What does it cost to start as a ZP'er?

As an Independent Professional, you need less initial capital than an SME entrepreneur just starting out. This is because your costs are much lower. Still, you will have to spend some money. These are the costs you need to consider.

1. Chamber of Commerce registration fee

Before you start doing business, you must register in the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce. You pay a one-time fee of 50 euros for this. Furthermore, there are no annual costs associated with your registration.

2. Renting an office

You can choose to work from home as a ZP'er. However, if you prefer to rent an office space, you will of course have to invest money in it. Not only the rent, but also the furnishings cost money. An alternative is to work at a flex workspace. These flexible workspaces are spread throughout the Netherlands and are often (almost) free.

3. What do I need?

Depending on your profession, you need to take care of certain necessities. For example, an IT professional needs a good quality computer with extra disk space and backup materials. But a project manager can already get by with a smartphone, tablet and laptop. Make a list of what you think you need and keep it as short as possible.

4. Build a website

If you are handy with technology and know how a Web site works, you should build your own site. It will save you a lot of money. If you choose WordPress, building a website is not very complicated. You can also choose to have your website created by an external agency. That will save you a lot of time, but you will pay more for it. In addition, you also pay periodic fees for web hosting and domain name.

5. Phone plan

You will be on the phone a lot during your start-up period to arrange everything. As a result, there's a good chance you'll go way over your phone plan. You can choose to take out a business subscription. You can also fully deduct the cost of business phone calls from your profit.

6. Administration: outsourcing

It is mandatory to have your administration in order. If you find it difficult to do this yourself, you can outsource it to an accountant or bookkeeper. This is easy and it saves you a lot of time, but you pay for it. Generally, accountants are a bit more expensive than bookkeepers. It also makes a difference whether you outsource all or part of your administration.