Advantages of freelance administration
In 2025, the number of ported employees should exceed 500,000. The reason? The advantages of freelance administration are attracting more and more freelancers.
Indeed, this hybrid form of employment combines the benefits of freelance status with those of salaried employment. Of course, it interests more and more freelance workers…
As a reminder, the portage salarial consists in finding customers and carrying out missions while being affiliated to a portage company. The latter takes care of the administrative part of the service by establishing then by cashing the invoice. All this is done in exchange for management fees that are deducted from the employee’s income.
The latter, for his part, can claim a minimum salary guaranteed by the umbrella company, even in the event of a drop in activity. Rather tempting, isn’t it?
That’s not all, here are the 10 main advantages of freelance administration!
Less administrative management, more productivity
Freelancers spend 23% of their work time on administrative activities. If you work 40 hours a week, that means you spend 9.2 hours a week on paperwork. That’s more than an entire workday doing boring, unprofitable tasks.
It starts with the creation of your business. Beyond choosing the legal status that corresponds to your activity, you must gather the required documents.
After the creation process, you become your own accountant and secretary. In addition to prospecting for customers, you must keep accounts, send invoices on time and follow up on any unpaid bills. In order not to risk penalties from the tax authorities, you have to pay the periodic contributions, the VAT, declare your turnover and file your accounts annually. Tiring, isn’t it?
All these tasks put together reduce your productivity…
With freelance administration, you don’t have to do this administrative work. It is the freelance administration company that takes care of writing the contracts for each service, sends the invoices and reminds the client in case of late payment. It also takes care of your tax declarations (social contributions, VAT, taxes…).
Thus, you devote a maximum of time to your trade.
A social protection worthy of an employee
One of the main advantages of freelance administration? Social protection!
To become a freelance employee, you sign a fixed-term or open-ended work contract. This makes you, de facto, eligible to a reinforced social security coverage.
In addition to health insurance, family allowances and training rights, you are entitled to unemployment insurance and to a Return to Work Allowance (ARE) in case of loss of activity. For 2 years, you can claim a maximum of 256.96 € gross per day. The amount and duration of this benefit will be determined by your last salary and the duration of your contributions.
During your activity, you also contribute to the complementary pension, which is more advantageous than the basic pension. To qualify for this right, self-employed persons must first pay themselves a salary or earn between €9,120 and €12,304 per year.
That’s not all! With the status of an employee, you benefit from a professional liability insurance (RCP). You are therefore protected in case of litigation or accidents caused during the execution of your missions. This covers, for example, conflicts related to intellectual property rights, damage caused when you are away on a client’s premises or cyber security risks.
You are also entitled to 2.5 days of paid vacation per month, so you can sometimes take a welcome break!
Financial security, a significant advantage of freelance administration
The employee receives a minimum remuneration every month. This is also the case for the freelance worker! This is a significant advantage of freelance administration.
In this respect, you are not affected by late payments, unpaid bills and, above all, the lack of assignments.
From the first month of your activity, you can claim a minimum salary. You no longer need to provide working capital to cover the slack periods.
According to the law, the freelance administration company is obliged to guarantee you a minimum monthly remuneration, which breaks down as follows:
- 70 to 85% of the monthly social security ceiling, i.e. €2,568 gross in 2022.
- 10% of gross salary as a precariousness bonus.
- 10% of the pay of the last assignment as compensation for the loss of time between assignments.
- 5% representing a business referral fee to compensate for time spent prospecting and preparing for assignments.
Even if you spend a whole month without an assignment, the portage company ensures your back. Indeed, each month, it deducts a financial reserve from your monthly turnover. When you carry out fewer missions, it draws from the reserve to pay you.
Reimbursement of your professional expenses
Some companies offer you an online space or application to declare your personal expenses and upload your receipts. You can easily request reimbursement for expenses incurred during an assignment: meal expenses, purchase of specific materials or transportation costs, for example.
You will also be able to deduct any expenses necessary to properly conduct your assignments, such as the purchase of a computer, smartphone, office furniture, tools, software or office supplies.
As a reminder, the status of micro-entrepreneur does not allow the declaration of expense reports, and therefore the deduction of your professional expenses.
Easy access to bank loans
As a freelance employee, you benefit from an employment contract and payslips. Valuable documents that make it easier to obtain bank loans. No need for 3 years of seniority, with perfect balance sheets, as with other freelance statutes.
So if you have a real estate project or if you want to change your car, you will appreciate this advantage of the portage salarial!
This advantage is also valid if you want to rent a property. The owners will be more inclined to take tenants with a permanent contract, even if it is a portage contract.
Keeping your autonomy as a freelancer
While freelance administration borrows many of the advantages of salaried employment, it also offers the autonomy dear to freelancing. From the missions to be carried out to the place of work, including the hours, it is you who decides!
There is no employer-employee relationship in freelancing. The clients you win are yours, regardless of the situation. Even if you decide to change your company or status, you keep your clients.
However, the difference with the other statutes lies in the support. Although autonomous, the umbrella company dedicates an advisor to you. You will be able to ask him for advice to develop your activity. If necessary, he can even accompany you in the prospection or in the pricing of your missions.
Easily subcontract a part of the missions
Is your business growing? You need help to manage your clients? You can easily subcontract part or all of your missions when you are a freelancer. And of course, you will be free of administrative heaviness during this process.
If you choose internal subcontracting, i.e. if you delegate to a freelancer of the same umbrella company, you will not have to do any calculations! The latter invoices the client for the total mission, and then takes care of dividing the remuneration between you and the subcontractor, according to the terms that you have specified.
If you delegate to an external freelancer, it is always the umbrella company that manages the billing to the final client. The subcontractor will have to send his own invoice and the company will take care of paying him, then deduct his service from yours.
Access to professional workshops and events
Most freelance companies organize networking sessions to allow you to meet other freelancers. This is an opportunity to break the solitude of freelancers and to make new contacts. These meetings are an opportunity to exchange with entrepreneurs, but also to find potential prospects or partners.
In addition, the freelance administration companies set up training workshops. They solicit the registered freelancers to lead trainings, conferences or debates on their job. This allows you to broaden your knowledge and skills.
A solid and professional image
Another advantage of freelance administration concerns the image sent back to your prospects. Working within a professional and established structure reassures potential clients. It shows that your activity is solid, that you already have many missions, which immediately induces an impression of reliability.
This confidence effect makes it easier for you to convert your prospects.
The VIP advantages of freelancing
Beyond the requirements conferred by the law to the companies of portage salarial, they do not hesitate to propose other advantages to attract more independent workers.
Thus, it is not uncommon to find a company that offers its employees :
- A company car
- Gift certificates and culture
- The advantages of a Works Council
- Universal service vouchers (CESU)
- Luncheon vouchers
- Various vouchers
- Discounts on flights, hotels or complete trips
Some companies also offer savings plans to their employees to build up a portfolio of real estate assets, for example. Others offer a share of stock as a reward for the most senior ported employees.
Our tip
The benefits of freelance administration make it the perfect status to ease your transition from employee to freelancer, or to give a boost to your project. However, to take full advantage of its benefits, make sure you choose a reputable freelance administration company.
The management fees offered should be acceptable (around 10%) and completely transparent. Think of consulting the comments of other freelancers or making a simulation on the website of the company. This will allow you to know your remuneration.