Freelancers filed 22,400 tax returns in 2023
The number of freelancers who submit their tax returns on time, within the legally prescribed deadline, is steadily increasing. The total number of submitted returns since the beginning of the year has reached nearly 11,000, with 3,450 tax returns submitted for the third quarter of this year alone. Freelancers were required to submit their returns for the period from July to September by October 30th, and over 93% of these were submitted on time. This indicates that freelancers have successfully adapted to the electronic tax filing process via the eTax portal and the Freelancers portal, whose development was supported by NALED within the StarTech project, funded by Philip Morris and in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Administration.
The number of submitted returns since the beginning of the year is 20% higher compared to the same period last year, when 8,640 returns were filed. A total of more than 22,400 tax returns have been submitted since the beginning of 2023.
Between the two options for taxation and contribution payments for the third quarter of 2024, option 2, which includes mandatory contributions for pension and disability insurance, accounted for approximately 59% of the returns, or 2,047 submissions. The largest number of returns were submitted from Belgrade and Novi Sad.
Since April 2024, the Freelancers portal has been available in English, making it easier for foreign individuals to report income earned in Serbia. The portal also provides several other benefits for freelancers.
- Since March of this year, the Republic Health Insurance Fund has enabled freelancers to automatically validate their health insurance cards. This is just one of the many useful features freelancers have gained through the new self-assessment system and the launch of the portal, through which they can electronically submit their tax returns. It has also made it easier for the government, particularly the Tax Administration, which now has better records of engaged freelancers and better control over the income they generate, which is subject to taxation in Serbia, says Dušan Vasiljević, Director for Competitiveness and Investments at NALED.
He explains that all current and potential freelancers on the portal can perform a self-assessment test to determine if they meet the conditions for self-taxation, and they also have access to a tax obligation calculator, which helps them choose one of the two prescribed options for taxation based on which is more favorable. All details and necessary information can be found in the guide at www.frilenseri.purs.gov.rs.
The Freelancers portal was launched in mid-2023 and has since been handed over to the Tax Administration for further use and development.
