in the week I'd never have seen anything of the area.
• See about getting an account that lets you withdraw cash abroad for free, not sure who does them these days but my Santander Zero meant I could withdraw Euros at the daily exchange rate with no fees. Sounds like you're being paid in country though (I was paid in the UK as I'm a full time employee of a UK company who were paying my expenses, I assume you're a one man band contractor?) so consider a local account, or a multiple currency one (Cater Allen did one when I was a contractor, I'm guessing others do to)

[bigandclever]

All good stuff, thanks I should've said, I've done overseas contracts before, so I'm comfortable with that; it was more the specifics of Copenhagen/Denmark.

The ETS scheme (Article 48E), through an intemediary, seems the best bet for convenience; so long as you qualify it's a set income tax rate of 31.92% (actually a combined income tax and social security payment). Though contracts shorter than 4 months don't qualify you for access to the Danish social security system. There are no expenses, deductions, or any of the good stuff under this scheme. But also no tax returns, double taxation or any of the bad stuff. I'd treat it as if I were contracting through an umbrella in the UK.

Travel time, best case will be about 5 hours door to desk, so that should be manageable for a Monday morning with a lunchtime start, but we'll see. If I'm coming back Friday afternoon and heading out Sunday evening, I think I'd just stay there for the weekend.

Money seems odd at the moment; invoice in USD, get paid in USD into a Danish Krona account (as part of the ETS scheme, it seems to be a requirement). Then into my GBP account so I can actually spend it. Need to understand the fees that'll apply.

[mikees]

No uk contracts? BizIntel is big atm surely?