{"id":137,"date":"2023-07-28T12:31:43","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T12:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opera.education\/?p=137"},"modified":"2023-07-28T13:26:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T13:26:05","slug":"financial-planning-and-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/2023\/07\/28\/pianificazione-finanziaria-e-tasse\/","title":{"rendered":"Pianificazione finanziaria e tasse"},"content":{"rendered":"

FINANZIARIO<\/h1>\n
(disclaimer: these are things I have been told\u00a0over the years, but this is\u00a0not legal advice \u2013 please double check that this info is correct, and up to date with country and state regulations.)\u00a0<\/address>\n
\n

It used to be that you could feasibly be very comfortable financially from an operatic career, but there are astronomical expenses. You must prepare in advance to be methodical about keeping account of your money and keeping track of receipts, etc\u2026 for taxes and social security in the U.S. I say all this, because I HAVE NOT been methodical, and have paid the price in wasted money and sooo much time!<\/p>\n

Nothing is set up for your type of job: forms, programs, everybody, it seems, are set up for someone who lives in one place, and works for a nice big company in one place. Get used to being frustrated, and \u201cplaying the system.\u201d Find a good CPA who\u2019s worked for some other singers, and get together with him\/her as you start your careers, to get the low-down on how you should prepare your tax stuff, what you can write off and can\u2019t, etc..<\/p>\n

MAKE AN EFFORT to put aside a certain percentage of your earnings. You are a free-lance artist. You never know if those next three gigs will get cancelled, you might get sick or damage your voice, and there\u2019s no health plan that comes with the job.<\/p>\n

Start paying on a good health plan that will cater to your needs \u2013 \u2013 make sure it covers things on the road, because THAT\u2019S where you\u2019ll get sick. Nobody but you is in charge of your pension plan! Don\u2019t trust AGMA (the US opera singers\u2019 union) to do anything for you\u2026<\/p>\n

I have had problems with the whole tax system, for it is not set up for itinerant singers. This is not the official legal advice of an expert \u2013 this is a smattering of information that I have gathered over the years, and the way I understand them. So if you have clarifications or corrections, please email me!! \u00a0\u00a0I am always pleased to get the real skinny on things.<\/p>\n

I have worked mainly in France, England, Italy, Switzerland, a little in Germany, Austria, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Portugal. Other than these, I have no idea. I probably am pretty clueless about these countries, in any case! This information is geared towards the American singer, but some things are true for European Union singers, too. \u00a0As I now am a tax resident in Italy, my situation is quite changed, so some of this information may now be out of date. \u00a0Get the skinny from the IRS site itself if in doubt. \u00a0(For example, write-offs! \u00a0These were changed under Trump…)<\/p>\n

IN GENERALE PER GLI AMERICANI<\/h3>\n

LE TASSE<\/h5>\n

Most of our tax system is not set up for a free-lance singer. Even establishing \u201cresidency\u201d someplace is difficult, because most of us are not ever home. See the IRS page on\u00a0Casa fiscale.<\/a>\u00a0Sometimes it will be in your better interests to claim taxes in one place rather than another \u2013 some states have a lower (or none!) state tax, and some cities, like New York City, have very high city taxes. Since you are not at home much, why pay all those taxes THERE? Check out the applicable laws, and see what you need to do to fulfill the requirements. The tax system is set up for people living in one place, getting income from one source. So be prepared to be creative with your taxes, and get a CPA who has worked for other singers with international careers.For example, to avoid having to keep each and every receipt of food, etc. there is a book of allowable per diem deductions for living expenses for the military and US workers abroad (and in the USA, at that) for every year. You get your CPA to look up the per diem for the city where you have travelled, multiply this by how many days you were there on work, and voila\u2019 you have your expenses for that period. Ask your CPA or\u00a0read the IRS website\u2019s very helpful publication about expenses.<\/a>\u00a0La diaria, tuttavia, non copre le spese di alloggio, quindi \u00e8 necessario conservare tutte le ricevute. In ogni caso, conservo ancora molte ricevute di cibo e varie altre spese specifiche del lavoro. Ma tengo tutto.<\/p>\n

Tutta l\u2019Unione Europea e la maggior parte dei paesi europei (e la maggior parte dei paesi industrializzati dove si terranno concerti di opera o di musica classica) lo hanno fatto\u00a0trattati contro la doppia imposizione con gli USA<\/a>\u00a0and with other European countries. This means that if you are a US citizen, you will not have to pay double taxes. \u00a0But how does this work for US citizens?\u00a0\u00a0It’s not always clear, and your CPA may not know about this if they don’t work with people who work in Europe. You need to get a form from the Social Security Service that says that you pay Social Security (and thus, taxes) in the United States and give it to EACH job you do. This way, they do NOT take out the extra 15% or so for THEIR social security program. Make sure you get this form to the financial department of a concert venue or opera company as soon as you get there, because once you have been paid, their social security will already have been taken out, and you can not get that refunded once it has been deducted. Tough beanies for you if you\u2019ve forgotten the form, because you\u2019ll have to pay social security AGAIN in the USA when you file taxes. You can not deduct it from your US taxes, because you were supposed to have gotten that form in on time! Don\u2019t leave this up to your agent \u2013 check every time at the beginning of a gig, because agents can forget things or make mistakes, and you may need the time to get that form sent from the USA. Usually they will not accept a copy of the form; they need an original, so faxing does not work. \u00a0AND – when you get to an engagement, go by their financial office and make sure they have put through your form. \u00a0You can not be too vigilant about this – – check out your paycheck and ask for clarification if you don’t understand the different deductions. \u00a0I have found out here, years later, that even at gigs here in Italy where I KNOW I turned in this form, they still deducted social security here in Italy because someone didn’t do their job and I did not check my paycheck!<\/p>\n

C'\u00e8 un\u00a0indennit\u00e0 per reddito da lavoro straniero,\u00a0<\/a>as I understand it, that used to be around US$120,000 for 2022 for work done outside the U.S. You have to qualify for it, so check out the IRS Website at the link above. As I understand it (I reiterate \u2013 I am not an expert) this means you do not have to pay taxes on that first $120,000 you made outside the USA. You will have paid already what they take out at the source in the country in which you made the money. $120,000 sounds like a lot of money, until you realize what kind of taxes and expenses you\u2019re paying!<\/p>\n

The big weenie is that you will have to pay taxes in the USA on the money you earn out of the US over that 120,000$ \u2013 again. So much for not being double-taxed. The main scope, though, is to have your expenses abroad bring down your income to lower than that amount. It may not always possible, but at least it’s something to keep in mind when you\u2019re planning your bookings. If you do not claim this foreign earned income exclusion, you will be able to deduct the taxes you pay abroad off of your US taxes. Remember in places like France where you will file taxes also (and maybe be levied even more taxes a little later \u2013 read below) that the extra taxes you will pay there will need to be deducted from the NEXT year\u2019s US declaration, because of the timing of their declarations.<\/p>\n

FRANCIA<\/h4>\n

Queste sono le informazioni che mi sono state fornite dall'Opera Bastille di Parigi<\/sub><\/p>\n

Sei un artista. Sei pagato per gli spettacoli in Francia. Sei soggetto a tassazione su questi guadagni in Francia. Puoi evitare la doppia imposizione sui tuoi guadagni francesi.<\/i><\/p>\n

DIRITTO FISCALE E TRATTATI INTERNAZIONALI
\nLa Francia ha firmato accordi fiscali con pi\u00f9 di 80 paesi. Ogni accordo contiene clausole specifiche. Nella maggior parte dei casi, il tuo paese di residenza avr\u00e0 deciso che pagherai le tasse in Francia sulle tasse francesi e che le tasse pagate in Francia saranno detratte dalle tasse da pagare nel nostro paese, in tutto o in parte.<\/p>\n

15% DETRAZIONE ALLA FONTE (pagamento immediato)
\nFrance deducts from all artists\u2019 earnings 15% of gross income, i.e. before any deductions of social security contributions or expenses. N.B- \u2013 It is only a first installment. You may have to pay an additional amount later.<\/p>\n

DICHIARAZIONE FISCALE ANNUALE (obbligatoria)
\n-Obbligatorio per chiunque percepisca redditi in Francia.
\n-Accertato per un nucleo familiare
\n-Indica la situazione familiare (persone a carico) che pu\u00f2 modificare l'importo dell'imposta da pagare.
\n-Riguarda solo i redditi provenienti da fonti francesi.
\n-I tuoi guadagni netti verranno calcolati utilizzando questa dichiarazione.<\/p>\n

CALCOLO DEL REDDITO NETTO
\nDal reddito lordo (totale degli importi percepiti) vengono detratti i contributi previdenziali obbligatori a meno che non sia previsto un modulo di distacco.<\/p>\n

CALCOLO DELL'IMPORTO TOTALE DELLE IMPOSTE DA PAGARE
\n-il tasso complessivo pi\u00f9 basso \u00e8 25% di reddito netto
\n-Le imposte sui redditi sono progressive con fasce da 0% a 58% circa.
\n-I redditi gi\u00e0 trattenuti alla fonte vengono detratti dal conto finale.
\n-I redditi fuori dalla Francia non vengono presi in considerazione.<\/p>\n

COME OTTENERE LA TUA DICHIARAZIONE
\n-Dal Consolato o dall'Ambasciata francese nel nostro paese di origine.
\n-da qualsiasi ufficio delle imposte (Centre des Impots) in Francia.
\n-Dall'Ufficio delle Imposte (Centre des Impots) del 12e arrondissement al 27 bis, rue Meuniers, 75012 Parigi.<\/p>\n

QUANDO FARE LA TUA DICHIARAZIONE
\n-Per i residenti europei prima del 30 aprile e per gli americani prima del 15 maggio.
\n-L'anno fiscale francese termina il 31 dicembre.
\n-Qualsiasi pagamento dovr\u00e0 essere effettuato entro 45 giorni dalla notifica da parte dell'autorit\u00e0 fiscale.<\/p>\n

DOVE INVIARE LA TUA DICHIARAZIONE
\n-To Centre des Impots des Non-Residents, 9 rue d\u2019Uzes, 75094 Paris, cedex 02
\n-Al Centre des Imports de Menton per i residenti a Monaco.<\/p>\n

SE DIMENTICATE DI FARE LA DICHIARAZIONE O SE ARRIVATE IN RITARDO
\n-Perderai alcuni vantaggi riservati alle dichiarazioni non richieste effettuate entro i termini e la tua fattura fiscale sar\u00e0 pi\u00f9 alta (da 10% a 40% e talvolta di pi\u00f9) e gli interessi di multa non saranno deducibili nel tuo paese di origine.<\/p>\n

CONSULENZA E ASSISTENZA
\nThis form says \u201d\u00a0il tuo agente dovrebbe essere in grado di consigliarti sulle procedure amministrative. Lui\/lei sar\u00e0 in grado di indirizzarti verso un consulente fiscale se ne avessi bisogno.\u00a0<\/i>\u201d\u00a0This is the biggest piece of bullcrap I have read in a long time. No agent I know has the time, patience, or the know-how to help you with your taxes in France. I recommend asking someone IN France while you are there for the name of a capable tax consultant that they know, who speaks English. If I find any names or numbers, I will put their contact information on to these pages. THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR US AS U.S. CITIZENS IS THAT THE FORMS WHICH WE SHOULD USE TO FILE ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO US WHILE WE ARE IN FRANCE \u2013 YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR TO ASK FOR THE APPROPRIATE FORM. Good luck!<\/b><\/p>\n

PENSIONE<\/h5>\n

Ask your employer about this, so you can get your French pension number. Because you are working in France, you will be entitled to a Frence pension when you\u2019re 65 or so. (I don\u2019t know their retirement age offhand.) If it still exists by then! Anyhoot, it\u2019s good to know that you are entitled to it. I believe this is one of the taxes that you and your employer are paying into each engagement. There are some taxes that are just paid by you, some just paid by your employer, and some paid half and half. I think the pension is the latter. Don\u2019t quote me on it, though.<\/p>\n

OCCHIALI LES CONGES<\/a><\/h3>\n

This is lovely little gem of an organization that plans for your vacation money! Your employer pays into this fund that you can then tap into for your vacation money each year. Nice idea. It requires a bit of paperwork, but the dividends are superb.The first time you work in France, your employer and you will fill out a form for the Conges Spectacles. Make sure everything\u2019s correct on it, otherwise you\u2019ll keep getting the wrong name on it, etc and it\u2019s a big pain to change \u2013 they are not friendly and do NOT speak English. Your employer will give you the signup form at the end of your job, which you will send immediately to the Conges Spectacles so you can get your Conges Spectacles number.<\/p>\n

Your employer will also give you a blue form, which proves that you have worked there and has the hours, etc\u2026 Hold onto this until the next April rolls around. You\u2019ll need to wait for the Conges Spectacles (the first time you work in France) to send you your number, then fill out your blue form with this, and send it in after the 1st of April. If they receive it before April, they\u2019ll refuse it. So don\u2019t jump the gun! Also included in your confirmation with your new number will be a sheet asking you how you\u2019d like to be paid. Fill out this form with your bank details, and send it in April 1 with your blue form, and from then on, your Conges Spectacles will be directly deposited in your bank account.<\/p>\n

Pretty nifty! I think you\u2019re still supposed to send in the blue forms for every year in April, but I don\u2019t think I have in a while, and I still have gotten payments from them. Hmmm. In any case, they get a copy of the blue form from your employer(s) but I guess it\u2019s better to follow the rules than miss out on your money. Even if you have not known to file in a few years, and get all your information in, sometimes they will pay you, if you include a note telling them that you didn\u2019t know you were entitled to the money! I did that the first time after having worked in France for some years, and they paid me the back amount, even though they are not required to. \u00a0Here’s their website (in French). https:\/\/conges-spectacles.audiens.org\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INGHILTERRA<\/h2>\n

If you make over a certain amount of money in England, you will need to file taxes there. You may not end up paying any more money, but you need to file.As an American, you will need to have a work permit BEFORE stepping foot into the country. They are very strict about this, so don\u2019t arrive at the airport or at the train station without it. Either that, or you\u2019d better claim to be there for tourism!<\/p>\n

L'unica eccezione \u00e8 lavorare per i BBC Proms, una vera tradizione in Inghilterra in agosto e settembre, ma avrai una lettera dei Proms che porterai con te al controllo passaporti.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FINANCIAL (disclaimer: these are things I have been told\u00a0over the years, but this is\u00a0not legal advice \u2013 please double check that this info is correct, and up to date with country and state regulations.)\u00a0 It used to be that you …<\/p>\n

Pianificazione finanziaria e tasse<\/span> Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yac"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions\/140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}