All News

Contractor sector shares its hopes, fears and expectations on the back of chancellor Jeremy Hunt setting the date for his second AS.

Not having enough expertise to go around can no longer only be a job for organisations.

It’s taken government a long time to get here. But the wait until contractors have clarity on umbrella companies isn’t going to be short.

‘Promptly,’ or ‘weekly at least.’ Not following the contractual terms of when you must submit to get paid can prove costly.

Binns, Zajota, Pajpani and even Collins put the onus on umbrellas to be crystal clear on what and how much they pay contractors.

It’s not a loophole, nor a golden ticket, but your ‘managed services contract’ as a ‘consultancy’ might be an HMRC investigation-target.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt expected to help ex-workers with mental health issues, using ideas from the minister who introduced the Loan Charge.

Only a few hours left for workers, umbrellas -- and agencies, to contribute to the government consultation on umbrella company compliance

Contractor sector employers rather than individual contractors may need to act, now the UK is strengthening the enshrining of requests to work contractor-like patterns.

Importing overseas contractors is billed as how to keep the UK on a par with rivals ahead of the curve on CCUS and AI.

Digital estate planning as a contractor is clearly lax if it covers you but not your company.

A telling series of posts by tax experts sheds light on the ‘game-changing,’ ‘show-offs’ who do your books.

The government’s belated bid to regulate brollies is attracting neither mass support from experts nor many submissions by workers.

Hiring 1,630 temps but not engaging a single PSC outside IR35, the recruitment approach of the Revenue is irony at its most alarming.

On top of making the default time to pay them compulsory, the UK’s tiny companies deserve tougher enforcement against late payers.

Dividend-payers should get clued up on the worst-case scenario -- HMRC seizing personal assets to recover amounts owed to your limited company.

Overview to how much you can distribute without needing to tell the taxman.

How to look after and value ‘you,’ amid the price of everything around you going haywire.

Improving the off-payroll rules, while threatening abusive brolly engagers with a hefty HMRC liability, should put PSCs back in vogue.

You wouldn’t want just anything to happen to your physical body and assets after death, so why should your digital presence and digital assets be any different?

A compromise to ease the impasse between taxman and taxpayer exists -- but it’ll take clean hands and open minds before the long journey can begin.

A Companies House filing from June 28th raises concern for a ‘large number’ of out-of-pocket Optimum users.

In wake of Optimum Pay Group entering insolvency, Lawspeed outlines the options if your umbrella company is next to fold.

Do you want to be the football guru on ContractorUK and win a cash prize?

A shake-up in technology hiring has already begun -- those who recognise rather than resent it will be its beneficiaries.

Once the 'go-to' pension for tiny traders, a SIPP in 2023 represents a proposition all contractors should get their head around.

The appetite for temporary techies finally grows again, on the back of economic jitters and employers ‘reshaping.’

SafeRec sits down with a worker who came perilously close to falling into the clutches of an abusive arrangement, built by a former taxman.

Overview of options of the financial type -- for when contractors want to stop contracting and build a nest egg.

What we actually want the government’s consultation to achieve, by the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association’s Chris Bryce.

An accreditation body joins umbrella companies in misusing logos, highlighting just how much of a ‘Wild West’ the government’s consultation has to tame.

With temporary techies’ pay up 23% in the last two years, our advice to clients to not cut corners on rates must be resonating -- SThree.

Too much meaningless action, over too much time, smacks of a PR-driven taxman not serious about stopping scheme promoters.

What it takes in 2023 to lay the foundations of a successful career as a contract engineer.

One thing’s for sure, ‘unintended consequences’ (potentially from IR35 reform) is something government have had it up to here with.

Top 10 ways contractors’ recruiters can separate the reputable from the rogue, when selecting a brolly partner.

Overview of the HMRC number which employers get when they register with the Revenue.

Hays reveals what’s driving a 5.8% annual pay premium in cyber, rising to a mega 9.3% uplift in financial services.

July versus July might not look especially pretty, so apply these five factors to keep your career hot this summertime.

Strong Silent-types gain the most from clearing their head, by emptying their thoughts out into a chat with a trusted listener.

Alleviating the staffing crisis in the UK health service will be tricky if government doesn’t even address a key aggravator -- IR35 reform.   

Disturbing the UK’s contractor market – or worse destroying it, is the dangerous sum of the Treasury’s imbalanced proposals.

Like the judge who ripped a recruiter apart, a contractor on LinkedIn is part of the fightback against IR35 ignorance which is gaining ground.

All eyes on the Autumn when CEST 2.0 is due, despite ‘unable to determine’ now being almost as likely as ‘inside IR35.’

From client prospecting to proposal creation, there’s nothing artificial about the heavy lifting ChatGPT can do for your company if it’s used intelligently.

Despite take-home dents from ‘dreaded’ IR35 reform, some computer contractors have landed premiums of almost double-digits in the last year.

A reset and collaboration with ContractorUK readers is our objective, to help stop future contractors getting caught out by the non-compliant.

Whether you’re a contractor who missed out, or an agent hit by the umbrella consultation, have your say.

A program manager who wanted to be an employee, or if not a worker (but has been ruled as neither), might turn HMRC’s head.

Government called to ‘remedy a rank injustice’ that the taxman carries out under the frameworks of 2000 and 2007.

Just like tiny companies, us advisers can only hope Spring Statement’s vow of easier HMRC interactions doesn’t get broken like our tax system.

As frustrated agents look on, last month saw a ‘significant step-up in candidate availability,’ including in ‘higher paid, remote-friendly occupations.’

The AI darling of the moment is sweet for IT contractors in a rush, who can’t spell and need the bare essentials. But for true professionals? It’s a bit sour.

Jeremy Hunt hints he’ll disappoint contractor companies hoping for pre-election tax sweeteners.

The outlook for umbrella companies looks bleak under both options two and three.

Matchtech takes a deep dive into the IT sector’s key changes, including how rapid progression is impacting contractor skillsets.

Officials are putting the relative permissiveness of the past to bed by getting tough on all PSC operators.

The tools to dismantle Jekyll and Hyde-style umbrella operators exist. But is the take-home just too tempting?

Website admins, cloud providers and data protection officers are among those who may need to assess, review, and even notify.

‘Possible drawbacks’ of leaving the UK are better than losing 50% gross to taxes, suggest a fifth of contractors.

Staffing bosses must accept a role they seem to be shirking, to stamp out arrangements that abuse both the exchequer and contractors.

Advisers say what clients still don’t get; what’s wrong with CEST, and what seeing off the taxman takes.

The ABA Motors case reinforces throwing everything at the taxman from the start.

A tribunal stats update by the MoJ lumps fraudulent Mini-Umbrella Companies in with bonafide brollies.

Quantity doesn’t mean quality in the eyes of some, as the still-criticised Revenue blacklist chalks up its almost 50th entry.

ContractorUK readers reassured it’s ok to be a little ‘out there’ when posting on LinkedIn.

IR35 is exampled as the unwinnable ‘arms race’ HMRC is in -- for trying to remedy one ill only to set parameters for the next.

An employment tribunal order on just one of them to return £29,885 in unlawful deductions should be enough to prompt all brollies into action.

The appeal says more about the taxman than the taxpayer or others with similar arrangements.

Taxman approaches the Upper Tribunal to put IR35 back in play against England’s former skipper.

Service providers were recognised last night for their efforts in supporting contractors. 

A new approach to adopting smarter regulation wants workers’ views built-in. And that approach is opening with umbrellas.

Despite the story 'varying widely across different businesses,' software development and tech last month weakened significantly.

Accreditation body says it’s all for regulating brollies, but warns against another ‘IR35-type situation.’

A long document that’s taken an even longer time to produce. But unfortunately contractors, still there is something missing.

Following an ‘inordinate’ delay and despite doubters already, a consultation to tackle brolly ‘malpractice’ is at last open for contractors' responses.

SafeRec lifts the lid on umbrella companies and your money.

Agents of a different kind are slapped by the ASA over online ads earning them 48% of your HMRC refund.

The CV & Interview Advisors endorses AI and neuroscience bosses’ top tips on getting more from the professional networking giant.

Ninety organisations are already among the fallout from the data breach. Do you need to ask Capita if you’re number 91?

With the taxman surely biding his time until he can charge for multiple years' off-payroll non-compliance, contractors won’t want to see the following false positives.

Due to pay a ‘hefty’ price to HMRC for fluffing contractor status, the body that backs innovation in business is now deemed to be a warning to business.

Tens of millions that was heading to UK business now isn’t, thanks to Innovate UK incorrectly assessing contractors as outside IR35.

Fears raised that the ‘eyes and ears of many contractors’ may be manipulated by promoters passing themselves off as legitimate businesses.

Expert accountant reassures that the traditional way to pay HMRC will always likely remain, albeit with disincentives.

A good initiative? Or a glorified payroll calculator? Fluctuating pay is the real issue that needs attention, or at least acknowledgement.

Stopping the taxman in his tracks as he took on an end-user with 300+ contractors went like this.

At odds with what it originally said, the hacked outsourcing giant says customer, colleague and supplier date got ‘exfiltrated.’

The contractor industry can largely get behind a set-off mechanism from April 6th 2024 -- even if it smacks of the government's whack-a-mole approach.

Even if more PSCs due to appear in the dock doesn’t worry you, still review CJRS claims if you took salary with dividends.

With none of the normal delay between government intention and government action, it’s good to see officials moving forward on rolled-up holiday pay.

A cautious contractor sector welcomes a new consultation on giving workers their holiday pay regularly and upfront.

The former FCSA umbrella company regrets ‘oversights’ but is ‘delighted’ at what it says is vindication over ‘deliberate wrongdoing’.

With the loan charge year about to run out, this DA season hit contractors harder than usual. And then there’s the kicker -- a tax on PAYE tax.

Nervy employers ‘hedging their bets’ are boosting IT contractors, despite a few software issues.

A ruling in Italy is yet to make waves in the UK, where working with AI is still the prevailing wisdom.

Less of a nuisance to browse online and make websites comply sounds good, despite UK-EU ‘clear water’ concerns. And a sanction rocketing by 3500%.

Following appeals to make the LISA fit for purpose for contractor saving, AJ Bell says it’s better to just bin it.

Not before time, the taxman responds to concerns dating back to 2017 that he’s 'immorally' taxing the same income twice.

Fake limited company workers ‘in cahoots’ with hoax clients are preying on the practice of agencies paying PSCs thousands in advance.