Question 1

Who counts as a 'cross-border worker' under EU rules?

Accepted Answer

Under EU regulation 883/2004, a cross-border worker (frontalier worker) is a person who is employed in one EU/EEA/Swiss state but resides in another and returns home at least once a week. Some bilateral tax treaties add a stricter definition — e.g. the France-Switzerland frontalier requires daily return to be tax-resident in France for the salary.

Question 2

What changed about telework after 2023?

Accepted Answer

Before July 2023, working more than 25% of your time from your residence country shifted social security back to that country — a hard rule. The EU framework agreement on cross-border telework (signed by 21 countries in 2023) raised this threshold to 49.9% provided the employer also signs. Tax rules are separate: each country has its own day count for income tax (e.g. 34 days/year tolerance for France-Luxembourg before days become French-taxable).

Question 3

Will I be taxed twice?

Accepted Answer

No — the double-taxation treaty between the two countries determines who taxes the salary, and the other country either exempts the income or grants a tax credit equal to the foreign tax paid. You DO usually still need to file a return in your residence country and declare the foreign salary, even if no extra tax is due. Failing to declare can trigger penalties.

Question 4

Where do I get health insurance?

Accepted Answer

Generally in the country where social security is paid — i.e., usually the work country. Cross-border workers can use the S1/A1 forms to register family members at home. Some corridors offer a one-time choice (France-Switzerland frontaliers can pick between French CMU and Swiss LAMal, but the choice is binding for the entire frontalier period).

Question 5

What about pension contributions?

Accepted Answer

Pension contributions follow the social-security anchor — typically the work country. When you retire, the EU coordination rules (regulation 883/2004) ensure that years contributed in different EU/EEA countries are aggregated to compute your pension entitlement in each. You receive a partial pension from each country where you worked and met the minimum contribution years.

Question 6

Can my employer refuse the cross-border setup?

Accepted Answer

Yes — for the new 49.9% telework agreement specifically, both the employee and the employer must opt in. Without the employer's signature on the framework agreement, the old 25% rule applies. Some employers refuse because cross-border telework adds payroll complexity (different cantonal/regional rates, A1 certification, etc.).

Question 7

Are these calculations stored?

Accepted Answer

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — your salary, country pair and personal details never leave your device. We use no cookies on this page, no analytics, no signup. The corridor pages are statically generated, so the data layer doesn't talk to a server at all.

Question 8

Which corridors do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Currently 9 high-volume corridors: France→Switzerland (frontalier), Germany→Switzerland (Grenzgänger), Belgium→Netherlands, Slovakia→Austria, Poland→Germany, France→Luxembourg, France→Belgium, Germany→Luxembourg, Czech Republic→Germany. We add new corridors based on user requests.

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