For an auto-entrepreneur paid by direct transfer, almost all of it: the €1,000 lands 100% in foreign currency if the project is declared, minus your bank’s fees. Tax and contributions are low: on €12,000 a year, IFU is at its 10,000 DA minimum and the flat CASNOS contribution is 24,000 DA, about 34,000 DA in total, under 2% of turnover. What costs most is the payment method: PayPal takes 4.9% plus a fixed fee, and an undeclared project ends up in dinars at the official rate (guides 8, 13 and 14, as of 22 October 2026).
Take Yacine, a web developer in Oran. A startup in Lyon pays him €1,000 a month, so €12,000 over the year. Let’s follow that €1,000 to his account, then do his year-end numbers.
Step 1: what the payment method takes
| How the client pays | What goes in fees | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Direct transfer to your foreign currency account | Your bank’s fees and, sometimes, an intermediary bank’s | 1 |
| Payoneer, withdrawn in euros | The withdrawal fee on the summary screen, plus your bank’s; up to 3% if you convert | 11 |
| PayPal (payment in dollars) | 4.9% plus $0.30 on receipt: $49.30 on $1,000; automatic transfer to your card is free | 14 |
Not every bank publishes its fees for receiving an international transfer, so ask the branch for its signed fee schedule before you open the account (guide 24).
On PayPal, the 4.9% is more than twice what Yacine pays in IFU and CASNOS combined, which stay under 2%. That’s why the payment method matters more than tax.
Step 2: foreign currency or dinars?
If Yacine declared the project to his bank before the first invoice (guide 7) and the money arrives on the day the client pays, the €1,000 is credited 100% in foreign currency (Instruction 06-2021, art. 4Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant, p. 1). Nothing is converted automatically.
If he didn’t declare it, the bank converts it to dinars at the official rate (Regulation 07-01, art. 57Règlement 21-01 du 28 mars 2021 modifiant le règlement 07-01 (articles 57 et 67), p. 2 and 67; guide 8). In mid-October 2026 that came to about 151,000 DA for €1,000, and those dinars don’t go back into the foreign currency account.
Step 3: the year-end numbers
| Item | Working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | 12 × €1,000 = €12,000, about 1,813,000 DA at the 16 October 2026 official rate (151.08 DA) | €12,000 |
| IFU | 0.5% of 1,813,000 DA = 9,065 DA, below the minimum | 10,000 DA |
| CASNOS | Optional annual flat rate | 24,000 DA |
| Total tax and contributions | 34,000 DA, about €225 |
Two caveats. The exchange rate to use for tax isn’t clearly set, so ask your tax office or an accountant (guide 13). And CASNOS can also be 15% of your declared base instead of the flat rate.
The status stops at 5,000,000 DA of turnover a year, roughly €33,000 at the same rate. Yacine has room to grow.
To run the numbers with your own figures, try our take-home calculator.
Step 4: spend or convert
Yacine pays for hosting and software straight in euros with the card on his foreign currency account (guide 10). He converts to dinars at the bank only what he needs each month, if his type of account allows it.
The methods
Direct transfer, declared project, convert at the bank when needed
- Declare each project before the first invoice (guide 7).
- Get the client to pay by transfer into your foreign currency account, or empty Payoneer or PayPal into that account as soon as the money is available (guides 11 and 14).
- Keep your income ledger, file the G12 before 30 June and the G12 bis before 20 January (guide 13).
- Convert to dinars at the bank only what you need (guide 30).
Selling your euros on the square to “earn” the gap
In mid-October 2026, €1,000 was worth about 151,000 DA at the bank and 274,000 DA on the square. The gap is tempting, but selling foreign currency outside the official system carries two to seven years in prison, a fine of at least twice the amount, and confiscation (Ordinance 96-22, art. 1 bisOrdonnance 03-01 modifiant l'ordonnance 96-22 (JO n° 12 de 2003), p. 14 and 2; guide 30). Repeated cash withdrawals from a business foreign currency account also get the bank’s attention.
Key points
- Tax and CASNOS: about 34,000 DA a year on €12,000, under 2%.
- The payment method costs more than tax, so go for a direct transfer.
- Declare every project, or your euros turn into dinars at the official rate.
Sources
- 2024 Finance Law: art. 18, 0.5% rate, Official Journal no. 86 of 2023, p. 11, accessed 21 October 2026.
- 2025 Finance Law: art. 29, 10,000 DA minimum, Official Journal no. 84 of 26 December 2024, p. 11, accessed 21 October 2026.
- 2023 Finance Law: art. 51, 5,000,000 DA ceiling, Official Journal no. 89 of 2022, p. 21, accessed 21 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021: art. 4 and 5, p. 1, original text accessed 22 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Regulation 21-01 of 28 March 2021: art. 2 and 5, new Articles 57 and 67 of Regulation 07-01, p. 2, original text accessed 22 October 2026.
- Official and square rates on 16 October 2026: Observ’Algérie, 16 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- PayPal, payment receiving and auto-sweep agreement, updated 22 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- Payoneer, pricing, accessed 22 October 2026.
- Ordinance 96-22 as amended: Ordinance 03-01, art. 3 (Article 1 bis) and art. 4 (Article 2), Official Journal no. 12 of 2003, p. 14, accessed 22 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax does a freelancer billing €1,000 a month pay?
On €12,000 a year, about 1,813,000 DA at the mid-October 2026 official rate, the 0.5% IFU would come to 9,065 DA, so the 10,000 DA minimum applies. Add the 24,000 DA flat CASNOS contribution and the total is around 34,000 DA a year, under 2% of turnover.
Which payment method costs the least?
A direct transfer to your foreign currency account, which only costs your bank's fees and sometimes an intermediary bank's. PayPal takes 4.9% plus a fixed fee on receipt, so $49.30 on $1,000. Payoneer shows its fees before each withdrawal.
Will my €1,000 be converted into dinars?
No, if the project is declared to your bank and the money comes home on time: 100% lands in foreign currency. Without a declaration, the bank converts it at the official rate, about 151 DA per euro in mid-October 2026, and the conversion is final.
At what point do you lose auto-entrepreneur status?
Above 5,000,000 DA of turnover a year, roughly €33,000 at the mid-October 2026 official rate. The rate to use for the calculation isn't clearly set, so ask your tax office.