Purpose

Ensure payroll, wage tax, social-security contributions and withholding-tax assessments are complete, accurate, authorized, filed, paid and retained.

Steps

#ActionDetailsEvidence
1Confirm payroll and social-security rulesConfirm current wage-tax, AOV/AWW, AVBZ, BVZ, SVB and other applicable payroll or social-security rules, rates, ceilings, deadlines and filing channels. Employers must withhold wage tax on salaries (progressive up to ~46.5%) and withhold and remit social security contributions (AOV/AWW pensions, AVBZ long-term care, BVZ health insurance, SVB).
2Maintain employee registerMaintain an authorized employee register with contracts, compensation, benefits, residency, work or residence permit and relevant tax attributes. Foreign employees require work/residence permits; tax residency affects wage tax treatment. Maintain payroll records, contracts, and proof of payments.
3Reconcile payroll changesReconcile payroll changes to approved HR records and apply independent review to joiners, leavers, salary changes, bonuses, deductions and bank details. SVB audits focus on employee records, contracts, and salary slips.
4Calculate gross-to-net payrollCalculate gross-to-net payroll, employer and employee contributions, wage tax and other deductions using controlled rates and master data. Technology solutions (e.g., automated bookkeeping, payroll integration) should be leveraged to ensure efficiency and transparency.
5Reconcile payroll to GLReconcile payroll totals to the general ledger, employee register, returns and payment instructions.
6Obtain independent review and approvalObtain independent review and authorized approval before payroll, filing and remittance. For a small VASP, dual control and segregation of duties may be simplified but must always ensure integrity and accountability.
7File and remitFile wage-tax and social-security declarations and remit amounts by the current statutory deadlines. Wage tax filings are monthly with supporting employee registers; SVB declarations and contributions are monthly.
8Assess withholding on outbound paymentsAssess outbound dividends, interest, royalties and other payments for withholding, treaty, anti-abuse, beneficial-owner and recharacterization implications before payment. Curaçao generally has no dividend, interest, or royalty WHT; exceptions may arise under anti-abuse rules or treaties. Outbound payments must still be properly documented to avoid requalification.
9Retain payroll recordsRetain payroll registers, contracts, permits, calculations, approvals, salary slips, returns, payments and correspondence. Record retention remains at the statutory 5 years, though documentation can be digital if securely stored and retrievable.
10Investigate and track correctionsInvestigate rejected filings, payroll differences, authority assessment and employee or provider inquiries and track corrections to closure.

Evidence

  • Current payroll and social-security source confirmation
  • Employee and payroll-change register
  • Payroll calculation and independent review
  • General-ledger and return reconciliation
  • Wage-tax and SVB filings and payments
  • Withholding-tax assessment for relevant outbound payments
  • Corrections, assessments and correspondence

Relationships

History

  • 2026-07-26: Created from sections 3.3, 3.4, 5.1 and 5.2 of the approved FIN Manual.