Artist@Work makes working as an artist easier

Artists can now do their administration online using a digital platform.

All administration...

The artists' status aims to organise in an optimal way, with maximum social protection, the atypical occupation of artists. In the social security system, different regulations are possible, each with its own administration:

• artists are employees or self-employed persons - in the latter case, the declaration of self-employment ensures legal certainty;
• having employee status is possible without a contract of employment but with an artist's visa certifying the artistic activities;
• there is no contribution obligation in the so-called ‘small allowances scheme’, i.e. time worked and allowances, provided they do not exceed a certain ceiling, are exempt from social contributions in the regulation for employees. The annual ceiling is 30 days worked and € 2,578.71 in allowances (amount 2019). The exemption is possible on the basis of an artist's card and a correctly maintained overview of time worked/allowances.

The Artists' Commission, which is part of the FPS Social Security, has a central role to play in all these formalities.

...now also via Artist@Work

Artist@Work (www.artistatwork.be) is the digital platform of the FPS Social Security, which allows to manage online the administration of the artists' status.

Artist@Work allows the artist to:

• apply for an artist's card, an artist's visa or a declaration of self-employment and apply for a duplicate or renewal thereof;
• register time worked and allowances under the small allowances scheme;
• create a certificate containing the time worked and amounts accrued under the small allowances scheme, which can be invoked against the principal;
• monitor the various applications;
• consult information on the obligations and formalities associated with the activities as an artist.

Artist@Work processes a series of personal data about the artist as well as data on the artist's time worked and allowances under the small allowances scheme. Personal data are kept permanently, while those relating to time worked/allowances are kept for six years.

The responsibility for processing the data rests with the Artists' Commission. The Artists' Commission can manage the different applications and produce activity reports and statistics through Artist@Work.

Artist@Work can be used by the competent inspection services as a monitoring tool.

For the time being, the use of Artist@Work is not obligatory; the applications and the registration of time worked/allowances can still be done on paper. There is one limitation: if the artist's card has been applied for via Artist@Work, the registration of time worked/allowances must also take place online.

Source:  Royal Decree of 2 May 2019 implementing article 172bis of the Programme Act of 24 December 2002, Belgian Official Gazette of 6 May 2019.