This week, HMRC has issued a new ‘issue briefing’ on the forthcoming off-payroll (IR35) changes. The aim of the publication is to ‘help organisations prepare’. With the help of an industry expert, we do some fact-checking on the statements and claims made by the taxman.

When end-clients determine the IR35 status of contractors in the private sector from April 2021 onwards, they are tasked with taking ‘reasonable care’ when making employment status decisions.

Barclays has told its contract workforce that it will no longer engage contractors who operate via limited companies, as a consequence of the forthcoming private sector IR35 off-payroll changes next April. Other firms are taking similar measures.

If you decide to cease trading via your limited company following the private sector IR35 changes in April 2020, you should take great care when chosing the best way to exit, as well as the alternative ways to operate as a contractor.

Around 1,500 GlaxoSmithKline contractors have been sent identical letters from HMRC, accusing them of being ‘disguised employees’ – and therefore subject to the IR35 rules.

If your contract work is caught by IR35, your tax bill will rise considerably. Here, we use our IR35 calculator to work out the financial impact on contractors earning between £250 and £1000 per day.

If you are caught by the off-payroll IR35 rules, you may decide that there is no point keeping your limited company active. However, this isn’t necessarily the case, as a leading accountant explains.

The basics of IR35 should be understood by everyone in the contracting community at a fundamental level, as the rules have such a profound impact on take-home pay if you are caught. Here, an expert answers our questions on employment status – does your contract fall inside or outside IR35?

The draft legislation which will make the off-payroll private sector IR35 rules law in April 2020 has been published today. With few amendments made, it disregards the concerns expressed by respondents to the recent consultation.