The Freelance Thread (Contractor, IR35)

i'm not sure i follow. so corporation X employs a bunch of project managers as contractors on £400 a day, all billing through a ltd. co.

corporation correctly assesses these PMs as inside IR35, so offers them shit contracts. won't the PMs just tell the corp to fuck off, leaving the corp unable to do its projects? why can't the corp take them on full time?

won't the PMs just tell the corp to fuck off, leaving the corp unable to do its projects? why can't the corp take them on full time?

Yeah I mean some try to negotiate something to cover what they have effectively 'lost'. Depends on personal circumstances. Also fear that you might get blacklisted etc.

Big Cos have been offering FTE contracts in some circumstances but the position they are in allows them to have their cake eat it somewhat.

I thought we were talking about legitimate B2B relationships though? I care less about those who were just offsetting their risk by avoiding tax.

thought we were talking about legitimate B2B relationships though

I'm not exactly sure what that means. There are guidelines to help co's determine whether a contractor should be considered an employee or not. Is that what you're referring to?

Thinking about all the people that this ruling affects, there are a subset that are providing business services rather than a pair of hands for hire, and their position has been significantly weakened, because Big Co will apply blanket rulings to all 'off payroll', whether you are an IT contractor who does 24 months contracts and is probably an employee, or an independent consultant who does short engagements like facilitation, training, troubleshooting, who is definitely not an employee.

an independent consultant who does short engagements like facilitation, training, troubleshooting

so are you saying that while the new IR35 regs allows for such engagements in theory, big corps will cover their backs and avoid them?

i'm in a slightly similar boat in that i write mainly for big corps, but am engaged by marketing agencies retained by said corps. the corp doesn't want the hassle of managing 100 freelance designers, devs, and writers, so the agency does it.

so are you saying that while the new IR35 regs allows for such engagements in theory, big corps will cover their backs and avoid them?

Yes - the new legislation gives them 'permission' to apply blanket policies. Unless you are a consultant to the C-exec or other C-suite you will be under the same T&Cs as everyone else.

the same T&Cs as everyone else

who? full-timers?

who? full-timers?

Pairs of hands for hire like the PMs example you provided - essentially the people who should be captured by the legislation.

Surprisingly MegaCo end client has decided to pay all its inside-IR35 contractors in full if sick/need time for childcare, until end of contract.

wow its a good deed, why hide their name? unless thats their name ..

It was the best of times....

This is completely mental. As someone who has operated independently and has built up a 'war chest' for times of strife I feel like a fucking mug. Should have just spent it all on Rolexes and have the govt. bail me out when it turns out I can't feed my family Rolexes.

ikr; lol

Although I guess they could still terminate contracts with 1 week's notice ;-)

Doesn't apply to those outside IR35 though, if there are any left.

Doesn't apply to those outside IR35 though, if there are any left.

Hah

So I can moan about them another time

any freelancers in a union? i'm always told i should join. solidarity and all that... just wondering if there are any practical benefits.

I looked into it and decided that my insurer does everything a union would plus more.

fair

any freelancers in a union?

It's a slightly weird thing. BITD you went independent from a position of strength. Union membership would have been kinda anathematic.

IPSE ?

Hello freelancers/contractors of the forum, I'm about to take on an indefinite contract role. I am, for the first time in my short life, going to be using my home MBP and not have a "work macbook" as well - should I get device insurance (and if so, who would you recommend)? I have home and contents insurance but wouldn't want to claim on that if my macbook decided to die for some reason. I'd just want to claim on the device insurance and get a new one sent out asap/cash equivalent. (Should I also take the MBP off my home and contents insurance?)

limited or sole trader ?

limited

Give the insurance company a call, no idea how it works when you use your personal laptop but want to insure through the company.

I always had contents insurance on company contents and PI Insurance.

Unnecessary side note: if you have just formed the company with flat rate VAT, take advantage of the 'start up costs' VAT free period and get a new laptop :P

Insurance is good, but if you spill a cup of tea on your MBP, you need to be able to work on something until you get a replacement. This is another reason to buy a work machine.

I need to do my first self employed tax return at the end of this year - sole trader for cycle courier, carpentry and the odd art department job.

I have a cargo bike that I use exclusively for work and I want to sell it to my business/myself. I have receipts/proof of purchase for the majority of the parts however around half of it was bought over a year before I registered my business and the rest within the year.

Would getting an independent valuation of the used sale price from a bike shop be sufficient for my record keeping?