Confusion: Auto-entrepreneur, travailleur independent, micro, micro-social/fiscal?

sallywigmore

3 Dec 2015 at 12:24 · Viewed 1694 times

I registered my new business, (independent representative for a US company, receiving commission only), with URSSAF. The letter says Regime Micro... BNC, so I had assumed it was a micro entreprise, with micro fiscal and micro social rules, like for auto-entrepreneurs.

But it is now at the end of the second year, and I have received huge bills from URSSAF (unions de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité Sociale et d’allocations familiales), CIPAV (caisse interprofessionnelle de prévoyance et d’assurance vieillesse) and RSI (régime social des indépendants). They each say that it is compulsory to pay these cotisations, although searching on the web seems to say that I shouldn’t be paying all this. I talked to CCI (chambres de commerce et d’industrie) in Limoux, who said I could be an auto-entrepreneur, and to ask Impots. So, I asked to change to be in the auto-entrepreneur scheme (turnover less than 32,000 euros), but they say Chez nous vous êtes au régime micro et nous ne pouvons pas changer l’appellation; nous ne gérons pas tout ce qui concerne les autres organismes.

When I replied to say that it was CCI that told me to ask Impots - they said Au Service des Impôts des Entreprises de Limoux, nous ne pouvons gérer que l’aspect fiscal de votre dossier. Dans nos bases vous êtes bien au bon régime MICRO. Nous n’avons donc aucune modification à apporter. Also URSSAF said that I’m a travailleur independant and that this is different.

I am very confused as to what all the differences are, e.g. auto-entrepreneur, travailleur independent, micro, micro-social/fiscal etc. Please can you explain for me, and also advise if I can change, since paying 48% of turnover is really high.

I am in receipt of the state pension, have an S1 and carte vitale. And have not had to pay national insurance contributions in the UK since I turned 60. That makes these social contributions seem very high, especially as I had researched it all before I moved to France two years ago.

Answered