The Taxman is asking new IR35 questions of clients whose contractors disputed their status and is quietly making changes to how he assesses end-client processes for handling contractor disputes over IR35 status, Treasury minutes reveal.The changes involve HMRC asking the client “specific questions” about their dispute-process and obtaining feedback on the volume of disputes; their outcomes, and if SDSs were altered.'Demands and questions from HMRC' “A list of all contractors – along … [Read more...]
Contractors at risk of being taken in by bogus badges from ‘sham’ accreditation outfits
Contractors must start double-checking the badges that umbrella companies display on their website, experts are appealing to readers of ContractorUK.The advice to check that the provider’s badge is a stamp of approval from a genuine, verifiable accreditation body featured in a new umbrella company checklist for contractors.Dolan Accountancy But an avoidance scheme blacklisted by HMRC – Peak PAYE Ltd -- has since been observed using a badge emblazoned with ‘The Institute of Freelancing & … [Read more...]
Trade body for Recruitment Professionals responds to the Spring Statement
Responding to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement, Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), comments:“The news that the National Insurance Contribution (NICs) threshold has been raised to ensure both the employed and self-employed can earn £12,570 without paying NICs from July is not what we expected or have called for. APSCo wrote to the Chancellor earlier this year calling for a delay to the NICs contribution … [Read more...]
ePayMe Renews APSCo Membership
ePayMe, the leading outsourced payroll services provider for the recruitment industry, has renewed its affiliate member of APSCo, the international trade association for the recruitment industry.The APSCo affiliate membership, this means that ePayMe has been recognised for meeting the standards required by Government departments of any company involved in supplying employees or contractors. Alongside the ‘stamp of approval’ from APSCo, ePayMe also holds Professional Passport … [Read more...]
Back to basics… Outsourcing freelancer payroll
Why does it matter?With the rise in the number of firms using temporary staff and freelance contractors, more HR departments are opting to outsource their payroll functions for such workers.There are good reasons to do so, particularly for small and medium sized businesses that wish to avoid the expense of a full-time in-house payroll team. However, there are certain key points that HRDs must bear in mind.Do……‘Due diligence’ on any payroll provider you work with. The Criminal … [Read more...]
Disguised Remuneration = ‘Loan Charge’
We have been going on about this for a while, knowing it would only be a matter of time before HMRC would clamp down on these non-compliant payroll schemes. We all know if something is too good to be true, it usually is.Disguised remuneration schemes are arrangements that pay loans instead of normal salary to avoid Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.From April 2019, HMRC will introduce the loan charge to deal with the use of these avoidance schemes.The terms were … [Read more...]
Risks Facing The Recruitment Sector in 2019
Whilst the recruitment industry is a good barometer for the economy in general and is affected by Brexit and GPDPR, like all other sectors, recruiters will face some very specific risks in the coming year. IR35 was a major concern throughout 2018 and we now know that the changes will be introduced to the private sector in April 2020. We have already seen recruiters looking at workarounds, as pressure from hirers intensifies throughout 2019.With possible changes to regulations in the payroll … [Read more...]
Leading payroll solutions provider ePayMe gains Professional Passport accreditation and joins trade body APSCo
ePayMe, the leading outsourced payroll services provider for the recruitment industry, has been named an Approved Supplier by employment industry recognition scheme, Professional Passport, at the same time as becoming an affiliate member of APSCo, the international trade association for the recruitment industry.The Professional Passport accreditation scheme involves rigorous auditing of ePayMe’s service levels, in-house systems, work practices and staff training. Combined with the APSCo … [Read more...]
HMRC ‘unwilling to give any steer’ on IR35 changes
The taxman is “unwilling to give any steer” on his approach to April’s IR35 changes to the very parties who will be liable and responsible for those changes, an agency body alleges.This current reticence by HMRC to provide the parties with the “real detail” on how the new rules will work makes it probable that it won’t be released until next year, says APSCo.The agency body reached this conclusion after it held a meeting with the Revenue’s policy officers Neil Chattell and Julie De … [Read more...]