Like workers who have a contractual relationship with an employee, people who generate their income independently must be affiliated with the general social security system and make the corresponding payment of contributions.
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However, many are unaware of the process that they must take into account from the time they begin to receive income under this type of work, until they finish doing so, showing arrears, interest and penalties for not reporting the timely news of retirement as independent.
Therefore, keep in mind the following steps that will allow you to have better control and monitoring of your contributions:
1. Identify what type of freelance worker you are: According to Resolution 5858 of 2016 of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, there are three types of independents.
On the one hand, there are the self-employed, who carry out their economic activity at their own risk, either because they have, for example, a business, project or productive unit. Another classification is that of the self-employed with contracts for the provision of personal services who, by virtue of what was agreed with the contracting entity, make their mandatory contributions to the General Health, Pension and Occupational Risk Systems. The third type is that of people who have other types of contracts for civil works, supplies, leases, transportation, among other concepts other than those of axis functions with some formal connection involved.
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«This first step is important because, depending on the type of independent, there will be greater clarity if it is only necessary to contribute to health and pension, in which cases it is also necessary to do so to the ARL, on what dates and with what regulars», explained Lisbeth Martínez Leal, Compensar Training professional at miplanilla.com.
2. Make the new entry: once the classification as independent is identified, the link must be formalized before the different administrators, that is, before the pension fund, EPS, ARL (if required) and, in the case of independents, the contribution to the compensation fund family member who is a volunteer, «the latter is not mandatory but it does bring a series of benefits such as access to the housing subsidy or the entire portfolio of services that, in the case of Compensar, are focused on generating comprehensive well-being from different approaches» Martinez pointed out.
3. Identify your income as self-employed: it is necessary to take into account the totality of the income that is received for all the activities carried out as an independent, understanding that they are not a fixed value and that, on the contrary, they vary on a monthly basis; At this point, the net income received by the worker must be considered, after having deducted expenses, withholdings for VAT or other taxes, etc.
4. Generate and settle the return: When the person knows what type of independent worker they are, to which administrators they must contribute and what income they have, it is time to generate and settle the Integrated Contribution Settlement Form-PILA, on 40% of the net income received, to obtain the Contribution Base Income- IBC, which is the minimum value on which the value of contributions to the General Social Security System must be calculated.
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According to Lisbeth Martínez Leal, Compensar Training professional at miplanilla.com, “The main recommendation is to make the liquidation of contributions through an information operator authorized by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to make this type of collection. Do not do it through any other entity that addresses the contributions incorrectly. It is also worth mentioning that platforms such as miplanilla.com are autonomous, that is, anyone can generate the PILA, without having to communicate with hotlines or queue at any location. Everything can be done through a device with internet access.”
5. Make the retirement news in a timely manner: Just as the start of the contribution as an independent worker was notified to the General Health, Pension and Occupational Risk Systems, the procedure must be carried out to inform or report the news of closing or retirement, once income is no longer received as an independent worker , so that the terms are correctly registered with the different administrators.
In this sense, when the last form is generated, the worker must keep in mind to inform about the completion as independent, a step that can be carried out automatically through the platforms provided by operators such as miplanilla.com.
“If you did not make said news in a timely manner, you must contact the social security administrators, informing them that this process has not been done so that the link that is open is closed and thus avoid delays due to non-payment. Surely the worker must attach supports that show that the validity must actually close in the indicated period ”, Martinez concluded.
In summary, the worker who does not report the news of retirement would enter into arrears with each of the entities of the social security system and, once it is brought up to date, would assume interest for the days not paid. Additionally, in the medium termthe Pension and Parafiscal Management Unit (UGPP) could generate interest and penalties for inaccurate information reported through the PILA form.
To avoid the above, miplanilla.com has a Help Center where independent workers can solve all their concerns related to the settlement and payment of their social security: news, instructions or frequently asked questions; not only with the process of reporting withdrawal or deposit news, but also with the general process.
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