Ladiescodea reference guide to careers and running your own business

An independent reference guide to careers and running your own business. It is not the website of the Ladies Code community or conference and has no connection with the former website on this domain; we do not run events. This is not legal or tax advice.

Reference

Reference

This section explains the terms anyone comes across when starting their own business, negotiating a job or arranging leave. The definitions are short and written in plain language; where the law is concerned, the legal act or article is cited so you can check the wording. The legal terms refer to Russia; rules differ in other countries. The terms are grouped into three topics: your own business and taxes, career and negotiations, and employee rights.

Half the anxiety before a new step comes from unfamiliar words. Once you understand what professional income tax or the simplified tax system is, the decision becomes a task rather than a puzzle.

— Editor's note

Your own business and taxes

Professional income tax
A special tax regime for the self-employed under Russian Federal Law No. 422-FZ: 4% on income from individuals and 6% on income from legal entities and sole proprietors, with an income cap of 2.4 million roubles a year. The regime is valid until 2028.
"Moy nalog" (My Tax)
An app from the Federal Tax Service of Russia through which self-employed people register and issue receipts.
Sole proprietor (individual entrepreneur)
A person registered with the tax service to carry on business activity without forming a legal entity.
Simplified tax system
A tax regime that sole proprietors can choose: base rates of 6% ("income") or 15% ("income minus expenses"); regions are entitled to lower them.
Employment contract
An agreement between an employee and an employer under the Labour Code. Self-employed people cannot hire workers on such contracts.

Career and negotiations

Mentoring
Regular work with a more experienced person who gives feedback on your tasks. It can be paid, free or mutual.
Professional community
A group of people in the same profession or field who share experience, knowledge and contacts.
Networking
Building and maintaining professional relationships that benefit both sides.
Best alternative to a negotiated agreement
What you will do if you cannot reach agreement. The clearer your alternative, the calmer and more confident the negotiations.
Survivorship bias
A distortion in which we see the stories of those who succeeded but not the rest, and so overestimate the chances of success.

Employee rights

Ban on discrimination at work
The principle of Article 3 of the Russian Labour Code: an employee's rights cannot be restricted on grounds unrelated to their professional qualities.
Maternity leave
A type of leave provided for by Article 255 of the Russian Labour Code.
Parental leave
Leave until the child reaches the age of three under Article 256 of the Russian Labour Code; it can be taken by the mother, the father or another relative.
Sustainable Development Goal 5
"Gender equality" is one of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN in 2015.
International Women's Day
Celebrated on 8 March.

Materials on this section's topics

  • Questions and answers

    Short answers about self-employment and sole proprietorship, careers and negotiations, and working parents' rights.

  • Practical articles

    How to choose a professional community, conference or mentor, step by step. The article catalogue is here too.

  • Reading lists

    Reading routes: first steps in your own business, before a conference, returning to work.

  • How to read interviews and success stories

    A note about the old address and six questions to ask of any success story or interview.

  • Questions and answers

    Short answers about self-employment and sole proprietorship, careers and negotiations, and working parents' rights.

  • Guide sections

    A map of the guide: your own business, career and negotiations, communities and events, work and family.

  • Reading lists

    Reading routes: first steps in your own business, before a conference, returning to work.

Sources

  • Federal Law No. 422-FZ (professional income tax)
  • Federal Tax Service of Russia: "Moy nalog", simplified tax system
  • Labour Code of the Russian Federation (Arts. 3, 255, 256)
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Encyclopaedic sources

Information is current as of the date of preparation. Tax rules, rates and labour law change, so check the latest details in the primary sources: the website of the Federal Tax Service of Russia and the current wording of the laws.