Working remotely for a US company from Europe 🇺🇸🇪🇺 [How it works]

Being from New Zealand, living in Europe, and working for a US tech company... It's definitely a complicated situation! I'm running through a bunch of common questions about how it works with visas, how I get paid, how I manage taxes, and why all the complications are worth it for me!
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 A Kiwi in the EU working for a US company 🗺️
00:27 Visas
01:28 How I get paid
02:04 Taxes, taxes, taxes
03:17 What about healthcare & vacation time?
04:10 Timezones
04:56 How to land a remote job for a US company
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// ABOUT ME
I'm Charli and I'm designer from New Zealand currently living in Valencia, Spain. I’m the Creative Director at a remote tech company called ConvertKit and I post videos about the design projects I work on and the tools I use, as well as vlogs of my life as a designer. I regularly livestream what I'm working on in Coworking Club streams. Welcome to the channel! Please subscribe and say hi in the comments, and maybe we'll see you in the live chat on the next stream.
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[@nikjam1418]

Kiwi here - thanks so much for posting this :)

[@elilucha]

Excellent video! Lots of valuable information! Thank you!

[@DrewLytle]

Great video as always Charli 🎉

[@LALA-yg7ny]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[@smnhr2094]

Wow! So helpful and encouraging to keep looking for opportunities 🎉 every video of yours is such a great inspiration! You’re one of the reasons why I continued to work in UI&UX 🙌🏻 Greetings from Bulgaria 👋

[@charlimarieTV]

yay that means a lot to me! Keep on hunting, the opportunities are out there (even if they are a little harder than usual to find at the moment with the state of the tech industry!)

[@ezbg]

oh wow , also from bulgaria. Well lived in usa almost all my life but now in BG attempting to get a job

[@teoteo108]

Great video!! Thanks a lot!

[@angelo_knf]

Thanks for the video Charli, very well explained. I work in a similar way but within Europe, and yes taxes are a big thing and complicated, especially in south Europe.

[@grigoriimerenkov229]

yes in Spain they fu88 you in the a88 with taxes big time

[@angelo_knf]

@@grigoriimerenkov229 Yeap, same here (Greece) 😒

[@meetimian3383]

​@@grigoriimerenkov229even for digital nomad visa ??

[@moexus]

I am a US citizen, Mechanical Engineer I can do design work remote, but most of the industries won't let you get out of the US for legal export regulation on technology.

[@matthewkk5087]

So, shouldn't I hope to start working?

[@meetimian3383]

​@@matthewkk5087you mean to start working remotely? 😊

[@Anw120]

Mechanical engineer here as well. How were you able to get a remote job? I’ve found it very hard as a ME to find any remote jobs, post pandemic, everything seems to be in office.

[@RsOnTheStreetS]

@@Anw120 in ME it's easier to get a remote job if you work as a freelancer for some part od the product but as an employe it's almost imposible because you have to be at the company to check if the parts work or to show people your work.

[@abigailflores9502]

Very interested ! Thanks for sharing! Also a question, how do you get around falso autónomo in Spain??

[@thecodealchemist7095]

Finally understood the difference of "Work from home and Work from Anywhere", I'd just have to find contractor resources to get going

[@pilipdasamattanawin1058]

Love this! I’m in the same situation but till now I haven’t been staying in one place to pay their taxes but this year I just moved to Portugal! Gotta figure out my taxes soon 😅

[@meetimian3383]

How's it going in Portugal now??

[@madcreating]

So are you issued a 1099 from the US company at the end of the year? Thank you

[@melissaCScom]

Hi Charli, great vid! @ about 4:38' mark your showing us what looks to be a great timezone converter. Please share the app name with us. Thank you!

[@SomethingNick]

How do you manage retirement funds as a contractor expat? I'm Aussie living in London and struggling to decide if I should contribute to pension here for the tax benefit or push money to my super back home, but I'm also not 100% sure I'll move home so it's a lot of indecisive stress!

[@HenryThong]

Love this breakdown Charli 🎉

[@meetimian3383]

I love remote work and really crazy about it. But do you think we can survive and sustain long term while working remotely??

[@batman6540]

Thats very rare imo. US companies do hire ppl from low wage contries to save money. You have to have some really rare skills to get paid like in the US or even get a remote job there.

[@GGTanguera]

My thoughts exactly. Companies are outsourcing to save money. Even in the UD they have different payscale for high cost areas (SF, NY etc) and low cost (Idaho, Montana etc.)

[@marcodelatorre879]

Hello, I really liked your video and it gives me an idea of what remote work is like, but I have a question, what platform do you use to get remote work? a beautiful like for you XD

[@FabrizioDelTufo]

Thank u so much for ur kind video today helped me a lot, so did u open a company or freelance position in Spain to send invoice to US comp, isnt it ? or they open a spanish Co in Spain and u send invoice to this entity ?

[@charlimarieTV]

The company does not have a European entity.

[@arunaranimanickam865]

Thank you for your informative video..I too looking for remote piping engineer job from USA..

[@mssdoublem]

So what about the payment? do they pay you in dollars based on US wages? like you're contractor but they pay you like you live in US? I think I don't have it clear. Thank you

[@sadandhungry]

Hi Charlie! Great video. Regarding taxes - were there any forms you had to send the US company declaring you're not a US resident (like a W8BEN?). Also did your accountant/s verify you don't need to pay US Federal or State tax? I'm in a crazy situation of being from NZ too with a recent US contract to a tech company. But after engaging an international accountant for tax advice I'm being told I DO need to pay US taxes 😬😬😬

[@charlimarieTV]

Yep! Any time I do work for a US client I need to send a W8BEN form. I'm not a tax resident of the US nor is any of the work I do taking place in the US so I definitely do not need to pay taxes in the US. I'm not sure why your international accountant told you you did, but obviously I can't provide you financial advice personally as I don't know your situation and am not qualified. Best to trust the professionals! (but maybe get a second opinion... I've never heard of anyone not from/in the US having to pay US taxes cos they work remote)

[@meetimian3383]

Are you on a digital nomad visa in Spain?

[@kastrelo]

how to get a remote role for a US company as an EU citizen?

[@bbharat307]

Maa'm may i please know how to find tech remote job in europe working from India.Thank you

[@meetimian3383]

I see most of the US jobs ask us to be either in the US or have the rights to work in. How to find companies that really are 100% remote and doesn't ask this??

[@f1amezof]

6:15 That's not true, especially for Senior roles. Actually demand is many times higher that supply and it will be always like this for high level specialists.

[@UbaidHussain]

I am from Pakistan and the hardest part for me is to get a remote job. I have been trying for the past year but no luck so far. I don't know if I am doing something wrong. Well I will keep trying until I land my first remote job.

[@ilovedogs938]

Hi Charli, I'm in the UK and looking for a USA role in Data science that will allow me to work from the UK any tips? I've tried looking online even on the site you recommended but it's really hard

[@charlimarieTV]

Yes right now especially I think remote roles for US companies are hard to come by! It’s not just you having trouble. Keep looking and I hope the right role comes up for you 🤞

[@ilovedogs938]

@@charlimarieTV thanks for the response Charli!

[@AAMcFly]

How exactly do you bill your US “employer”? Have you set up a US company which bills them and then pays you in Spain? Or can you bill them as a Spanish “autonomo” directly? Did someone help you set all that up? Could you share their contact? Thanks!

[@user-ut4fg8oc9m]

to “autonomo” directly is ok

[@toshitafoto1343]

very helpful video, in my case i arrived in new zealand with working holiday visa on 29th Jan 2023 and work as a freelancer editing videos for a real estate marketing company remotely, now my visa expire and already left new zealand , can i still work for the company?

[@tarsilaschott]

Yes, you can keep working with them as long as they wanna keep working with you :) You can be a freelancer or work with a contract and be paid by invoice for example.

[@AndriiKuftachov]

We also live in Spain 🎉

[@Chinedu311]

Hi Charli, helpful video. I just discovered your page today. I also live in Spain and considering US remote jobs but will wait till i get my permanent residency. When applying for these jobs i get the question around "Will you require sponsorship now or in the future". Does that mean they want the applicant to be in the US. Thank you

[@meetimian3383]

Did you figured out?

[@Chinedu311]

@@meetimian3383 not yet

[@arfatahir805]

Same question!

[@Chinedu311]

@@meetimian3383 not yet sadly

[@ivancespedes4624]

Do you get paid an American salary? Based on what I've seen. Us Salaries are higher as compared to Spain slalaries

[@charlimarieTV]

they are much higher than Spain salaries! As I explained in the video I am technically a contractor rather than a salaried employee, but my rate is the equivalent to a US salary, yes.

[@arkafon79]

We do use Deel to "hire" contractors outside of USA. Aka Employee of Record

[@charlimarieTV]

Oh cool! I’ve heard of that as an option.

[@arkafon79]

@@charlimarieTV lol not promoting them, but they've been great to work with, both to bring contractors on board and employee of record for us in Canada, Ukraine, Argentina and Greece.

[@micaiahesther1698]

Are you still hiring?

[@arkafon79]

@@micaiahesther1698 no

[@EmmanuelUzoma-me5uc]

Please is there a remote work for me in Nigeria For me this seem impossible for africans

[@gamera7206]

I thought that us companies cut a big chunk of your salary if you're outside of the us because of the low cost of living. But it seems that working for a us company when you live in Europe or somewhere similarly is a cheat code.

[@meetimian3383]

So the company doesn't have to pay taxes for you in the US?? Isn't it magnificent for them to hire someone outside of US to avoid paying taxes??

[@hilltopcresent]

As a fellow NZer, brexit was fantastic for NZ.

[@charlimarieTV]

Cool glad it’s worked out so well for you while screwing things up for so many others 🙃

[@Anttimation]

How was it fantastic for NZ? Genuine question, I've never heard/thought of that aspect.

[@meetimian3383]

NZ had a brexit from who?

[@monicasdesignprocess]

You have the dream, earning a US tech salary while living abroad less expensively (and just a better life) in Europe, the best of both worlds 😄 I wish US companies would do this with their US employees. I'm able to work abroad for up to 30 days per year but outside of that I'm not allowed to due to tax laws.

[@charlimarieTV]

Yeah I don't think it's the US companies choice to do this or not with US employees, but rather it's related to whether the US employee themself has the right visa status to work in another country! (Just like I'm not allowed to live and work in the US, or any other country in the EU now that Brexit happened 🥲)

[@karlk.6819]

US is just better life than Europe, not the opposite

[@ju.ice-der-boi]

I‘m a contractor for an US company as well & they pay me in Euros ;) therefor I get the same amount of money each month

[@charlimarieTV]

nice! are you paid based on local market rate or US market rate for your role?

[@ju.ice-der-boi]

@@charlimarieTV US rates. But yea I get a fixed price per month just like an employee.

[@meetimian3383]

Wow. Which country are you working from?

[@RX-yn8lt]

from bangladesh , love you mam.

[@babyfox205]

"US sourced income" on the IRS form will make you pay taxes to US as well, not sure how you go about it

[@charlimarieTV]

I'm not a citizen, nor a tax resident of the US and never have been. I've never lived there.

[@babyfox205]

@@charlimarieTV your accountant makes a mistake if you are not filing this form and paying this tax: IRS Form 1042-S: Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding Audience: Foreign National Employees What is a 1042-S? A non-citizen is, in most cases, subject to U.S. tax on income from U.S. sources. Form 1042-S, Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding, is used to report amounts paid to foreign persons (including those presumed to be foreign) by a United States based institution or business. This applies to non-resident aliens, foreign partnerships, foreign corporations, foreign estates, and foreign trusts that are subject to income tax withholding. How do I get a copy of my 1042-S? Your 1042S is available through the Foreign National Information System (FNIS). If you received a 1042S, you will be notified in early March via email with login instructions. What do I need to do if I receive a 1042-S? Any Foreign National who received a W-2 and/or a 1042-S is required to file a Federal and State tax return (regardless of any Tax Treaties). International employees may receive a 1042S instead of/in addition to a W-2.

[@babyfox205]

@@charlimarieTV to be on a safe side you might want to read this www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-515 just in case.

[@laurenmcolletti]

I can’t find a US company that lets me work remotely from Europe 😂

[@meetimian3383]

Not even from Asia. Not sure where all these roles are

[@osaroadade]

I would never have guessed that you were a contractor, I just assumed that ConverKit used an entity in the UK or something similar. This was really insightful. Thanks for the video.

[@charlimarieTV]

yeah! ConvertKit is too small for something like that, so all us international folks on the team are contractors. It works well for me as I treat my ConvertKit income as another stream of revenue for my own business

[@hberthier]

If they had an entity in the UK, it would be the same situation, as the UK is not part of the EU anymore and Charli lives in Spain :D

[@kobibr9362]

It does look that networking is the secret. You are like the 10nth person that says that.

[@oscarmarinlaudos3470]

Would be great one day to earn 5x more than what we earn in europe XD

[@pankaj5080]

lol. this really complicated. three continents

[@travelineurope-dot-net]

What's the difference between freelancer and contractor?

[@charlimarieTV]

I don’t know about an official definition but I use freelancer to describe someone I’m working with on a project basis (maybe one project, maybe it’s a few during the year) and I use contractor to describe someone I’m working with on a contract basis (so it’s a longer term relationship). I call myself a contractor for the same reasons!