What is a work from anywhere scheme?
A work from anywhere (WFA) scheme is a company benefit that lets employees work from a different country for a set number of days each year, while staying employed in their home country.
3rd Aug 2026
Disclaimer: This article is intended to give an overview of trends that the Flexa team are seeing amongst our clients and across the wider market. The below is not intended to be legal / taxation advice. Always talk to a competent employment lawyer and / or taxation expert before introducing a Work From Anywhere (WFA) scheme.
Work from anywhere schemes are one of the most sought-after benefits in the modern job market, and if you've spotted the acronym on a job listing recently, you're not alone: WFA became a mainstream conversation after the pandemic, proving that location doesn't have to limit where great work happens.
How does a work from anywhere scheme work?
The basics are straightforward. You remain employed, tax-resident, and legally based in your home country. But your employer allows you to physically work from abroad for a capped number of days per year, typically somewhere between 30 and 45 days — though at Flexa, we’ve seen some work from anywhere companies offer as much as 60 to 90 days.
Most schemes require you to notify your employer before you travel, and get sign-off through a formal approval process. This isn't just bureaucracy for its own sake: it's how your employer manages the tax, payroll, and compliance obligations that kick in when an employee works from another country, even if that’s only temporarily.
In practice, this might look like spending three weeks working from a villa in Portugal in the summer, or staying an extra fortnight at your family's home abroad without burning through your annual leave. You clock in and out as normal, attend the same meetings and hit the same deadlines; the only thing that changes is the view from your window.
Some employers build WFA into their standard employment contracts from day one. Others introduce it as a request-and-approve arrangement, where each trip is assessed individually.
When you’re looking for work from anywhere jobs, it’s important to check that this is a genuine benefit and not vague recruitment speak. If you start your job search on Flexa, you can be confident that only the companies who genuinely offer WFA will be shown when you filter for this. That’s because we independently verify the claims made by employers, surveying a statistically significant portion of their employees in order to make sure anyone who says they offer WFA schemes on Flexa actually does.
If you’re looking for a company with a work from anywhere scheme and want inspiration on where to start, our roundup of 25 companies offering WFA in 2026 is a good place to begin.
Work from anywhere vs fully remote: what's the difference?
People often use "WFA" and "remote work" interchangeably, but they mean quite different things, and it's worth getting clear on the distinction.
Fully remote work means your role has no requirement to be in a specific location at all. Typically, remote-first companies let you work remotely within that country, so you don’t have to go to an office.
A WFA scheme is different. You're still fundamentally based in one country, but the scheme gives you temporary geographic flexibility for a fixed window each year. Think of it as a travel benefit with your employment contract underneath it, rather than a fundamental rethinking of where your role exists.
There's a third term worth knowing too: "hire from anywhere," which refers to companies that recruit employees as permanent residents of different countries. This involves setting up local employment in each jurisdiction, which is a very different legal and logistical proposition.
Benefits for employees
The appeal of a WFA scheme goes well beyond the novelty of working from a sunnier country. For many people, it solves a genuinely practical problem: how do you spend meaningful time abroad without spending all your annual leave to do it?
If you have family in another country, a WFA scheme means you can stay for a few weeks rather than a rushed long weekend. If you've been wanting to experience living somewhere new before committing to a move, it gives you a low-stakes way to try it. Or if you're a creative person who finds that changing your environment unlocks new thinking, working from anywhere can inspire productivity.
Benefits for employers
By offering flexibility that fits around your employees’ lives, rather than forcing their lives to fit around work, you create a fundamentally different relationship. It signals trust, and trust is the foundation of wanting to stay somewhere long-term.
It’s also one of the most searched benefits with job seekers: 75% of candidates on Flexa actively searched for WFA when job-hunting on Flexa in 2025.
It’s so popular that WFA schemes have become a genuine talent differentiator. For example, when Airbnb announced their WFA policy, career page visits doubled almost overnight. That's the kind of employer brand lift that no advertising budget can easily replicate.
The impact isn't just on attraction; it runs through to retention, too. When Spotify introduced a WFA programme, they reported a 15% reduction in employee attrition.
For businesses looking to stay competitive in a tight talent market, offering WFA as part of your EVP signals that you understand what today's candidates actually want, not just what companies have historically been comfortable giving to them.
Tax and compliance basics
The most complicated part of work from anywhere schemes is tax and compliance, because the rules vary significantly depending on which countries are involved — and getting them wrong can be costly.
Most countries use a "183-day rule" to determine tax residency. If you spend more than 183 days in a country in a given tax year, you may become a tax resident there, with implications for both you and your employer.
Some countries have stricter rules: Switzerland, for example, can trigger employer obligations at 90 days, or even earlier depending on the type of work being performed and the canton involved. Others are more permissive.
The 45-day cap that's common across many WFA schemes is designed to sit comfortably inside the safe zone for most jurisdictions, giving employees meaningful time abroad while keeping compliance risk low.
It’s important to know that payroll obligations can also be triggered if an employee spends sustained time working in a country, even if they don't become a tax resident.
It’s vital that employers consult specialist tax advice before you roll out a new work from anywhere scheme. While millions of people use these schemes every year without incident, it does mean that both employees and employers need to go in with their eyes open and take proper advice specific to their situation.
Work from anywhere FAQs
What does work from anywhere mean?
Work from anywhere (WFA) means an employee is permitted to work from a country other than their usual country of employment for a set number of days per year, while remaining on their home country employment contract and payroll. It's a time-limited travel benefit, not a permanent change to where you're based.
How many days can you work abroad under a WFA scheme?
It varies by employer. At Flexa, we most commonly see schemes offering between 30 and 45 days per year, with some companies offering up to 60 or 90 days. The cap is usually set with tax and compliance rules in mind, specifically to keep employees well below the 183-day threshold that triggers tax residency in most countries.
Is work from anywhere the same as remote work?
No. Remote work (or fully remote work) means your role isn't tied to a specific location at all, but typically requires you to work from within the same country. A WFA scheme means you're based in one country but allowed to work abroad temporarily, for a capped period each year. One is a permanent arrangement; the other is a travel benefit layered on top of a standard employment contract.
Do work from anywhere schemes have tax implications?
Yes, potentially. Spending time working in another country can trigger tax obligations for both the employee and the employer, depending on the countries involved and the length of time spent there. Most WFA schemes are designed with safe caps to minimise this risk, but the rules vary by country. Always seek professional legal and tax advice before using or introducing a WFA scheme.
Which companies offer work from anywhere schemes in the UK?
Many companies now offer WFA schemes, including brands across tech, finance, marketing, and professional services. Flexa verifies WFA benefits as part of its verification process, so you can search companies with WFA schemes – or find WFA jobs – on Flexa with confidence. Our list of 25 companies offering WFA in 2026 includes specific company examples to get you started.
How do I ask my employer about a work from anywhere policy?
The simplest approach is to ask directly: "Does the company have a work from anywhere policy, and if so, how does it work in practice?" In an interview setting, you can frame it around how you work best. If you're asking an existing employer, framing it as a proposal (with a suggested destination, dates, and a plan for how your work won't be disrupted) tends to land better than an open-ended question. Many employers who haven't formalised a policy are more open to it than you might expect, particularly if you come prepared.