Already an employee? Can you get the auto-entrepreneur status anyway?

If you are an employee and want to have some income on the side either as freelancing, selling online, etc… The auto-entrepreneur status is a good idea!

But, can you be an employee and an auto-entrepreneur at the same time? That’s what we’ll see today!

The simple answer is: it all depends on your employee contract.

When can you have the auto-entrepreneur status even as an employee?

Many Moroccan companies include an “exclusivity agreement” in their employment contract. By this agreement, they bind the employee to that job only and limit their income sources. This means the company is not letting the employee do any paid work outside the job they are offering.

This agreement can come in different shapes and wording, so I can’t give you the exact phrase to look for. But, it should be something like this:

Le salarié ne peut pas conduire une autre prestation rémunérée hors le present contract

Or

Pendant toute la durée du contrat de travail, Le Salarié s’engage à consacrer l’intégralité et l’exclusivité de son activité professionnelle au service de la Société. Le Salarié s’interdit, en conséquence, tout autre occupation professionnelle de quelque nature que ce soit, sauf accord écrit et préalable de la Société.

If you have this in your contract, then it’s illegal to have an auto-entrepreneur status and use it outside your daily job.

This seems like a harsh agreement, so why do companies include it in the first place?

The real reason behind the exclusivity agreement

Companies want to protect themselves, especially with open employment contracts (CDI). Given they can’t fire you easily, this agreement is a safety net in some cases. If you’re spending more time on work other than your job, then they have a reason to fire you.

So, if you’re sure your side work won’t interfere with your day job, then you should be fine. You can create an auto-entrepreneur status and use it for some freelancer work, selling online… on the side.

But remember! It’s still not 100% legal, so advance at your own risk if you want 🙂