What NOT to do as an IT contractor, even amid a job-seeker’s market

Five fouls contractors would be wise to avoid committing, to up their game and keep agents on side.

What can companies consider to access IT contractor talent as IR35-led shortages continue?

Alongside ‘supply and demand,’ another dynamic is dominating the contractor labour market -- ‘cause and effect,’ ever since April 6th.

Contractor job scams are lying in wait, from browsing to application and beyond

Covid may be passing, but the traps laid at almost every step of going forward for your next contract remain ready to ensnare.

What can employers consider to access IT contractor talent as IR35-led shortages continue?

Alongside ‘supply and demand,’ another dynamic is dominating the contractor labour market -- ‘cause and effect,’ ever since April 6th.

HMRC penalties and debt recovery powers in 2021: An overview for contractors

Waiting for a more active taxman to come knocking is ill-advised, as the balance has most definitely shifted in his favour.

Benefits of Working at Home

There are many perks of working at home that people should explore. If done right, working at home could be one of the best decisions you will ever make. If you are currently seeking work-from-home employment, here are some benefits of working at home as well as some tips on how to go about it.

Benefits

You Are Your Own Boss

When you have your job and set up your schedule, no one is breathing down your neck telling you what to do. If you work in an office, you will be told what to do by your boss. If you are not happy with the boss’ decision, you can always look for another job.

But if you are self-employed and working by yourself, you get to set your schedule and determine your income. There is the flexibility that you have as an employer or business owner.

You will be able to choose when and where you work which can benefit your mental health and your family. As a result, you may find that you get more done and have a greater quality of life.

Increased Productivity

Remote workers tend to be more productive than many others. Since they can work without the direct supervision of an employer. They also don’t have the distractions that some people have when they are in an office.

This means more productivity, which leads to more production and hence more profit for the business. Remote workers can be more productive because they are not interrupted by calls from other co-workers or bosses. They also don’t waste time socializing but all they focus on is work. This means more productivity.

Cuts on Cost

Since you won’t have to commute or go to the office, you will save up on gas. This will help you save a lot of money as well as energy. If you are a freelancer, then your expenses will not be as much. So if you are already earning enough through a regular job, why don’t you consider working from home?

Tips 

Good Internet Connection 

This is very important because the internet connection can help you with almost everything. We all know how important it is to get updated information about our family, friends, and the world. Accessing the Internet any time of the day or night will help you do what you need to do.

With this, you will be able to communicate with your clients and colleagues easily. Thanks to the current advancement in video call companies such as Zoom and Skype, working at home has never been more convenient.

Have a Clutter-Free Space

This means that we should make an effort to arrange our workspace and documents. Use drawers, dark kitchen cabinets, and storage baskets, to put away items that you are not using at the time.

You need to unclutter your house and set a space for your working materials. This will help you to focus and be able to complete your projects without interruptions. If there is nothing in your house that will serve as a workstation for your computer, you might also say goodbye to working at home.

Have a Schedule and Stick to It 

According to Business Insider, we must set a specific goal for each task. We should also make a list of priorities that will help us determine which of the many functions should be assigned a higher priority.

Apart from setting a specific goal or task, you should also make a schedule focus on the jobs that you have to do. To succeed in a work-from-home job, you need to dedicate yourself to the job.

Always remember that the more dedication you can give, the more opportunities you will have to earn. Some people consider working at home as a waste of time.

Working at home can make our life so easy. Aside from having freedom and flexibility, you will also be saving a lot of money because you will no longer need to make trips and travel to go home. All you have to do is to know your limitations so that you will not be overworking yourself. You can also read about various tips on making a home-based business work by going through the Internet.

Contractors’ Questions: Should I have an outside IR35 CV and an inside IR35 CV?

Different roles require different approaches – and different documents, from your ‘off-payroll-ready’ portfolio.

Contractors, can the new Breathing Space law resuscitate your personal finances?

It applies to individuals not companies, but Breathing Space looks set to do a brisk business.

What is bankruptcy and is it ever a good way forward for contractors?

Overview for limited company workers on becoming bankrupt and the implications.

Contractors, mind the gap between outside IR35 roles live now, versus outside IR35 roles we’ve assessed

CEST puts it at 56%; we put it at 72%. But the chunk of not caught rules is as low as 26%. And some job ads carry no status whatsoever.

Lord Forsyth likens HMRC CEO Jim Harra to 'Pontius Pilate,' in testy IR35, loan charge exchange

Peer accuses the Revenue’s top officer of being the disliked Biblical tax collector, notorious for washing his hands of a grave decision.

Top 5 benefits of using a recruitment agency to find your next contract

Find out how agencies can take the hassle out of your contract search. 

Contractor dividends refresher: understanding your director pay in 2021-2022

How much, how often and how come dividends at all -- among other taxing issues, explained.

Frontier Work Permits -- another reason HR must be careful what they say

The self-employed for once are the more straightforward applicants, not putting client HR managers at risk of jail time.

Contractors’ Questions: Does regularly invoicing the client for broadband affect my IR35 status?

Paying for three items yourself would bolster your in-business credentials, but another trio is much more important.

Limited company boss avoids big tax penalty after ‘wrong and very misleading’ advice from HMRC

Judge signals taxpayer ignorance of tax law is definitely an excuse, where that ignorance came from the tax authority.

Contractors, don’t rely on the Oliver Hampel case to help you out of an HMRC penalty

Despite a long list of ways to apparently reduce your tax fine, the room for manoeuvre    is actually very small.

How dodgy agents exploit contractors: the covid-19 tricks edition

Five underhand tactics to beware when contractor recruitment agencies go bad.

What is a winding-up petition and is it as serious as it sounds?

Overview for contractors of the document behind putting a limited company into compulsory liquidation.

Show some leadership over the loan charge 'debacle,' Boris Johnson urged

PM’s sympathy for loan charge contractors isn’t enough for 76 MPs pressing for 'fair resolution.'

Eight in 10 firms struggling to hire IT contractors due to IR35 – Hays

The tech recruiter says a contractor hiring increase of 17% comes despite off-payroll 'concerns.'

Firms favouring inside IR35 decisions ‘at risk of employment rights challenges’

The strange, ‘complex’ case of the contractor outside IR35, put inside IR35; who disagreed, only to rubbish a sub clause that a judge backed.

Demand for IT contractors hits highest level since March 1998

June saw more appetite for temporary techies than at any time in the last 23 years, but ‘unpredictability’ looms.

Contractors, winding-up petitions are under another hold, but 'business as usual' is next

An extension of insolvency measures looks like the government’s last covid support hurray.

Contractors, write to your MP to support Digital Hiring – template

Free documents that you can use to help keep Right to Work checks digital forever.

Workers' Watchdog to probe Key Information Documents

'Juicy fines' tipped to bite contractors’ agencies and umbrellas breaching April’s KID requirement.

Digital hiring is the only way forward, to lead the UK out of covid and into the 4th industrial revolution

Physical Right to Work checks are the stuff of a bygone age. Government must keep them digital from September 1st.

Contractors' Questions: Is my limited company still necessary, to supply the UK from Columbia?

Accountant unravels a complex set-up for a suspicious French national who has a niggling feeling.

IR35 reform 'fuelling 100,000 HGV driver shortage'

The April rules have helped bring the UK’s supply chains to crisis point, says the RHA.

Substitution credited for delivering Deliveroo riders outside of employment

Experts say a genuine right to send another in your place still proves self-employment, albeit not in isolation.

Top 10 tips to registering a company online

Setting up a UK company online is pretty simple, but there are a few important things to bear in mind. 

For outside IR35 contractors who got covid support, off-payroll 'due diligence' is now critical

The taxman likes killing two birds with one stone, so beware your furlough probe turning into an IR35 investigation.

Contractor loses accrued holiday pay furlough claim

‘Fractured’ situation hits agency temps, as tribunals are left to sort out who is owed what and who was a ‘worker’ when.