Did you realise that you don't have to go into business if you want to make money with your sustainable initiative? Especially in the initial phase, when you are not yet earning much money or are not quite sure of your business - funny pun - you can also choose to do things differently. Together with accountant Marcel Huting we explain what you can do in that case. Ever heard of receipts?
Making money with a sustainable idea but not yet doing business
In cooperation with Huting Tax Advice & Administration
When you think of making money with your own idea, you quickly think of doing business and registering with the Chamber of Commerce (CoC). But you don't have to. You are not obliged to register with the Chamber of Commerce as an entrepreneur if you want to earn money with your green initiative. You can also enter this income as income from other activities (box 1) in your annual tax return. You are then not (yet) an entrepreneur in the tax sense, nor do you need to be registered with the Chamber of Commerce. This can be a comfortable interim phase. I myself started this way when I was still earning money incidentally with thegreenlist.nl.
Marcel: ‘This is definitely a smart idea if you are not yet sure how it will work out. If you opt for this as a freelancer providing services, it's good to know that you will then not be allowed to send invoices to your clients. That is only allowed if you are registered with the Chamber of Commerce.’ So how do you do it? As soon as you have provided your service, you send a request for payment by e-mail. When you have received payment, you send the client a receipt. Think of this as a receipt, proof of payment.‘
First aid for making receipts
If you opt for this option, then it is good to be aware of the rules governing the preparation of a receipt. So yes, there are rules for that. What should be on a receipt?
- Your name and address details.
- Your client's name and address details.
- Description of services provided.
- The amount due.
- The date.
- Quote number. (You choose the numbering yourself, as long as there is a sequence in the numbering such as 001, 002, etc.)
- Be clever: create a template (template) in Word that you can tweak and reuse all the time.
- Always share a receipt as a PDF file and not as a Word file.
Want to know more about this? Do a search on the Inland Revenue's site on ‘’income from other work'.
Sustainable tip for receipts
Reduce the size of the PDF file before emailing it or saving it to your server. The smaller the file, the less hard the data centres have to work to send and store your files in the cloud. Besides, you don't need such a large file for anything. If you don't have a paid version of Adobe, you can do it via the website pdf24.org.
Also a sustainable idea? Get started!
With these tips, you will have enough ammunition to get started with a sustainable idea. Do things get more serious and decide to register at the Chamber of Commerce after all? Then check out this handy article with accounting tips for start-ups. Or maybe you need more help now...
Need more accounting tips and help?
Maybe you have been doing business for a while, or maybe your initiative is still in its infancy. Either way, with the guide for starting entrepreneurs, we would like to help you on your way with the administrative side, so you can do what you do best: make your idea a success! Because say it yourself, it's a nice idea when the administrative basics are all in order. With the help of this guide, you will have everything you need to organise your company's bookkeeping properly, learn good habits and, as a bonus, we will also share with you how you can do business a little more consciously. We got you!
For 13.50 euros, you have this lifesaver directly to your inbox and so on your tablet or mobile phone! Order the guide for start-ups in our webshop!
About Marcel Huting
Marcel does administration and bookkeeping for a variety of companies and individuals throughout the Netherlands. He can help you get started or take over the entire bookkeeping process from you. Find out more about Huting Tax Advice & Administration.
Photo credits main image: Cottonbro (Pexels).
