Since telecommuting has become the new “trend” on the labor market in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the Romanian Government adopted several measures during the year, in order to facilitate the work of employees who had to adapt to this new reality. Among these measures is a law – very popular in recent days – which provides for the granting of sums of money, without the need for supporting documents, in order to support remote work carried out by employees.

The measure was adopted in the context in which a study on telework carried out in 2020 by Catalyst Solutions and Impact Hub Bucharest showed that over 50% of employees would like to benefit from financial support in order to improve the space in which they work from home, and about 45% of employees believe that employers should cover their utility costs, in whole or in part.

Thus, according to Law 296/2020 on certain amendments and additions to the Fiscal Code, published in the Official Gazette on December 21, 2020, employees who “carry out telework activities [pot primi sume de bani] to support expenses with utilities at the place where the employees carry out their activity, such as electricity, heating, water and data subscription, and the purchase of office furniture and equipment, within the limits set by the employer through the employment contract or internal regulations, within the limit of a monthly ceiling of 400 lei corresponding to the number of days in the month in which the natural person carries out telework activity. The amounts will be granted without the need to present supporting documents. »

Therefore, from 2021, employers will be able to offer employees who work remotely up to 400 lei per month, in order to pay utility bills, as well as to purchase furniture or work equipment. The sums of money that will be granted in this way will not be taxed, they are not part of the monthly calculation basis for social contributions, but they can be deducted by the employer from the calculation of the profit tax.

This measure can be applied by employers starting from the month following the publication of the law, i.e. January 2021. However, the law does not provide for clear deadlines that should be respected by employers regarding the granting of sums of money – employees will receive them either once with their salary or at a later date, within a specified time frame at the discretion of the employer.