Comment by edent
3 days ago
The IR35 rules seemed relatively easy for me to find when I was contracting.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/off-payroll-worki...
Along with a handy tool at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax
There's also a forum, where they actually answer questions and advise (even if detailed).
It is a constant source of confusion. I see it constantly discussed in various freelancer whats-app and freelance groups.
I used to get contracts checked to see if they were Outside IR-35 and I knew I wasn't the only one. So it isn't straight-forward as you suggest.
It can also scare companies off, I have personally experienced this. As a result there are far less Outside IR-35 work. Almost every contractor I know has had to go back perm.
I understand there were many Contractors that basically milked forever contracts, but it kinda screwed over loads of freelancers.
I personally hate being perm. I used to work about 6-9 months a year and I found it relatively easy to find another contract. I had plenty of free time. Now I get the standard 1 month and bank holidays. Really pissed off about the rule changes.