New business opportunities – unregistered activity

If you’ve been dreaming about running your own business for a long time, but you’re wondering whether you’ll manage if your business idea turns out to be a hit, then unregistered activity can be a great solution for you.

Unregistered activity (otherwise known as undeclared or colloquially “a firm to the test”) has been a novelty in our country for several months. It is distinguished from traditional business activities by, among others, exemption from paying ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) contributions, which may significantly encumber the budgets of a novice entrepreneur.

You can conduct this type of activity if:

• In the last 5 years (60 months) you have not run a business or civil law partnership,
• or if you have not run a business in the last 12 months from the date of entry of the Act in force (30/04/2018),
• you act as a natural person,
• you do not need to have a license, permit or concession for the business you intend to run,
• the income from your activity in NO month does exceed 50% of the minimum wage (for 2018, 50% of this amount is PLN 1050). However, if the income of your company exceeds the above-mentioned amount, then as soon as the limit is exceeded, it becomes an economic activity. Therefore, you must submit a CEIDG registration application within 7 days. We are talking here, of course, only about the income from unregistered activity, which means that you can work or rent a flat at the same time.

 

Undoubtedly, the unregistered activity has many advantages:

• You do not need to register your business with CEIDG, the Central Statistical Office or the tax office,
• You do not have to pay ZUS contributions,
• You only run a simplified sales record,
• You do not pay periodic income tax advances (revenues are recorded in the PIT-36 annual tax return under “other sources”),
• You have the option of legally earning a bit extra to your salary.

 

Of course, conducting unregistered activities is combined with certain responsibilities. In the light of the Civil Code, you will be considered an entrepreneur, which is tantamount to the obligation to respect consumer rights, compliance with complaints and returns. In addition, due to the obligation to keep a simplified sales record, you will be required to issue bills to your clients. The sample bill should include the number, date of issue, the name of the seller and buyer, the name of the service and the amount to be paid.

As you can see, unregistered activity brings many benefits. Many people running small businesses, such as the recently popular sale of handicrafts on social media platforms, will finally be able to get out of the “gray zone” and act legally. Of course, as in the majority of new laws, we can encounter some problems or inaccuracies in this one, however, just introducing it into practice gives a substitute for changes for the novice entrepreneurs.