It is also a good time to take a broader view: of your company’s financial strength, your personal future and, if you have employees, the people who contribute to the success of your business.
These choices are closely connected. What you set aside or invest today also shapes the financial freedom you will have tomorrow. Therefore, use year-end as an opportunity to look ahead and consider pension planning, protection, tax and financing together.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Three choices. One stronger year-end plan."},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Smart year-end planning goes beyond your tax bill. It means looking at the bigger picture:
The order matters. By first looking at which expenses or pension contributions may still be relevant, you get a clearer picture of your final tax position. You can then determine how much you still need to set aside for taxes. Financing can help you keep sufficient funds available for your other plans.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Choice 1: build your pension and protection with your business in mind"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"As an entrepreneur, you are constantly investing in your business: in customers, projects, innovation or equipment. If you have employees, you are also investing in the people who help move your business forward. But your own financial future deserves a deliberate place in that planning too.
The second pension pillar can play an important role here. As a self-employed professional or company director, it allows you to build up supplementary pension in a way that fits your professional status, your business and your personal goals.
Pension planning is also about more than building up capital for later. It is about financial peace of mind: knowing that the efforts you make today help support the life you want in the future. At the same time, you want to keep enough resources available to continue growing your business today. That is why pension planning is best considered as part of your wider financial plan.
"}},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"For businesses with employees, future planning has an added dimension. Alongside your own pension planning, you can also consider how to offer your employees greater financial security, for example through group insurance or hospitalisation insurance.
These benefits can form part of a well-considered remuneration policy. They can provide additional financial security for your employees while also strengthening your attractiveness as an employer.
"},"title":"Have employees? Consider their future too."},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"The right pension solution depends on your professional status and personal circumstances. A Free Supplementary Pension for the Self-Employed (FSPSE)¹ can form part of your pension strategy. If you are self-employed without a company, a Pension Agreement for the Self-Employed (PASE)² may also be relevant. If you operate through a company, an Individual Pension Commitment (IPC)³ can also form part of your strategy.
Want to know more about the second pension pillar? Read 5 reasons to build up supplementary pension through your company.
"},"title":"Which pension solution is right for you?"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"A sound long-term strategy looks at both what you want to build and what you want to protect. If illness or an accident temporarily prevents you from working, this can affect both your income and the continuity of your business. That is why income protection and business continuity protection deserve a place in your wider financial planning.
This can help make the financial impact of unexpected events more manageable, so you can stay focused on what matters: running your business.
"},"title":"Protection deserves a place in your future plans too."},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Choice 2: Determine how much tax you still need to set aside"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Once you have reviewed your potential year-end optimisation opportunities, you will have a clearer view of your final tax liabilities.
By the end of the year, your financial results are usually clearer. That makes it a good time to sit down with your accountant and assess how much you still need to set aside and whether any additional advance tax payments would be appropriate.
Keep your liquidity in mind too. After all, money you reserve for taxes today is no longer available for investments or other expenses.
"}},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Advance tax payments are a good example of how tax planning and liquidity planning, deciding how much cash you want to keep available and when, come together. For companies and company directors, making sufficient advance payments on time can help avoid a tax surcharge. It is therefore worth discussing with your accountant how much you should set aside.
You do not necessarily have to fund the entire advance payment from your available cash. ING offers professional clients a financing solution for advance tax payments. This allows you to plan for your tax obligations without using a large share of your available liquidity all at once.
"},"title":"Plan your advance tax payments in good time"},{"componentType":"highlight","richBody":{"value":"Since income year 2026, adjusted rules apply to advance tax payments. For self-employed people whose profits or professional income are taxed under personal income tax, insufficient advance payments no longer result in a tax surcharge. The surcharge continues to apply to companies and company directors. Certain individuals also have access to a fifth advance-payment period. If you want to know what this means for your situation, discuss it with your accountant.
"},"title":"Please note"},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Choice 3: keeping the financial strength to act on your plans"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Once you have considered pension, protection and tax, one practical question remains: what do you want your business to be able to do next year?
You may be planning to invest in machinery, digitalisation or business property. Perhaps you expect to need more stock, while recurring expenses temporarily put additional pressure on your cash flow. Financing can help you move forward with those plans without one major expense absorbing all the cash you have available.
"}},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Some expenses come back every year, which means you can prepare for them. If you have employees, examples include year-end bonuses or a thirteenth-month payment. These costs may be predictable, but they can still put considerable pressure on your cash flow at one particular point in the year.
Including these expenses in your financial planning gives you a clearer view of how much room you need for day-to-day operations and other plans.
"},"title":"Plan recurring costs in advance"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Financing can do more than make an investment possible. It can also help you manage your liquidity deliberately and preserve financial flexibility.
You may have enough cash to pay for an investment in full. Even so, it can be useful to consider how much cash you want to keep available afterwards for day-to-day operations, another investment or unexpected costs.
The right approach depends on the purpose of the investment, its term, your repayment capacity and your company’s financial position. Seen this way, financing becomes part of your wider financial planning: a way to make investments possible while keeping enough financial strength for what comes next.
"},"title":"Financing as a deliberate choice"},{"componentType":"highlight","richBody":{"value":"Do not wait until a new opportunity, your approaching retirement, or an unexpected event forces you to act. Use year-end to look ahead.
Review your tax headroom. Consider how you can strengthen your pension planning and protection. If you have employees, include their future in your planning too. Plan your advance tax payments and year-end obligations in good time, and prepare for your next investments.That way, you look beyond the next quarter. And start building the next chapter of your business today.
Discover how ING can support you with pension insurance and financing solutions for your business.
"},"title":"Turn year-end into a head start"}]},"hasMacro":false,"id":"b5d4d1da-509e-4f8b-99af-95cb80ca63b3","legalZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Disclaimers:
This article is for information purposes only and the information it contains may change over time. For the most up-to-date information, we recommend checking the applicable rules and requirements with the competent authorities. We also recommend seeking professional advice based on your individual circumstances before making a decision. ING Belgium SA cannot be held liable for decisions made on the basis of the information provided.
Credits are reserved for natural persons and legal entities and are intended solely for professional purposes. This offer is valid subject to acceptance of your application by ING Belgium and mutual agreement. The general terms and conditions for ING credits are available at all ING branches and on www.ing.be.
Per product:
The insurances products ¹FSPSE (Free Supplementary Pension for the Self-Employed), ²PASE (Pension Agreement for the Self-Employed) and ³IPC (Individual Pension Commitment) can only be taken out at your ING branch. Each insurance policy runs for 1 year and is automatically renewed for another year. If you have a complaint about your policy, please contact our complaints service and Ombudsman via the ING Banking app or Business'Bank or call +32 2 464 64 01, Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 12.30pm and 1.30pm and 5pm.
These insurance policies are governed by Belgian law and are offered subject to acceptance by:
Insurance broker: ING Belgium SA/nv, insurance broker, registered with the FSMA under the code number 0403200393. Registered office: avenue Marnix 24, B-1000 Brussels - RPR Brussels - VAT BE 0403.200.393 - www.ing.be - BIC: BBRUBEBB - IBAN: BE45 3109 1560 2789.
The French insurer AXA Belgium SA, insurance company authorised under no. 0039 to practice the branches of life and non-life (RD04-07-1979, BS 14-07-1979) at the National Bank of Belgium, located at Berlaimontlaan 14 in B-1000 Brussels - Headquarters: Troonplein 1 - B-1000 Brussels (Belgium) - Website: www.axa.be - Tel: +32 2 678 61 11 - Fax: +32 2 678 93 40 - CBE no: VAT BE 0404.483.367 RPR Brussels 7.06.5833 - 0616.
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