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Liz Truss – Good for Contractors?

Well, the results are in, and the votes have been counted in favour of Liz Truss, but will she be good for contractors? Not so many votes – the win was by a lower margin than expected, with fewer votes than previous leaders of the Conservative Party. Yet that does not matter now. Liz Truss […]

Are Opportunities for Contractors Improving?

Over the past few years since Covid hit, we have seen a downturn in the world of contracting, but for the first time, opportunities for contractors are finally improving. In contrast, there have been a huge number of newspaper headlines about businesses unable to fill jobs. Many of these are short-term or zero hours contracts […]

Are Hidden Employees Costing HMRC £1.4 Billion?

hidden employees

HMRC are searching for £1.4 billion they say that companies have failed to pay by having hidden employees within. Anyone working within this sector can believe that they are talking about contractors. Yet, are contractors costing HMRC this amount? HMRC believe that self-employed workers and potentially those working through personal service companies are causing this […]

What Now for Contractors After Boris Johnson Resignation?

It has been a busy time in the Government this summer with the recent changes: firstly, the resignation of Boris Johnson, the fight for a new leader and as with all things, we need to wonder how this might affect contractors.  After all, the Prime Minister who agreed changes to IR35 is gone.This all came […]

Assessing IR35 Status: CEST Under the Microscope

In the last year, many organisations that employ contractors have been assessing ir35 status internally. It is unsurprising to hear that many have put their faith into the Government’s CEST tool. Made specifically to generate a response to IR35 queries, the tool asks a range of questions. It questions the way the worker will be […]

Are Public Sector Bodies Freezing Out SMEs?

The dust is beginning to settle over the news that the government itself owes millions of pounds worth of money to HMRC. This is due to unpaid tax around the recent IR35 reforms. The situation is rather farcical and shows how the IR35 reforms are affecting everyone in a less than positive way. Even the […]

Should I Take a Contract Inside IR35?

I’m frequently asked this question by self-employed contractors since the IR35 reforms in April last year. In truth, the only person that can really answer the question is the contractor themself, each and every individual’s circumstances are different. In my view, it’s difficult to make a strong case for working inside IR35 vs permanent roles. […]

HMRC’s Investigation of Boox Relating to MSCs is Slammed by the Organisation

Back in the depths of 2007, HMRC had somewhat lost control of contractor pay. Many had moved to Managed Service Companies or MSCs which generally led to paying much less National Insurance and Tax, legally. Reforming this area was clearly going to be a challenge. So, they didn’t, they simply decided just to scrap the […]

HMRC’s Big Wins on IR35 Lead to Unrest

Anyone with half an eye on IR35 news at the moment will see multiple stories filtering through. These relate to HMRC’s big wins in IR35, challenging those it feels have incorrect assessment under IR35. Case #1: Talksport presenter, Paul Hawksbee The most recent of these is the £140,000 tax case against Talksport presenter Paul Hawksbee. […]

The Ongoing Impact of IR35 for Businesses

When the IR35 rules changed in April 2021, this signalled a significant shift for medium and large businesses.  This is one that many are still getting to grips with a year down the line. It is easy to imagine that hiring contractors off-payroll would be easy. Yet, the new rules brought a modification to the […]