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IR56 - are you Employed or Self-Employed?

Your net income could be significantly lower if your contract work is subject to the IR35 rules. When determining whether an IT Contractor falls under the rules, the Inland Revenue will look his/her "employment status" when performing a given IT contract role.

In essence, as stated in the Inland Revenue IR56 leaflet, those IT Contractors deemed to be "self employed" will be free from IR35, whilst those deemed to be "employees" will most likely be subject to the IR35 rules.

A contractor cannot elect to be "employed" or "self employed", as such definitions are defined by the nature of the IT contract undertaken.

As there are no formal definitions of such "employment types" in tax law, a number of "pointers" are used to determine someone's true employment status for a given role.

Alongside our more in-depth IR35 Employment Status Overview, the following extract from the Inland Revenue leaflet provides some high level pointers to determine if your current work may fall within the IR35 net.

If you can answer 'Yes' to all of the following questions, you are probably an employee.

  • Do you have to do the work yourself?
  • Can someone tell you at any time what to do, where to carry
    out the work or when and how to do it?
  • Do you work a set amount of hours?
  • Can someone move you from task to task?
  • Are you paid by the hour, week, or month?
  • Can you get overtime pay or bonus payment?
If you can answer 'Yes' to all of the following questions, it will usually mean you are self-employed.
  • Can you hire someone to do the work for you or engage
    helpers at your own expense?
  • Do you risk your own money?
  • Do you provide the main items of equipment you need to do
    your job, not just the small tools many employees provide for themselves?
  • Do you agree to do a job for a fixed price regardless of how long the job may take?
  • Can you decide what work to do, how and when to do the work and where to provide the services?
  • Do you regularly work for a number of different people?
  • Do you have to correct unsatisfactory work in your own time and at your own expense?
Extract ©Crown Copyright

  • IR35 Employment Status Overview


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