If you are new to remote working or thinking of making the leap, you may think remote work is all extra savings. You aren’t spending much now that you’re working from home, you’re skipping the commute, etc.

While this is true, there are also new expenses added to the equation. I’ll present to you the top savings and expenses you’ll see when working remotely.

What extra expenses you should expect when working remotely

Your Internet

Remote working needs a good internet connection. This means you’ll need to invest in getting a good WiFi or optical fiber for you home setup. Plus a mobile plan to tether when you’re not working from home or when the WiFi is acting up.

I encourage you to have different service providers for your internet. This way, you’re having a backup if one of them is down or something.

Some remote companies will pay your bill. Others will not. But in general, expect your internet expenses to go up.

Your home office

A good desk. A good chair. And good lighting.

Working remotely is working from home. So you need to make sure your home office is making things easier for you.

In general, you need a desk, a chair, and good lighting. Depending on your job, you may need other things such as a monitor, external mouse and keyboard, headset…

Given you’ll be spending the majority of your time in your home office. You may also spend some money on decoration.

Remote companies usually pay for your desk, chair, and monitor. But they don’t pay for your decoration.

Your wellbeing

Before working remotely, I didn’t exercise regularly. I was leaning on my daily walk as a form of “exercise”. But when I started working from home, that walking time disappeared. I found myself not doing any form of exercise.

Bottom line is, if you are working from home you’ll need to exercise. If you already have a gym membership, there is no change here. But if you don’t, you’ll need one for sure. Or if you prefer, you can buy some home training equipment.

If you are working remotely and traveling with your friends and/or partner, that’s awesome. But for the majority of us, working from home means spending a lot of time alone with minimal human interaction. And that’s not good for your mental health.

You’ll need to spend more on your mental health with things like breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, etc.

Your own company management fees

If you work in a country where your company doesn’t have a legal entity, you need to create your own company. Apart from the time you need to spend to get your new entity up and running, there are some monthly fees you need to keep in mind. Things like your company’s banking fees, accounting fees, international wires fees, etc.

Another thing to keep in mind is taxes. When you work remotely, you will pay two different taxes: company taxes, and personal ones. In a lot of cases, you may end up paying more taxes than if you work with an employer in your country.

There are of course different things you can try to lower your taxes. But they differ from country to country. So make sure to ask an accounting expert to help you find the best options for you.

What savings you should expect when working remotely

The commute

When working from home, you’re also skipping your daily commute. The majority should either take public transportation or use their own car to reach the office.

When you skip the commute, all money that used to go in gas, metro tickets, taxis, etc. is now yours. Plus, you’re helping the environment with fewer emissions.

Eating out

When you work from an office, your time is taken away from you by your commute, getting dressed, lunch breaks, etc. Unless you are living next your work. Or you’re disciplined to cook your lunch after your daily work. Odds are you’ll eat out for the majority of time.

Working from home is having more time to cook for yourself. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat out! But now you have the option to cook at home too.

Eating out is expensive, especially if you live in a big city. Getting even 50% of that back is a fortune.

Clothes

When working from home, you don’t need your office clothes. I’m not saying you should work on your pajamas all the time. But you don’t need a lot of office clothes now that you’re working remotely.

Taking new clothes out of the equation, you should expect a lot of savings there.

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