Ok lookie likey I need a new job in a few weeks. Worked in IT for around 10 years but always as permanent staff.
If there are any IT Contractors willing to own up could you point me in the direction of a reliable source as to how to go contracting, +ve/-ve's of Umbrella companies or setting up a limited company.
Thanks,
Jon
Try SJD Accountancy, I was recommended to them and have been with them now 10 years.
go ltd co if you plan to stick at it for a while would be my advise. umbrella/payroll is ok for a temp solution.
If you join an umbrella company, say parasol, theyll take care of all the admin for you and do payroll / tax etc all for you. It's pretty much sign up and let them get on with it all. You can resign from them anytime and go limited. Ultimately a good accountant will set you up nicely. You will undoubtedly pay less tax as a limited company but you will have to be a little more involved with them and the running of the company, not honestly a lot more, but a little more. I was with parasol for 2 years and they were fine but I am much happier as a limited company. I went parasol because initially I found it confusing and it was a no brainer. Once I got used to the nature of being a contractor and decided it was defo for me I went limited.
Seeing as you mention IR35 you probably already know about the legalities of 'employed contracting'. Something you really don't want to get involved in - I know of people who have fallen foul of these new regulations, if you are thinking of simply contracting out to one company where you could legitimately be paid via PAYE i'd be careful. I made the switch back to PAYE a few years ago to avoid this.
Seeing as you mention IR35 you probably already know about the legalities of 'employed contracting'. Something you really don't want to get involved in - I know of people who have fallen foul of these new regulations, if you are thinking of simply contracting out to one company where you could legitimately be paid via PAYE i'd be careful. I made the switch back to PAYE a few years ago to avoid this.
It's a good point, as far as I know, Umbrella companies aren't a magic bullet to get round IR35. There is quite a learning curve in going limited, but, at least it forces you to think about how you conduct yourself when representing your company. At the very least, you need to look at how your first contract is written and what the working practices are, and if it's really a staff job, stay inside IR35.
I use Bauer and Cotrell for contract reviews / advice...can't rate them highly enough, there is some good info on their website.
Some more info here...
http://www.shout99.com/contractors/
http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/index.php
Good luck, but it's not really something you can sort out with a couple of responses on STW.
take a browse on ir35calc.co.uk
One thing to note re: IR35 and contracts; is that when dealing with large companies you've often little choice in the wording on contracts...
Bloody hell...since posting on this thread, loads of Brookson adverts have appeared over there >>>>>> 😯
I find this site quite useful [url= http://www.contractoruk.com/ ]Contractor UK[/url]
To be honest though I'm one for a limited company, whilst there is work to be done running a ltd co it isn't really all that much. VAT for example, every quarter, so just four returns a year. Paye once a month, so that's just 12 a year.
What about contract abroad? Anyone done this seen a few but so many questions and doubts...
If you are under a brolly eg parasol then you are employed by the brolly - thus ir35 doesn`t apply. You pay tax on all income as an employee.
Fwiw if you are fairly sure you will be contracting for a while then go ltd.apply for flat rate vat unless you envisage buying loads of kit. Use an accountant that understands contracting and make yourself aware of what the indicators of being caught by ir35 are - e.g. control, mutuality of obligation, employee benefits like training. it isn't black and white so you need to make sure as many indicators as possible point to you being in business on your own terms.
Dont be scared - its not difficult!
Thats interesting I use SJD too. It has also reminded me to pay my PAYE 😉
Cheers guys, plenty of reading to get through to help towards making an informed decision.
With regards to IR35 am I right in saying that being 'inside' IR35 a contractor is treated and has roughly the same benefits of a permanent member of staff whereas 'outside' you really are on your own?
The contractor is 'treated' the same regardless of your IR35 status, and that treatment really depends on the client. If the client sets your working hours, and commits to giving you work for a defined period and controls how you do the work (and i'm simplifying here) then the revenue will view you as an employee, and you can't operate in as tax efficient manner.
If your inside IR35, it's pretty much the worst of all worlds...you pay a lot of tax and you get no benefits.
I should add that it's not a simple subject, and you IMHO really need professional help. There are a lot of opinions out there, and the subject is by it's nature (i.e. the tax legislation is ambiguous) open to interpretation.
I'm Ltd and use a company called JSA for my PAYE, VAT, quarterly/end of year accounts and insurances. I used to use them when I first started but under umberella.
Be interested to hear what other folk are paying for their professional services (acc's, payroll, insurances, tax). JSA charge £130/month for the above which is a lot per annum but is a) variable if I don't trade for a while and b) covers all my professional costs.
£330 - Professional indemnity insurance, Employers' and Public Liability
£1100 - Accountancy fees
Currently considering this too... looking at parasol while i dip my toe in the water, then maybe convert to a ltd later if I decide that it's the right thing for me.
Dave
I went Ltd and my costs are pretty much the same as Lodious'. My accountant costs me £91 a month and Professional Indemnity about £28.50 a month. Initial set up was simple, I went from no idea to company director in less than two weeks. The only set up costs were less than £30 to incorporate my company and a few quid to register a domain so I had an email address that matched my company name.
You really want to make sure you are outside IR35 (no one can pin down an exact definition and the wording of your contracts is not enough so read all the info you can find then make sure you are acting accordingly)
Consider being VAT registered if the flat rate scheme pays for you.
If most of your banking will be done electronicaly you should be able to get a free account. Beware how long some of the stupid banks can take to set up an account.
Ltd isn't difficult, so long as you are capable of keeping good records it should be simple just a little daunting when it is all new.
Just remembered, I run my own payroll to pay my meagre salary but HMRC provide software that makes this and the year end reporting simple too.
I'm probably making umbrella more appealing aren't I? It is all easy though, really.
Is anyone worried about IR35? I used to contract through Giant's composite company which is great really but the closed that down and just do an Umbrella now. I had already planned to go back to permie work so didn't worry about it.
Is anyone worried about IR35?
Wouldn't say I'm worried as I think I really do operate as a limited company, but for the time being, (IMHO) it's still a real threat, especially to anybody who does not have insurance in place to cover legal fees to defend themselves.
Think there a lot of people out there who have just ignored it and are in a very risky position.
Feel free to email me (morgsDOTbdaviesATgmailDOTcom)
I'm a recruiter and help new contractors out regularly. Mail me your number if you want to chat things through
What Rubber Buccaneer said, other than I pay my accountants (SJD) to do the PAYE stuff (about £120pm for PAYE, VAT returns, annual tax return for me and company and general advice)
I set up as a Ltd in October, like others have said there's a reasonable learning curve for a couple of weeks but it's not hard.
So on a sample of 4, the fees are pretty similar. Should help you compare the costs of the alternatives.
Depending on what you're earning the flat rate VAT scheme alone will probably generate enough unearned income for you to pay the accountant. 🙂