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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| | |  | Service. Client | | | How much will I be charged for a service? The charges from Homeworker24 for the service placement can be viewed here. The costs of a service (e.g., a translation) will be directly discussed with the service provider. | | | | | | How do I pay Homeworker24? You pay the premium membership fee to Homeworker24 via an application from the Swiss PostFinance. | | | | | | How do I pay the service provider (e.g., for a translation)? The costs of a service (e.g., a translation) will be directly discussed with the service provider. Homeworker24 suggests the following: - within Switzerland, you may pay via bank or post transfer
- if you live abroad, we suggest you set up a basic PayPal account to transfer money free of charge
| | | | | | What do I need to know about PayPal when setting up an account? To set up your account, go to: https://www.paypal.com/ch/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_registration-run Tips for using PayPal: - Open up an account for free
- Information about your credit card is not mandatory at registration and may be added at a later stage.
- You may transfer money to your PayPal account via credit card (card charges apply) or from a Swiss Bank account.
- By entering the email address of the recipient, who has to be registered at PayPal as well, you can transfer money free of charge.
| | | | | | Do I have to pay social security contributions (AHV/IV/ALV, i.e., Pension and Invalidity Insurance and Unemployment Insurance) for services in Switzerland? You have to report the service to the social security (AHV), unless the service provider works as a freelancer (according to the terms of the social security system) or if he/she lives abroad or agrees in writing to waive social security contributions if the annual income is minor. If the service provider waives social security contributions, keep a copy of the statement with the invoice receipt to present to the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) upon demand. If the service provider does not waive social security contributions, you will have to give notice of his/her service. Ask your service provider for his/her social security number. | | | | | | Does Homeworker24 provide jobs? No, it does not. Homeworker24 works exclusively as an agent for individual services. | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | Service. Service Provider | | | How do I know if a client wants to contact me? You will receive an email notification to your registered email address. To guarantee a good response time you can choose between receiving an SMS on you mobile phone or having your Skype online status visible. | | | | | | Should I conclude a written contract with my client? Yes, we advise you to do that. Even though oral agreements are binding according to Swiss law, it is reasonable to have a written confirmation (such as an email or a fax) .
In any case you will receive a summary of your conversation with the service requestor within an email. | | | | | | What questions should I ask when concluding the contract? - What is the exact extent, cost and deadline of the job/assignment?
- When do I get paid and how?
- Is the client familiar with the social security standards?
- Did you verify the identity of the potential contracting partner? Ask for a postal address and check it, e.g., on www.local.ch (Swiss Yellow Pages)
| | | | | | Do I have to report my income as a part-time freelancer to the tax authority? Yes, you do. The income from a freelance job is subject to tax declaration. Make a list of your gross income and expenses and add it to your tax declaration. | | | | | | | | | | | | Security. Data | | | How is my data being used and protected? Your data on Homeworker24 is saved on a hosting platform in Switzerland and will not be passed on or sold to third parties. However, your contact details (name and email address) will be given to third parties to fulfill the service placement. Your service profile is made anonymous and can be viewed by other users of Homeworker24. Your identity is made anonymous until a client contacts you. Data may be exposed when transferred via email. | | | | | | How do I secure my data? Secure your documents with a password. You may add your password to your document or zip-file and give it to your client over the phone. | | | | | | | | | | | | Security. Payment | | | Where is my payment data stored (e.g., credit card details)? If you pay by credit card (via PostFinance), the payment details will not be accessible nor will they be recorded by Homeworker24. The payment is carried out directly by PostFinance and they only transfer an encrypted confirmation and the type of payment (128 bit). | | | | | | | | | | | | Microsoft SharePoint. Virtual workplace | | | How can I use Microsoft SharePoint and what are the limitations? Premium members will have access to SharePoint to manage their project documents. The size of a project folder is limited to 100MB and to 25MB for an individual file. | | | | | | | | | | | | System Requirements. Operating system and browser | | | What are the system requirements for browsers? Homeworker24 is an internet application independent of your operating system (Windows and Mac) and your system software. However, some special functions may not be displayed at an optimal level depending on the configuration. We have tested our pages on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and recommend using at least the following versions: - MS Internet Explorer version 7.0 or higher
- Google Chrome 2.0 or higher
- Mozilla Firefox version 3.0 or higher
| | | | | | | | | What are the optimal browser settings? The following browser settings are required for an efficient use of the Homeworker24 portal: - Enable java script: The menu of the Homeworker24 portal functions with java script. If you are unable to see the menu, the java script may not have been enabled.
- Enable SSL-encryption (128-Bit): If required, please confirm the SSL-Encryption upon demand from PostFinance.
- Disable pop-up-blockers: Pop-up-blockers may prevent the display of the payment form and may interfere with the transaction.
- Enable cookies: Homeworker24 uses cookies to enable an efficient use of its portal. A cookie is a text file saved on your hard disk. If you decide to reject cookies, we are unable to guarantee the use of interactive content.
| | | | | | | | | | | | System Requirements. Email system settings | | | What are the system requirements for emails? Make sure you that emails coming from Homeworker24 are not filtered by the spam filter of your provider, firewall or email software. | | | | | | | | | | | | System Requirements. Internet Security Software (McAfee, Norton, ZoneAlarm) | | | Do my default internet security settings (e.g. Privacy Conrol) guarantee a correctly working site? You can leave your firewall and virus scan settings. However, Privacy controls of the internet security software are usually very restrictive and don't allow by default access to information about visited sites. This information is particularly necessary during the registration process and guarantees a continuing order flow. In case you are using Norton or ZoneAlarm we suggest that you change the settings as follows (description for Norton): - Open Norton Internet Security, choose "PRIVACY CONTROL" and click on the "CONFIGURE" button
- In the Privacy Control Window choose the "Advanced" button, click the button "Add Site" and add the current website domain
- Click on the "Global Settings" tab (should be defaulted), remove standard settings and select "PERMIT" for the following option: "Information about visited sites"
Read more information about this issue on the Norton Symantec page. | | | | | | | |
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