Helen Christopher

Helen Christopher is a chartered accountant, business mentor, and founder of award-winning Beansprout. With 30 years’ experience, she now supports ambitious small business owners with profit strategies, financial mentoring, practical tax, and accounting advice. A former COO, Helen is passionate about empowering clients to grow with confidence, clarity and control.

www.linkedin.com/in/helen-christopher-ba-hons-fca-412bb738/

Top 10 tips to make your contract outside IR35

The key steps to take to demonstrate you’re not a disguised employee.

13th May, 2021 | Private Sector IR35 Reform

What contractors endured in the first month of this new off-payroll rules minefield

A steep learning curve with turbulence, challenge and worry has defined the last four weeks.

6th May, 2021 | Comment

What is Employer's National Insurance and do I need to pay it?

An overview of the tax most misunderstood by umbrella and limited company contractors.

27th April, 2021 | Successful Contracting

IR35: How losing the 5% expense allowance will hit PSC contractors

Being inside IR35 from April will be a whole lot more taxing with the five per cent deduction disallowed by HMRC.

17th February, 2021 | Comment

Moving from limited company to umbrella, agency or client payroll

A permanent job will be on the Christmas list of many a contractor, this year much more than most.

18th December, 2020 | Successful Contracting

Why the Job Support Scheme falls short for limited company contractors

Getting back to work is the goal of most (even the government’s). This scheme looks like a punt that misses.

28th September, 2020 | Comment

CJRS explainer: A contractor's step-by-step guide to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Flow chart on the furlough scheme, for both umbrella and limited company contractors hoping for 80% coverage.

21st April, 2020 | Coronavirus

The benefits of working inside IR35 via your limited company from April 2021

Ten good reasons why you can’t afford to ditch your limited company as soon as a client deems you IR35-caught.

4th April, 2020 | Private Sector IR35 Reform

Why most limited company contractors’ clients aren’t reversing their IR35 reform status decisions

It’s too long a way back for many engagers so, perversely, it’s the unprepared who are now unburdened.

27th March, 2020 | Comment

Contractors’ Questions: Will working on two projects at one client break April’s IR35 rules?

Inside-outside status looks likely for a PSC trying to avoid a controlling manager.

10th March, 2020 | Private Sector IR35 Reform

Working through HMRC’s off-payroll (IR35) rules: a step-by-step for PSCs

How limited company contractors can navigate the minefield of IR35 reform.

19th February, 2020 | Private Sector IR35 Reform

Contractors’ Questions: What will Budget 2019 contain for contractors?

An adviser fields the Nov. 6th queries of a put-out PSC trying to dodge curve balls.

22nd October, 2019 | IR35

Clock is ticking to have your say on private sector IR35 reform

Agree or disagree with IR35 changing in April? There’s only a week left to speak up.

21st May, 2019 | Comment

Contractor's guide to working outside IR35

How paperwork and practices can help you keep IR35 at bay.

2nd March, 2019 | Public Sector Contracting

Contractors’ Questions: How will new IR35 rules affect joint directors?

The April 2020 compliance requirements for a PSC duo, one of which has another job.

28th February, 2019 | IR35

Spring Statement 2019: What contractors can expect

With loan charge, Brexit and IR35 uncertainty, is the devil in the detail all we can rely on?

27th February, 2019 | Comment

Contractor's guide to working inside IR35

Three months into the revised IR35 regime for the public sector and there seem to be more contractors caught by the Intermediaries legislation than ever before.

25th February, 2019 | Public Sector Contracting

Contractors’ Questions: Is using the client’s equipment an IR35-risk?

One of the lesser factors of IR35 status is too much of a grey area for CEST to cope.

20th February, 2019 | IR35

Contractors’ Questions: Must I insure against a wrong outside IR35 decision?

Expert cautions a PSC worried that agencies or clients might insist on cover by April 2020.

13th February, 2019 | Private Sector IR35 Reform

Contractors’ Questions: Will a partnership be immune to IR35 reform?

Strength in numbers via a LLP isn’t necessarily a cloak to keep HMRC off your back.

7th February, 2019 | Private Sector IR35 Reform