We take care of our light entrepreneurs’ business like our own: carefully, on time and with the authorities in mind. We’ll take care of your paperwork on your behalf. Transparency and responsibility are vital to us and we are proud to have the most comprehensive insurance in the industry included in our service fee.
Light entrepreneurship
Light entrepreneurship is freedom
Light entrepreneurship is the freedom to do exactly the kind of work you want when it suits you best.
As a light entrepreneur, you invoice your client or send a payment link for the work you do as an individual. You can work either full-time or part-time – whatever works the best for you.
As a light entrepreneur, you can also test your own business idea and entrepreneurship in general. Light entrepreneurship is an easy option for having your own business, as we take care of the entrepreneur’s bureaucracy for you, and you can work without a business ID or a business name.
As a light entrepreneur, you can make your dreams come true without a business of your own
In practice, light entrepreneurship means that you do not have to take care of all the obligations related to entrepreneurship yourself. At Eezy, we will help you and take care of the paperwork for you. We deal with the necessary payments and notifications on time, remind you of your obligations and take care of your affairs.
As a light entrepreneur, you can focus on doing your own thing. Your client gets an official invoice for the work (or EezyPay payment link and a receipt) and you will receive the income from your work as a salary. Light entrepreneurship is easy, as you avoid many of the obligations of a regular entrepreneur.
Work without a business ID or a business
You can be a light entrepreneur without needing to have your own business, business ID or trade name. The business ID refers to a code that uniquely identifies a business. As a light entrepreneur, you use the business ID of the invoicing service when invoicing your clients. This means that you can work smoothly even without a business ID of your own.
Having a business requires fixed monthly expenses that light entrepreneurs may not necessarily need to pay. Unlike larger companies, self-employed people, i.e. light entrepreneurs, do not need to set up a business for their activities. So you can try to make your dreams come true even without setting up a business – easy, right?
No accounting obligation
Accounting can sound complicated, and for many it is the most boring part of entrepreneurship. As a light entrepreneur, you will outsource all invoices to us and be free from the burden and responsibility of accounting. Your client pays the invoice directly to Eezy, and we pay you the income from your work in the form of wages. All accounting is done by Eezy, so you will have considerably less bureaucratic responsibility.
No VAT returns and no business tax return
You can get your taxes done easily as a light entrepreneur when you outsource invoicing to Eezy. All paperwork will be handled by us, and you won’t have to deal with tax returns or VAT returns at all.
Become a light entrepreneur easily
Becoming a light entrepreneur is effortless. Basically, getting started is this easy:
1
Register for our service – it’s free.
2
Agree on work and pricing with your client. Get the job done.
3
Create an invoice or an EezyPay payment page in our online service – we take care of the rest of the paperwork, from checking the invoice to paying the salary.
4
Enjoy the fruits of your labor as salary appears into your account.
Find out more about how light entrepreneurship works and what services and benefits we can offer you as an Eezy light entrepreneur.
What makes light entrepreneurship light?
An entrepreneur’s everyday life is often a challenging combination of freedom and responsibility. Despite how rewarding it can be, an entrepreneur’s everyday life is not usually described as a feather-light floating, whether you are a light entrepreneur or an entrepreneur with a business ID. A light entrepreneur works just as hard for his or her salary as an entrepreneur with a business ID.
In fact, the lightness comes mainly from the weight of bureaucracy you take from your own shoulders and place on ours. The paperwork that we do for you. The obligations you do not need to spend a minute on. The support you receive from us at all stages of your entrepreneurship. The feeling of not having to worry about everything yourself, and being able to focus on your work completely.
- A Shorter To Do -list? Yes please!
- Fewer things to worry about? I hope so!
- More time for your invoiced work? Absolutely!
Light entrepreneurship is suitable for many industries and different life situations. Whether you’re thinking of doing occasional gigs while working a day job or becoming a full-time entrepreneur, light entrepreneurship is a great option for testing a business idea. As a light entrepreneur, you can easily learn more about entrepreneurship and do the work of an ordinary entrepreneur with few obligations.
The salary of a light entrepreneur
What does the salary of a light entrepreneur consist of? Sometimes a light entrepreneur may wonder how much of the charged amount will be left after taxes, service fees and other statutory deductions. Try Eezy’s salary calculator to see how much you would need to charge for your work in order to get the pay you want.
Certain expenses are always deducted from the salary of a light entrepreneur, such as withholding tax according to your tax card, Eezy’s service fee and fees for any additional services. Additional services may include, for example, the EezyExpress service, which allows you to receive your salary even immediately on the day the invoice is sent. If you are obliged to take out YEL insurance, your health insurance contribution will also be deducted from your pay. You can find out the amount of the contribution by using the pay calculator.
A light entrepreneur’s unemployment benefits
As a light entrepreneur, you are entitled to unemployment benefits depending on your overall employment situation. Unemployment benefits include basic unemployment allowance, earnings-related unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy. The benefits are determined on the basis of situations such as the following:
- You are employed and engage in light entrepreneurship alongside this. If you lose your main job, your TE Office will determine unemployment benefits for your part-time or full-time entrepreneurship.
- You are unemployed and will start using light entrepreneurship and invoicing services during this time. Although it is worthwhile using the invoicing service, its use may nevertheless have an impact on the unemployment benefits of light entrepreneurs.
Start light entrepreneurship right away
Would you like to become a light entrepreneur? You can register in Eezy’s service free of charge, and without any obligations. Start right away or take your time to take a closer look. You only pay the service fee when you are paid a salary.
Register
Work
Charge
Check out the frequently asked questions about light entrepreneurship and in which situations light entrepreneurship is particularly suitable. In addition, you will also find the answer as to why you should choose Eezy Kevytyrittäjät as your partner.
If you do not find the answer to your question, please contact us. Our customer service is here for you!
What is a light entrepreneur?
As a light entrepreneur, you employ yourself and sell your own expertise. You operate independently and entrepreneurially, without your own Business ID. However, it is good to know that a light entrepreneur is a marketing term and it is a fairly new form of doing work.
As a light entrepreneur, you are an employee for tax and accounting purposes. This means that as a light entrepreneur, you do not have to file an entrepreneur’s tax return, accounting, or VAT returns to the Tax Administration, as an entrepreneur with a business ID must. The term light entrepreneur also derives from this ease in bureaucracy.
As a light entrepreneur, you are an entrepreneur from an unemployment security point of view. A light entrepreneur is not employed by his client within the context of the Employment Contracts Act, nor is a light entrepreneur employed by a light entrepreneur service. A light entrepreneur still could get a so-called adjusted unemployment allowance if the entrepreneurial activity is considered as auxiliary activity.
Also, regarding pension insurance, a light entrepreneur is equated with an entrepreneur. As a light entrepreneur, you are covered by the YEL insurance and you are responsible for acquiring the YEL insurance yourself.
Being a light entrepreneur differs from working directly with a tax card in that working with a tax card is an employment relationship. This means that your employer will then perform all employer’s statutory obligations. Especially in project-type as well as short-term jobs, this is often perceived as burdensome, or sometimes even impossible. You can buy work from a light entrepreneur with an invoice as you would from a company, and we take care of all the statutory fees applicable to invoicing services. In addition, all our light entrepreneurs are insured with working time accident insurance and operational liability insurance.
Read more about Eezy’s light entrepreneurship.
Who is light entrepreneurship for?
Light entrepreneurship is suitable for most fields. For example, you can do construction work, digital marketing, photography, consulting, or e-sports player work. Light entrepreneurship is a viable solution for many situations:
- Entrepreneurship is interesting, but becoming an entrepreneur feels too difficult. Starting a business, accounting, taxation, and other responsibilities of an entrepreneur can seem tricky and complex. When you work through us, you do not have to start your own business, and your time is not spent on entrepreneurial responsibilities or paperwork. You can focus on your own work and its marketing – we take care of everything else!
- You want to turn your skills into making a living. Numerous full-time light entrepreneurs invoice through us. It is enough that you have some skill that others are willing to pay for. You can also easily work in different industries doing different jobs: your income can consist of things like personal trainer work, yard design, and content writing.
- You want to test your plans risk-free before starting your own business. With Eezy, you can easily test your business idea, acquire clients before starting your own business, and otherwise become familiar with the invoicing of your own work. You can stop using our service at any time and start operating through your own company. If you are planning to apply for a start-up grant, you will benefit from the experience gained through Eezy.
- You want to be entrepreneurial alongside your main job. Gig, seasonal and project-type work, in addition to studies or your own paid work, is handy for invoicing through Eezy. That way, you can focus solely on doing gigs, and you do not have to spend your time on the duties or paperwork of a part-time entrepreneur.
- You have a skill or hobby that generates occasional income. As an individual, you cannot invoice your client directly, but you either need your own company or you can handle the invoices conveniently with the help of a light entrepreneur service. If you are interested in occasional income but not entrepreneurial work, it is easy to manage finances as a light entrepreneur.
- You are unemployed and want to employ yourself. Even if you have not found a job for yourself, there may still be a need for your skills and input, as well as buyers. Most companies have work to be done, but it is not done in an employment relationship, for example due to the project or seasonal nature of the work. In this case, the possibility of invoicing the work may be the solution.
- You would like to start a business, but you are not be able to access the prepayment register. If you have tax debt, the company you set up is unlikely to be on the Tax Administration’s prepayment register. Being on the register is practically essential for you to invoice your work. As an Eezy light entrepreneur, you do not have to be on the prepayment register because we invoice your work for you.
The user of our service must be a private individual and a taxpayer in Finland. In the following cases, you may want to contact our customer service for advice on how to get started:
- You are a minor – you are welcome to be a light entrepreneur in Eezy, but you need permission from your guardian to start using the service.
- You want to set up an Zettle payment terminal. – EezyPay payment solution might also work for you.
- You sell your services on an online platform – EezyPay, our additional service could be the solution for handling payment traffic.
- You already have your own business – you can continue your business through Eezy, but you cannot have your own active business at the same time as you are a light entrepreneur through us. You can end your own business or suspend it by deleting it from the prepayment and VAT registers.
- You are a citizen of another country besides the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland. This does not prevent you from using our service, but non-EU or non-EEA citizens must have a work and residence permit.
What situations is light entrepreneurship not suitable for?
Not all work can be invoiced through Eezy as a light entrepreneur, or they can only be done on a limited basis. Before you start, please familiarize yourself with the industries with limitations for light entrepreneurs.
Own business or light entrepreneurship?
Eezy light entrepreneurship is suitable for many situations, but in some cases your own business could be a better option.
Light entrepreneurship is a great option when…
- Accounting, entrepreneur’s tax return, and other entrepreneurial paperwork are not part of your passion or your strongest areas of expertise. In addition to saving yourself as a light entrepreneur from the above, you also get support and help from us at all stages of your business, in addition to getting started.
- You want to be entrepreneurial, but you are not enthusiastic about starting and running your own business.
- You want to go quickly and directly where the action is – all you have to do is register for the service and you can do your first job as a light entrepreneur right away!
- You do not want to learn everything alone – we advise on all important things: e.g. the pricing, invoicing, VAT, expense reimbursements and tax deductions of one’s own work.
We recommend starting your own business if…
- You work as a retailer of products. You cannot resell only goods, materials, or other products through us. However, you can sell supplies and materials through Eezy if they are related to the work you do. You can also sell products you have made and designed yourself through us. If you act as a sales representative selling products or services on behalf of your client, you can invoice for compensation through Eezy.
- Your business requires large investments in equipment. As a light entrepreneur, you cannot use computers, phones, cameras, or other similar purchases as deductions that can be used elsewhere than in the work you invoice. However, you can have these acquisitions deducted as cost of income in your own tax return.
- You want to operate VAT-free because your turnover is small. You can operate in your own company without VAT if your turnover is less than 15,000 € / 12 months. There is no such possibility when you invoice through Eezy. VAT-free is an advantage if your clients are private persons or VAT-exempt entities. If your clients are businesses subject to VAT, there is no benefit for being exempt from VAT because the VAT included in the invoice is a deductible transit item and therefore not an expense that increases the price of your work.
There are also certain jobs that cannot be invoiced or can be done on a limited basis through Eezy as a light entrepreneur. Check out limited jobs.
Why choose Eezy?
You want to get there easily
It is not difficult to establish a trade name or a limited company, as it is easily done, for example, with the help of the Perustayritys.fi – service. It is crucial that when you establish a trade name or a limited liability company, for example, you also commit to the obligations of an entrepreneur. You must, among other things, ensure advance and VAT payments, and do accounting. You can hire an accounting firm to do the practical work, but you are still responsible for ensuring that all notifications and payments are handled on time. You will probably take care of the YEL insurance, taking out the working time accident and liability insurance, as well as making and sending invoices and payment reminders, and the sales receivables yourself.
The Eezy light entrepreneurship service has therefore not been founded because it would be difficult or complicated to set up a business. Eezy was founded as an easy option to invoice your own work, without having to start your own business.
With the EezyPay payment solution, we now offer even easier light entrepreneurship. EezyPay saves you time and effort, enables flexible payment methods for your customer (e.g. MobilePay) and a faster way for you to get paid for your work. Read more about EezyPay here.
You want the most responsible partner
When you work through Eezy, you have no other responsibilities as an entrepreneur than possibly taking care of the YEL insurance – and even then we will help you. You market your services, agree on your work and schedules, as Eezy manages administrative and statutory obligations. All our light entrepreneurs are insured accordingly for both accidents at work and damage to property and personal injury to clients or third parties. Insurance also provides security for light entrepreneur’s clients and is often required as well. It is an honor for us to take care of everything as well as possible.
You need advice and your best interest to be our top priority
When you work through Eezy, you are not left alone, but you can always count on our expertise and transparent operations. We want you to succeed and we will advise you both at the beginning and along the way on matters related to light entrepreneurship: whether it is for pricing your work, contract matters, the right VAT rates or invoicing expenses. We have plenty of long-term, satisfied light entrepreneurs and we are known for our excellent customer service and superior expertise. We keep a close eye on light entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial issues and keep you up to date with newsletters, webinars, podcasts and our social media channels. As an Eezy light entrepreneur, you can also connect with Eezy Group’s gig work opportunities if you wish.
Also check out the experiences of our light entrepreneurs with Eezy.
What is the unemployment security of a light entrepreneur like?
When you work as a light entrepreneur through an invoicing service, you are an entrepreneur from an unemployment security perspective. Your unemployment security and entitlement to unemployment benefits are affected by whether you are a full-time or part-time entrepreneur. The decisive factor in assessing full-time employment is only the amount of work required by the activity, not the income from business activities or own work.
Full-time entrepreneurship
A full-time entrepreneur is not entitled to unemployment benefit; thus you cannot be paid unemployment benefit. If your self-employed activity meets the conditions for the YEL insurance and you have the YEL insurance, you have the option of entrepreneur’s unemployment insurance.
You can also find more information about the unemployment insurance of a light entrepreneur on the SYT fund’s website.
Short-term entrepreneurship
Self-employed persons retain their right to unemployment benefit if the employment lasts for a maximum of two consecutive weeks (14 calendar days).
Income from short-term entrepreneurial work, like any other work done, is reported only to the payer of the benefit and they are considered in the amount of payable unemployment benefit. TE Services do not investigate or provide an opinion on such short-term business activities.
Our recommendation is that if you want to secure your entitlement to unemployment benefits with certainty, contact your TE office after the first period of employment (up to two weeks) and ask them to assess your situation.
Unemployment security guide for light entrepreneurs:
General Unemployment Insurance Fund YTK maintains Light entrepreneur unemployment security guide
Part-time entrepreneurship
Working as a part-time entrepreneur does not prevent you from receiving unemployment benefits. TE services assess ancillary activities. Unemployment benefit can then be paid as agreed, i.e. the amount of unemployment benefit considers income received from entrepreneurial activities.
I work as a light entrepreneur and the work ends. Where do I apply for unemployment benefits?
There are three types of unemployment benefits:
1. Earnings-related daily allowance. As a self-employed person, you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance if you are a member of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for employees and have fulfilled the employment condition based on your previous employment or service relationship. As a member of the Entrepreneur’s Unemployment Insurance Fund, you are entitled to earnings-related daily allowance after you have stopped being an entrepreneur, if the other conditions of earnings-related daily allowance are met.
2. Basic daily allowance. You can apply for a basic daily allowance from Kela if you are not a member of the unemployment fund, but you have fulfilled the employment condition.
3. Labor market support. You can apply for labor market support from Kela if you have not met the employment condition.
I am unemployed and I have occasional work as a light entrepreneur
If you start a business activity lasting more than 2 weeks during your period of unemployment, the main and secondary activities of the business will not be assessed during the first four months of starting a business. This means that you are entitled to unemployment benefits for the above period. However, if you receive income from the business during the four months in question, you will be paid an adjusted unemployment benefit.
If the salaries paid by Eezy do not exceed 300 € (gross) per month or 279 € for a period of 4 calendar weeks, the salary you receive will not affect the amount of the daily allowance.
If the obtained income is greater than the so-called protection shares 300/279 €, income is reconciled to unemployment allowance. The basic rule is that each euro exceeding the protective part reduces the unemployment benefit by 50 cents. Salary payments, commissions, taxable expenses, perquisites, etc. are included.
I am unemployed and employ myself full-time as a light entrepreneur
If you are unemployed and receive earnings-related or basic daily allowance, you may lose your entitlement to unemployment benefits if you work full-time as a self-employed person through Eezy. The decision on full-time employment is made by TE Services.
What insurance does a light entrepreneur need?
All our light entrepreneurs are as well insured as possible. Insurance also provides security for light entrepreneur’s clients, and they are also often required by the client.
Our service fee includes:
- Working time accident insurance
- Operational liability insurance
- Consulting insurance for consultants
In addition, you may need the YEL insurance, as users of invoicing services, i.e. light entrepreneurs, are classified as entrepreneurs for pension insurance purposes. This means that you are responsible for arranging your own pension insurance with the YEL insurance if your entrepreneurial activity meets the conditions for YEL insurance. When working through Eezy, you usually do not need any other insurance of your own in addition to the statutory YEL insurance.
Can my expenses be reimbursed to me as an entrepreneur?
Expenses and receipts are a headache for most of us, as the Tax Administration has precise regulations on how to deal with them, and what can be deducted and when. The reimbursement practices of a light entrepreneur and an entrepreneur with a business ID differ somewhat. Your expenses incurred in doing the work are generally deductible through us. Your expenses can be, for example, material, supplies and travel expenses, and they must be related to the invoiced work.
For us, reimbursement practices and handling of expenses and receipts are a familiar mess, and we will direct you to the right tracks if the receipt hassle blindsides you with its complexity. Contact us – we are here for you.
Do I receive a benefit if I recommend the service to others?
If you are happy with our service as an Eezy light entrepreneur, you should tell others about it! Or, in fact, you should do a little more than just tell. You will receive 150 € EezyBonus for each new Eezy user who comes through your referral link when their VAT-free invoicing amount exceeds 1,000 €. Take a closer look at the steps and how recommending Eezy works – then recommend away!
Do you have questions?
You can always call, send email or chat with us. You can also visit us or book a video meeting. Our customer service is open on weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm, tel. 09 4242 1565 | startti.kevytyrittajat@eezy.fi
