Contractors Articles

Why Recruiters Need a Preferred Supplier List

A preferred supplier list or PSL is list of pre-approved suppliers from which managers and employees can procure goods and services at a lower risk.

These lists are common for recruitment agencies as the contractors working through them tend to use the services of umbrella companies and other professional services providers.

Most agencies will require their PSL to be audited annually by external bodies, this reduces the likelihood of expensive compliance issues and other supply chain risks.

Contractors Pushed Down Insolvency Payout Pecking Order
marketing | 8 November 2018
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Last week, we covered some of the biggest Budget announcements and how they would affect contractors. This included a big change to private sector IR35 rules and other smaller changes to tax and spending.

Buried a little deeper in the Chancellor’s Budget statement, we uncovered one more change that pushes HMRC further up the payment pecking order when a business goes insolvent.

Private Sector IR35 Reforms: What It Means for You

The Treasury released new guidance on off-payroll working (IR35) in the private sector yesterday, following the Chancellor’s Budget speech.

Following a consultation on the rules, some commentators expected IR35 reforms to take effect from next year. But the policy paper reveals that the changes will be introduced in April 2020, giving businesses more time to prepare for the reforms

We’ve combed through the policy document, picking out the key points so you can understand how the changes will affect you.

Contractors’ 2019 Loan Charge Settlement Deadline Approaches

Contractors who have participated in a disguised remuneration loan scheme have until 30 September 2018 to send settlement information to HMRC, or they risk paying an enormous bill in the 2018/19 tax year.

Disguised remuneration schemes are tax avoidance schemes in which participants receive income in the form of a ‘tax-free loan’, rather than traditional income.

HMRC counts this type of loan as income and says that tax is due on it. In 2017, the government introduced the ‘2019 loan charge’ to retrospectively collect tax money from disguised remuneration scheme losers.

Private Sector IR35 Could Cost Contractors £14,000
marketing | 19 June 2018
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As the government consults on plans to extend IR35 rules to the private sector, self-employment organisation  IPSE claims that the changes could ‘strangle’ contractor living standards.

IPSE claims that the ‘inhibiting, anti-business’ policy could cost contractors an average of £14,000 per year in lost income.

Using average day rate (£430) and average weeks worked (42 weeks per year) figures from IPSE’s Freelancer Confidence Index, they calculate that a contractor’s take home pay will drop significantly.

The Construction Industry’s New VAT Headache

The Chancellor’s most recent Budget contained new measures to combat VAT avoidance by companies in the UK.

As part of the Treasury’s strategy to combat ‘missing trader’ VAT fraud, contractors in the construction industry will have to grapple with confusing changes to the VAT system that could affect their cashflow.

Budget 2018: How It Affects Contractors

Delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond on Monday, the 2018 Budget was another important one for contractors.

In this blog post, we look at some of the most important announcements and how they will affect contractor pockets.

Freelancers Feeling Inflation More Than Most
marketing | 20 September 2018
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Freelancers are feeling the latest inflation rise more than employees, according to the Association for Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE).

The warning for freelancers came after the Office for National Statistics revealed that inflation rose by a higher than expected 2.7% in August.

Measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), this was the highest monthly price increase in six months.

Jordan Marshall, IPSE’s Policy Development Manager said: “Freelancers will be especially hard hit by this jump in inflation not only because, unlike employees, they pick up their own business costs, but also because they travel more to win and work on different contracts. They will particularly feel the effect of the 13.5 per cent jump in air fares, because many of them take up contracts overseas and travel long distances in the UK.

One million couples missing out on £900 tax break

HMRC says that one million married couples can claim a £900 tax break, just in time for the summer holidays. But time is running out.

Around three million married and civil partnered couples have already claimed the Marriage Allowance, which is worth up to £238 per year.

Couples who have not claimed for the tax break yet can backdate their claim to boost their payment by up to £900 this year.

Government seeks views on IR35 non-compliance in the private sector

The government wants to hear from you as part of an attempt to tackle IR35 non-compliance in the private sector.

It comes after changes to IR35 rules in the public sector caused problems public authorities and contractors

Also known as off-payroll working, IR35 rules are designed to stop employees working and paying taxes as if they were contractors.

The rules apply to contractors working through personal service companies who, if they were engaged directly by the company, would effectively be employees.

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