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Strong Silent-types gain the most from clearing their head, by emptying their thoughts out into a chat with a trusted listener.

Alleviating the staffing crisis in the UK health service will be tricky if government doesn’t even address a key aggravator -- IR35 reform.   

Disturbing the UK’s contractor market – or worse destroying it, is the dangerous sum of the Treasury’s imbalanced proposals.

Like the judge who ripped a recruiter apart, a contractor on LinkedIn is part of the fightback against IR35 ignorance which is gaining ground.

All eyes on the Autumn when CEST 2.0 is due, despite ‘unable to determine’ now being almost as likely as ‘inside IR35.’

From client prospecting to proposal creation, there’s nothing artificial about the heavy lifting ChatGPT can do for your company if it’s used intelligently.

Despite take-home dents from ‘dreaded’ IR35 reform, some computer contractors have landed premiums of almost double-digits in the last year.

A reset and collaboration with ContractorUK readers is our objective, to help stop future contractors getting caught out by the non-compliant.

Whether you’re a contractor who missed out, or an agent hit by the umbrella consultation, have your say.

A program manager who wanted to be an employee, or if not a worker (but has been ruled as neither), might turn HMRC’s head.

Government called to ‘remedy a rank injustice’ that the taxman carries out under the frameworks of 2000 and 2007.

Just like tiny companies, us advisers can only hope Spring Statement’s vow of easier HMRC interactions doesn’t get broken like our tax system.

As frustrated agents look on, last month saw a ‘significant step-up in candidate availability,’ including in ‘higher paid, remote-friendly occupations.’

The AI darling of the moment is sweet for IT contractors in a rush, who can’t spell and need the bare essentials. But for true professionals? It’s a bit sour.

Jeremy Hunt hints he’ll disappoint contractor companies hoping for pre-election tax sweeteners.

The outlook for umbrella companies looks bleak under both options two and three.

Matchtech takes a deep dive into the IT sector’s key changes, including how rapid progression is impacting contractor skillsets.

Officials are putting the relative permissiveness of the past to bed by getting tough on all PSC operators.

The tools to dismantle Jekyll and Hyde-style umbrella operators exist. But is the take-home just too tempting?

Website admins, cloud providers and data protection officers are among those who may need to assess, review, and even notify.

‘Possible drawbacks’ of leaving the UK are better than losing 50% gross to taxes, suggest a fifth of contractors.

Staffing bosses must accept a role they seem to be shirking, to stamp out arrangements that abuse both the exchequer and contractors.

Advisers say what clients still don’t get; what’s wrong with CEST, and what seeing off the taxman takes.

The ABA Motors case reinforces throwing everything at the taxman from the start.

A tribunal stats update by the MoJ lumps fraudulent Mini-Umbrella Companies in with bonafide brollies.

Quantity doesn’t mean quality in the eyes of some, as the still-criticised Revenue blacklist chalks up its almost 50th entry.

ContractorUK readers reassured it’s ok to be a little ‘out there’ when posting on LinkedIn.

IR35 is exampled as the unwinnable ‘arms race’ HMRC is in -- for trying to remedy one ill only to set parameters for the next.

An employment tribunal order on just one of them to return £29,885 in unlawful deductions should be enough to prompt all brollies into action.

The appeal says more about the taxman than the taxpayer or others with similar arrangements.

Taxman approaches the Upper Tribunal to put IR35 back in play against England’s former skipper.

Service providers were recognised last night for their efforts in supporting contractors. 

A new approach to adopting smarter regulation wants workers’ views built-in. And that approach is opening with umbrellas.

Despite the story 'varying widely across different businesses,' software development and tech last month weakened significantly.

Accreditation body says it’s all for regulating brollies, but warns against another ‘IR35-type situation.’

A long document that’s taken an even longer time to produce. But unfortunately contractors, still there is something missing.

Following an ‘inordinate’ delay and despite doubters already, a consultation to tackle brolly ‘malpractice’ is at last open for contractors' responses.

SafeRec lifts the lid on umbrella companies and your money.

Agents of a different kind are slapped by the ASA over online ads earning them 48% of your HMRC refund.

The CV & Interview Advisors endorses AI and neuroscience bosses’ top tips on getting more from the professional networking giant.

Ninety organisations are already among the fallout from the data breach. Do you need to ask Capita if you’re number 91?

With the taxman surely biding his time until he can charge for multiple years' off-payroll non-compliance, contractors won’t want to see the following false positives.

Due to pay a ‘hefty’ price to HMRC for fluffing contractor status, the body that backs innovation in business is now deemed to be a warning to business.

Tens of millions that was heading to UK business now isn’t, thanks to Innovate UK incorrectly assessing contractors as outside IR35.

Fears raised that the ‘eyes and ears of many contractors’ may be manipulated by promoters passing themselves off as legitimate businesses.

Expert accountant reassures that the traditional way to pay HMRC will always likely remain, albeit with disincentives.

A good initiative? Or a glorified payroll calculator? Fluctuating pay is the real issue that needs attention, or at least acknowledgement.

Stopping the taxman in his tracks as he took on an end-user with 300+ contractors went like this.

At odds with what it originally said, the hacked outsourcing giant says customer, colleague and supplier date got ‘exfiltrated.’

The contractor industry can largely get behind a set-off mechanism from April 6th 2024 -- even if it smacks of the government's whack-a-mole approach.

Even if more PSCs due to appear in the dock doesn’t worry you, still review CJRS claims if you took salary with dividends.

With none of the normal delay between government intention and government action, it’s good to see officials moving forward on rolled-up holiday pay.

A cautious contractor sector welcomes a new consultation on giving workers their holiday pay regularly and upfront.

The former FCSA umbrella company regrets ‘oversights’ but is ‘delighted’ at what it says is vindication over ‘deliberate wrongdoing’.

With the loan charge year about to run out, this DA season hit contractors harder than usual. And then there’s the kicker -- a tax on PAYE tax.

Nervy employers ‘hedging their bets’ are boosting IT contractors, despite a few software issues.

A ruling in Italy is yet to make waves in the UK, where working with AI is still the prevailing wisdom.

Less of a nuisance to browse online and make websites comply sounds good, despite UK-EU ‘clear water’ concerns. And a sanction rocketing by 3500%.

Following appeals to make the LISA fit for purpose for contractor saving, AJ Bell says it’s better to just bin it.

Not before time, the taxman responds to concerns dating back to 2017 that he’s 'immorally' taxing the same income twice.

Fake limited company workers ‘in cahoots’ with hoax clients are preying on the practice of agencies paying PSCs thousands in advance.

Ghost contractors and clients have haunted our sector for years, but they’re still easily defeated by the old adage ‘If it seems too good to be true…’

Extreme caution advised, as two schemes with an Option Grant Agreement are characterised as no option unless you like a large tax bill.

Charting the rise in non-compliant umbrella companies out to get contractors -- and how to ensure it’s them, not you, who fall.

Fortunately for my tech career, and probably yours too, looks can be deceiving.

Offset is hopefully on its off-payroll agenda, but the government’s fear of upheaving the labour market (again) will likely preclude fundamental, necessary change.

Alarm raised that no longer being on the taxman’s ‘blacklist’ will be a marketing opportunity too good for copycats to pass up.

A judgment from 2008 which acts as a selling point to use recruitment agency contractors is under threat.

A batch of brollies targeting agencies and workers with freebies are ‘likely engaged in the dubious or downright illegal.'

Hiring body says the IR35 framework needs amending, because it taxes the same income twice, and is now exacerbating skills shortages.

A near plateauing in IT contractor billings coincides with APSCo, REC, Indeed, and KMPG all pointing the finger at Spring Budget.

Renaming the nemesis of small businesses is billed as a way to effect culture change, but not everyone’s convinced.

Help is at hand to make the most out of your annual pension allowance increasing to £60,000.

Workers who jumped into a provider’s partnerships to ‘beat IR35 reform’ could face a Chapter 9 liability from HMRC.

Pay premiums can be unlocked for IT contractors who realise the following actions are key.

Corporation tax hiked since Saturday; dividends stinging from Thursday. Just as many have no choice but to, PSCs are being made to feel some of the pinch.

Status advisers caution contractors that HMRC getting two celebs in the dock confirms off-payroll enforcement to be an A-list priority that’s set to run and run.

The This Morning host who once said ‘There’s nobody more freelance than me’ is found to owe HMRC an estimated £250k for disguised employment at ITV.

Even on the day regulation finally emerges, we’ll still need collective action to win this war.

Tax authority says it might appeal, after experts say losing to Lineker in a ground-breaking case shows HMRC doesn’t understand its own rules.

The FTT finding in favour of the Match of the Day presenter will expose a possibly unrecognised IR35 risk for other partnerships.

Entries have now been sorted, scrutinised and judged by the panel to create impressive shortlists.

A clarification, of sorts, from a former tax inspector invited to make a correction, of sorts.

Contractor accountants fear their annual task of getting limited company directors to act has been made tougher by the chancellor.

Margaret Beels’ four themes are a solid start but it’s enforcement, enforcement, enforcement we need.

Limited companies told that while buying a single MacBook may not be worth the rush, multiple purchases might.

Even the Treasury would be advantaged by something that would benefit brollies, clients, and contractors -- the Single Enforcement Body.

Staffing bosses put on a brave face after Spring Budget leaves the off-payroll rules intact, signalling the continuation of bans and blanketing.   

His budget wasn’t the time or place, but putting an end to HMRC’s scandalous loan charge must be the job of Jeremy Hunt -- or his successor, in this or the next government.

New figures indicating the off-payroll figures will rake in £6billion from an invariably over the moon HMRC are damning.

Suspiciously timed, a 12-months-old report on the Single Enforcement Body surfaces to say the SEB will hopefully be established soon.

The can’t-pays, won’t-pays and dodgy brolly directors who went straight -- all on the chancellor’s new list of HMRC targets.

Chancellor Hunt’s pension boost set to propel fifty-somethings back into contracting, even on brolly roles caught by the off-payroll rules.

No IR35 mention, no SEB and no corporation tax U-turn means contractors must cling to pensions changes, R&D credits and energy bill help as the few positives from the chancellor.

Jeremy Hunt delivers his ‘Growth’ Budget, but offers very few pluses or minuses to contractors' tax and finances.

Freelancer Financials shares its mortgage borrower wishlist ahead of chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s imminent statement.

The Single Enforcement Body (or the Treasury’s response to its evidence-call), should factor in the following if it is to succeed.

'The more they earn, the more we can chase them for' is motivating the taxman to target the former England striker, in a court fixture 'nothing to do with IR35.'

Comments in a Whitehall meeting from the minister responsible for umbrella companies revive the prospect of the SEB being set up from Wednesday.

There’s a lot you can do to help, chancellor told, as IT contractor demand-growth plummets at a pace not seen since coronavirus.