The Portable Income Planner | Digital Émigré

Check whether your income can travel

A remote job isn't the same as permission to work from another country. Seven questions help you find out where you actually stand before you build a plan around income that can't move.

Work out the number you need

Start from the published income requirement for the pathway you're considering, convert it into the right currency, and get a real target instead of a vague goal.

Find the service hiding in your experience

You may already solve problems that people pay for. The planner helps you identify the strongest parts of your expertise and check whether a market for them already exists.

Why this matters

A remote job isn't always as portable as it sounds.

If you're planning to move abroad, it's easy to assume that getting a remote job solves the income problem. Sometimes it does. But there's an important difference between being allowed to work remotely and being allowed to work from another country.

Many employers restrict where staff can live and work, because moving abroad can create tax, payroll, employment law and compliance issues. A job advertised as "fully remote" may still require you to remain resident in the UK, US or another approved country.

So a remote salary isn't automatically income you can take with you. This planner helps you find that out now, rather than after you've built a relocation plan around it.

Before you work through it

Assuming a remote job will be enough
No clear idea what your target country actually requires
A vague goal of "earning enough to move abroad"
Unsure whether your experience could become a service
A move that keeps getting pushed into next year

After you work through it

A clear read on whether your income can actually move
The published requirement for your chosen pathway, in the right currency
A specific monthly number to work toward
A shortlist of services you could build from experience you already have
Evidence of whether people already pay for that kind of help

What's inside

Four steps, worked through on paper

This isn't a checklist you skim. It's a workbook with space to write, so you finish with your own numbers rather than someone else's advice.

Step 1

Is your current income actually portable?

Seven questions covering employer country restrictions, employment status, client contracts, income stability, and whether your pathway even accepts the type of income you earn. Finishes with an honest reality check.

Step 2

Work out your portable income target

Start from the official requirement for your chosen pathway rather than a number you picked. Record the currency, the exchange rate, and the evidence period, then calculate the gap between where you are and where you need to be.

Step 3

What could you sell from the experience you already have?

Identify the strongest parts of your expertise, then pressure-test the idea by looking for evidence that people already pay for it. Includes two worked examples of professionals who repositioned existing experience into portable services.

Step 4

How many clients would you actually need?

Run your price against your target three ways and see which version you could realistically deliver. Includes the distinction that catches people out: business revenue is not the same as the qualifying income a residency route will accept.

Who it's for

For people who are serious about the move.

You don't need a business, an audience, or an existing remote income to use this. You need enough professional experience that someone might pay you to solve a problem, and a real interest in moving abroad.

An employed professional wondering whether their remote job would survive a move
Someone with a target country in mind who hasn't checked the income requirement properly
A freelancer who wants to know whether their current income would qualify
Anyone whose relocation plan currently depends on an employer saying yes

Set aside about an hour, and have your target country's official immigration page to hand. You'll get more out of it if you actually fill it in.

Digital Émigré has been helping people research and plan their moves to Europe since 2020.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What do I actually get?

A 17-page PDF planner, sent to your email. It's designed to be filled in, either printed and written on or annotated on screen, so you finish with your own numbers rather than general advice.

How long does it take?

Set aside about an hour. Some of the steps send you to official sources to check income requirements for your target country, so how long it takes depends on how much research you've already done.

Do I need a business already?

No. Step 3 is specifically about finding a service inside experience you already have, whether you're employed, freelancing, or somewhere in between.

Do I need to know which country I'm moving to?

It helps, because Step 2 asks you to record the published income requirement for a specific pathway. If you're still deciding, you can work through it with a shortlist and compare the numbers.

Is this immigration or tax advice?

No. It's an educational planning tool. It points you to official government and consulate sources for income requirements rather than telling you what they are, because those figures change and vary by pathway. For your individual circumstances, consult an appropriately qualified professional in the relevant country.

What happens to my email address?

You'll get the planner, and occasional emails about building portable income and moving abroad. Unsubscribe any time. See the privacy policy for details.

Get the planner

Can your income move abroad with you?

Tell me where to send it. The planner arrives by email, free.