Contracting Matters Blog
Contractors’ most tax efficient salary and dividend levels, 2017/18
Posted by on May 16th, 2017 in Contracting Matters Blog
Here’s the Freelancer Financials’ guide to limited company tax planning covering 06/04/2017 thru 05/04/2018. It highlights contractors’ optimal salary and dividend levels for tax year 2017/2018.
Storyboard:
- Introduction: what distinguishes contractors from employees?
- This is how basic limited company tax efficiency works;
- Personal allowances for income tax, 2017/18;
- Taxes applicable to dividends for the 2017/18 tax year;
- Optimal salary for single- and multi-person payroll;
- Drawing dividends at higher tax bands: three safe steps you can take;
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Chancellor revokes contractors’ rights to decide payroll status
Posted by on April 7th, 2016 in Contracting Matters Blog
In the run up to the budget, the tabloids portended doom for contractors working through a PSC. For those working off-payroll in the public sector, those harbinger headlines became reality.
The Chancellor announced that PSCs will have no say in how public sector clients pay them. As of April 2017, it will be the client who decides if IR35 applies to an engagement.
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2016 Budget Further Undermines Contractors Working Through PSCs
Posted by on March 18th, 2016 in Contracting Matters Blog
So, the Chancellor used yesterday’s budget to continue his vendetta against contractors. In particular, he’s targeting contractors operating through personal service companies.
The reason for this fresh assault on independent UK professionals? To curb tax avoidance.
Not that most contractors create a limited company to save on tax. But if they had their way, that’s what the government and media would have you believe.
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Which is best for contractors, umbrella or limited company?
Posted by on April 14th, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
Should contractors work through an Umbrella or through their own Limited Company? True, there are specific times when you’d consider an Umbrella more beneficial. But when it comes to applying for a mortgage, Limited is always better.
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Why contractors choose Limited Company payment structures
Posted by on April 13th, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
Casting off from the shores of permanent employed is a big decision. The stormy, but often lucrative, waters of contracting or freelancing await the intrepid adventurer. But before launching yourself into the deep, stop. Just for a moment, at least, to consider your options.
In particular, you need to think about your new business. What’s the best way to minimise your long term tax liabilities? How, at the same time, can you maximise your income? And how can you juggle the two to make it easy for your customers to deal with you.
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Umbrella Companies – A Guide for Contractors
Posted by on April 9th, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
So. You’ve secured your first contract. You’re with your recruitment agent, who says “Great. Now you need to find an umbrella company“.
Or you may not be quite at that stage. Instead, you’re mulling over leaving your permanent role to take up a contract offer. You’re not quite sure what that will entail. Now you’re researching ways to operate, umbrella companies being one such way.
To help you make the right decision, you need to know why umbrella companies were born. Moreover, what their role is today amongst the options open to you. Let’s go.
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The Contractor Lifestyle: Does it Live Up to the Billing?
Posted by on March 31st, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
From outside the world of contracting looking in, the rates contractors charge seem steep. Imagine someone thinking about self-employment, wondering where to pitch their service. It’s possible that seeing those hourly rates would give them an inferiority complex.
Or that same contractor may have entered the market already, accepting a lower rate of pay. They may well wonder what it will take to earn the big bucks they see their peers pocketing.
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Why should I take an IR35 test?
Posted by on January 30th, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
As a contractor, you may think that your contract is watertight. You’re wrong. According to HMRC:
“There’s no such thing as an IR35-proof contract”
Can’t argue with that. We can, however, be proactive and find ways to prove that we’re not a disguised employee.
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5 Simple Steps You Can Take To Improve Your IR35 Status
Posted by on January 22nd, 2015 in Contracting Matters Blog
IR35, or intermediaries legislation to give it its proper name, is still here. And the signs are it’s not going away any time soon. To that end, you must safeguard your business against HMRC investigators, should they come calling.
Sounds simple, if you say it quick enough. But the fact is, 60% of contractors operate in the grey zone. Even worse, they don’t even know it.
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Will Independent Professionals pack more punch than Contractors?
Posted by on September 21st, 2014 in Contracting Matters Blog
It must have been a tough choice for PCG. They’ve built their brand by giving contractors a voice where before echoed only silence. To rebrand as IPSE is not only a ballsy decision, but also shows that businesses of any size can shift in line with market trends.
But what if we peep behind their decision to clock out the term ‘contractors’ in their moniker one last time? Why become an association that represents Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, instead?
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