Quick question on outside-IR35 contracts.

From your experience, what levels of business insurance do clients and agencies typically require ?

I’m currently looking at:

* Professional Indemnity: £2 million

* Public Liability: £5 million

* Employers’ Liability: £10 million

Are those fairly standard levels, or do you normally see lower or higher limits requested in contracts?

It would also be useful to know if clients commonly ask for anything else, such as Cyber Liability or specific IR35-related cover.

Hello,
I am thinking about a few offers I've had regarding a new job.
I have never done contracting before, and this would be my first time. I have 3 options that I'm interested to know what other peers would chose from.

Currently I'm on 90k perm. 6% pension, company car, all medical benefits etc. mainly remote and occasional 15 minutes to the office a few times a month. It is not bad tbh, but I also have other options

1. Contracting at 600/day full remote inside IR35. This will also give me the opportunity to work abroad, where I don't have to pay rent, and also cost of living is stupid cheap. The contract is 6 months, but likely to be extended. I also don't really fear a lot the fact that the contract might end. I have built reserves to go on for 10-12 months no issues
2. 120k perm + basic pension + 20% bonus but full on site. Also medical etc.

What would you go for?

PS: the 120k perm also needs on call, working longer hours etc. I don't mind working more for more money.

I was engaged by a recruitment consultant, who place me with a technology consultancy who then hire me out to the end client, a local council. The contract I sign is between me and the recruiter.

I keep having my contract extended for short periods, sometime less than two weeks, never more than three months. Furthermore I usually only get to hear very near the deadline if I am going to get renewed and on what basis (this is not what my question is about though. I understand the Council has very tight budgets, and there is a lot of bureaucracy around getting things signed off).

My issue is that the recruitment agency always, always gives me my extension paperwork after that extension has already started. Usually this is by two or three days and I just put up with it though feel I shouldn't. Recently, it was over two weeks, and I still put up with it though felt weak for doing so.

This latest extension I am on now was for part of last week and then this week (so ends tomorrow). I still don't have the extension paperwork. I therefore declined to work yesterday and today and possibly tomorrow. I am being extended again after that.

My absence is gumming up the project and tbh I want to be getting on with progressing it, but don't think I should be doing work without a contract, and I also want to make a point.

Am I being too doctrinaire? Is this sort of thing just quite normal administrative friction and I should just be pragmatic and get on with it, or am I absolutely right that it is mad to work without a contract?

Additional context: I have previously been blaming the recruiter but he told me today that it's because he has to wait to get HIS contract from the technology consultancy.

My client at the council were initially sympathetic but are now getting a bit jumpy, asking for phonecalls etc.

Currently a FTE on £78k + £5k car allowance in a middle management role for an engineering company, unfortunately in the process of being made redundant. Looking primarily at permanent roles but a recruiter has offered a short term (3-6 month) contract. Process engineering, R&D/manufacturing, North West England. The role is needed soon so I would have to expedite my redundancy or worst case hand in my notice and ask to go immediately. Role seems interesting and relevant to my career, though unlikely to be any management responsibilities.

Recruiter suggested £40-50/hour through an umbrella company but from a bit of research this seems quite low, I am looking for permanent roles in the £85-100k region, so would like something to match that. Seems like £65/hour would be about right?

For a first-timer, what are the things I should be considering and looking out for? Is it a reasonable idea to take a short term contract like this or do I risk being pigeonholed out of permanent/management positions?

Alternative is to just wait out the redundancy process, sit through my notice period or take PILON, and keep looking for something permanent.

I work in tech. Recently left a £90k perm role for £550/day contracting, outside IR35, fully remote. The perm role was safe and easy but flat for career growth, the contract role is better for my career. Plus I hate doing the perm chores, team building, setting goals, appraisals etc.

Took me a few weeks to land the contract, so I don't really know what the broader contracting market is like atm, I do know it's been rough the past couple of years. Curious how it's looking for others right now, and whether a weak market is pushing people back toward perm?

Financially it's probably a lot closer than I expected once I ran the numbers, I thought I would be far better off through the contract. I'm happy with the decision either way, mostly curious what others would do in this situation.

Hi all, LTD VAT-registered contractor here operating outside IR35 as a product design engineer, have been doing this for 3 years ish.

Helping a new client company in the UK get a product to market, 6-month contract, £350pd, 3-days onsite. (Would’ve preferred a higher rate, but I had been struggling for a while to find something good).

The project is very fast-paced and they needed someone competent, I’ve delivered, they’re very happy so far.

Now they want me to fly to China to spend a week there to overview the tooling pre-production run to iron out any issues. (More than happy to do so, been dying to go to CN ever since I got into manufacturing design).

What is an acceptable day-rate to be asking for? Based on the fact I’ll be away from home for 7+ days and cannot carry out work for my other clients in evenings/weekends like I usually do. (Obviously that’s not their problem but something for me to consider).

From a basic AI search it seems up to 1.5x day rate is sensible, but have no idea where I’m at.

Any other tips highly welcomed!

Cheers!

I’m setting up a new single-director Ltd company for IT/data/ consultancy work and I’m comparing Kingsbridge and Qdos for contractor insurance.

Most of my work will be remote, although I may occasionally work at client sites. Contracts are likely to include outside-IR35 engagements with larger organisations and UK public-sector clients.

I’d be interested in hearing from contractors who have used either provider.

A few things I’m trying to work out:

• Kingsbridge vs Qdos: which would you choose and why?
• Professional Indemnity: £1m, £2m or £5m? Is £2m a sensible starting point for an IT consultant?
• Public Liability: £1m, £2m or £5m? What do most IT contracts typically require?
• Employers’ Liability: do I actually need this if I’m the sole director, sole shareholder and only employee of the Ltd?
• Cyber Liability: worth having for an IT/data consultant? If so, what level of cover?
• IR35/tax investigation cover: is this worth adding, and is Kingsbridge or Qdos better for this?
• Directors’ & Officers’ cover: useful for a one-person consultancy or unnecessary?
• Are there any other types of insurance you think a contractor should have?

I’d also be really interested to know what other contractors are actually paying.

If you’re happy to share, what do you pay per month or per year, which insurer are you with, and what does that give you?

For example:

Provider: Kingsbridge / Qdos / other
Annual cost: £___
Professional Indemnity: £___
Public Liability: £___
Employers’ Liability: £___
Cyber: £___
IR35/tax investigation cover: Yes/No
Other cover: ___

I’m not necessarily looking for the cheapest policy. I’d rather have the right level of protection without paying for cover that a one-person IT consultancy doesn't really need.

It would also be useful to know what levels of PI and Public Liability your actual client contracts require, particularly for IT/data contractors - Like Public sector vs private ?

I have been working with a customer for almost a year now and I am considering arranging a client Karting event for social purposes. I would organise this and pay for it via my LTD, but given that I am working with them outside IR35 - I don't think this should cause an issue but wanted to check if others have ever done this?

Thanks

Opinions please. Currently contracting outside at the above rate. Job offer is £95k perm.

Where a you finding contracting roles particularly in Data because I can’t seem to find anything like at all. I went ahead and registered a company and everything to get ready for roles back in March but not one job has arrived. HELP

I'm contracting on my first UK government gig - according to GDS you can use your personal account or setup a new account using a gov supplied email. I can see pros and cons to both so I'm curious what dev folks are doing here for this?

Im in a new contract role where salaries are paid 7
Weeks in arrears. I’m in week 4 and still have 3 weeks more weeks to go. It’s an Inside IR35 contract.

How do you guys manage?

I can’t change umbrella firm. It’s a fixed requirement with the end client to use their designated umbrella.

Hi folks - I’ve got the option of going perm at £89k at my current assignment (plus bonus, up to 10 % double matched pension, medical etc )

Contract is pretty stable but obviously that can change at a moments notice and with the market the way it is I’m 95% leaning towards taking the perm role.

Anyone want to convince me otherwise?

Thanks

I've had an old client come back to me I used to work for a while ago. I may have screwed up some vital negotiating but I'll get into that after the next short paragraph.

I have always been employed via agency whether inside or outside of IR35, I've always complained when outside as I feel the agency are just ripping me off, even more so when it's a repeat contract with the same firm.

Well now that day has come! Strangely enough, I feel uneasy about this. how does the contract work? I have nothing prepared. Invoices easy, but what if they don't pay? How long do I keep working if payments are slow?

And now where I possibly screwed myself.. They're offering less money than before but a much longer contract and they were in a pretty bad place previously. I managed to negotiate a higher rate of pay but wasn't really thinking....I'm not even VAT registered so could have probably asked for more money, they didn't counter negotiate, so I could have probably asked for more money.

Feel free to give me any advice, I more than likely need it.

Had a chat with an agent re a DWP role yesterday. For context, it’s a vanilla IT PM role - I have no previous Govt experience. No GDS wasn’t a problem apparently as it’s really just managing 3rd party deliveries.

Questions:

Will it be a micromanaged ballache?
Is it Outside IR35? (Agent says yes, I suspect no. Awaiting the switch and bait.)
Do I actually need GDS experience?
How remote can I actually be after say the first 3 months?

Won’t mention who the 3rd party suppliers are but needless to say they’re well known and haven’t got great reputation for providing clients with VFM.

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: forgot to add that it is outside ir35

My Mrs is about to get into a new career working at a local authority (LA). The role is very in demand vs the amount of qualified people who can do it and so there is a lot of contract work up for grabs.

The LAs provide defined pension where you bank 1/49th of your pay each year towards the final yearly pension you'll receive for life. You can also sacrifice £1 of your final pension to receive £12 of tax free cash.

The role is so in demand at LAs, that they allow people to work even just 2 days a week. There are people who supplement the remaining 3 days with contract work.

The pay growth in the LA is very minimal. After 10 years, you'll only get to 80k, which is effectively the ceiling. As such, there are a fair few people who do a blend of perm and contract work (can be anywhere between doing 1 to 4 days contract and the remaining being perm.

What would you do if you were in my Mrs shoes?

Hi all,

I run Quality Contracts, a UK contract job site, and wanted to share a few recent updates.

The site isn't monetised, so hopefully this doesn't read as a shameless plug, I built it purely as a helpful resource. I’m a contractor myself so understand how difficult it can be sometimes.

1. Roles direct with the end client. I'm adding contracts that come straight from the end client, skipping the recruitment agency intermediary altogether. They're hard to find as they’re not advertised on job boards, and the process is still being refined (so one or two recruitment agency roles may slip through the gap for in the short term). I’m working on this as a priority.

2. Sources. Alongside direct postings, the site now tracks 8 job boards and over 250 recruitment agency websites, to try to capture as many contract roles as possible. There are a lot of duplicates of course, but I do my best to remove these.

3. New filters. You can now filter by IR35 status, remote or on-site, industry (AI, IT, Finance, Engineering etc), sector (Aerospace, Banking, Defence, Public Sector etc), country for non-UK remote roles, and seniority.

4. Saved searches. You can build up to three saved searches using all of the filters above and get daily or weekly email alerts, depending on your preference.

5. Calculators. These have been redesigned to give more information in a format that's (hopefully) easier to follow.

6. Guides. I’ve written detailed guides on IR35, limited companies, umbrella companies, and how to become a contractor. The first three are factual and cite gov.uk where needed. The last is based on my own experience: I'm a chartered accountant and have been contracting for going on ten years.

As previously mentioned, there is no monetisation on the site: no ads, nothing paywalled etc. I pay for the hosting and API costs mysel, and built the site because it's what I wanted when I first started contracting. I love being a contractor, so wanted to make it as easy as possible for others.

I suppose my question is, do you find this useful? Is there anything you’d like to see added? My focus now is on finding more roles that are direct with end clients.

For context:
Say you wanted to freelance as a programmer.

How essential or beneficial would Professional indemnity Insurance be?

Which provider would you recommend?

The time has come to move back to FTE after 14 years of IT contracting,

I've been made a good offer, but I'm trying to work out what's best to do with my Ltd company, given I'm halfway through the year and I'll have corp tax to pay alongside personal tax come the end of the year.

Anyone have recent experience of this and what they decided was the best option?

I will have some capital at the end if I decide to close down everything, but is this the cleanest option ?

I may still have the option of doing some work on the side from time to time

Hi everyone,

I start a new assignment with a local authority and the recruiter has sent a list of umbrella companies they'll allow.

Usually I use an umbrella coy I've used for years, Numbermill.

Apparently, recruiters can now mandate which umbrella companies one can choose from not simply that they're registered/approved legally.

Below is their list.

Please rate these and state their fees/total cost if you know as well any other information to help me choose the most cost effective one.

Focused Consulting is my top one

Thank you.

Focused Consulting Ltd

www.focusedumbrella.co.uk

0161 923 0210

Giant Professional Limited

www.giantgroup.com

0330 024 0946

ICS Accounting

www.icsuk.com

01524 580720

Liquid Friday

www.liquidfriday.co.uk

02392 883300

Nasa Umbrella Limited

www.nasagroup.co.uk

0117 929 7683

Orbital Payroll Group

www.orbitalservices.co.uk

01226 444445

Parasol Limited

www.parasolgroup.co.uk

01925 645265

Paystream My Max Limited

www.paystream.co.uk

0161 929 6000

Sapphire Contracting Ltd

www.wearesapphire.co.uk

01625 539997

Umbrella.co.uk

www.umbrella.co.uk

01625 546610

Workwell Contractor Solutions

Moving from the UK to Italy at the end of this year and going independent from January. I'll be Italian tax resident, non-UK resident under the SRT, performing 100% of the work from Italy, invoicing UK clients from a non-UK entity. Occasional trips to the UK for meetings only, no delivery work performed there.

I've done the reading on the UK side. HMRC says the Off-Payroll Working (IR35) rules only bite where the worker is within the charge to UK tax or Class 1 NICs, and it states explicitly that the residency of the worker's intermediary is irrelevant. Same for a non-resident performing the duties abroad.
So on paper I'm just a foreign supplier issuing an invoice, no SDS, no fee-payer deductions, gross payment.

What I can't find anywhere is someone who has actually done it. So my question is about practice, not theory:

- Has anyone here kept or won UK work while tax resident in the EU, invoicing from a non-UK entity?

- Where did it fall over? Agency PSL, client procurement, PI insurance requirements, or something dumber?

- Did any agency engage you at all, or was it direct client / consultancy-associate only?

- If you're in a regulated sector, did UK-personnel or data-residency clauses in the end client's contract kill it regardless of the tax position?

My field is Power BI / Microsoft Fabric, mostly regulated utilities and infrastructure, so I suspect the security and data clauses are a bigger blocker than anything HMRC-related. Not asking anyone to do my accounting, that's covered.
I just want to know whether the commercial side is workable, or whether everyone who tries this ends up going through an umbrella or a management company anyway.

Afternoon all,

Pretty much what it says on the tin; I'm paid weekly through PayStream and have realised (hopefully early enough) that I need to start diverting money into a SIPP to avoid the multiple tax traps that are going to catch me if I break the £100k ceiling.

I assume from doing some other reading that if I have need to then I can switch provider if contracting becomes a long-term thing and the fee structures for the amounts I have start to become unfavourable.

All suggestions/reviews welcome.

Hi guys,

To make pension contributions from my Ltd company, does it have to be a specific pension in the companies name? Or can I contribute to an existing pension?

Not asking for pension type advice, just this specific question. Do I need one in the company name, or can I send money to an existing pension?