Dealing with Fiverr, Upwork and other outsourcing platforms

I am always contacted by requests, such as how to deal with platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, for example as a softwar developer or a young startup, through which one can outsource certain services, for example to create graphics or code components.

I have already written a lot about VAT treatment in this article, which is one of the most-read articles on the blog. In numerous client conversations, I keep coming to the point that there is a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to invoices from platform providers, invoices from freelancers from abroad, the way in which the service is booked and the tax treatment.

The treatment of VAT is only one of many other problems, ranging from the treatment in the context of operating expenses to possible social security problems. Startups and young individual entrepreneurs in particular can overwhelm these questions, but above all unsettle them.

For this reason, I have developed a consultation on all the relevant questions, which can also be handled digitally in a video chat, in order to answer initial questions, close knowledge gaps and put one’s own activity on a legally secure footing. In a second, of course voluntary, step I advise young entrepreneurs on restructuring their own activities and adapting procurement measures, thus minimising future legal issues and uncertainties. Contact me for advice simply via my contact form or the chat on the right and I am sure that many legal issues, but also legal errors, are easy to resolve.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.