Blog | Contract Spy

Why the April 2021 Off-Payroll rules will boost Direct Contracting

Nov 16, 2020

In this article we look at one of the lesser publicised impacts of the “Off payroll” working rules from April 2021. Historically, many large organisations have shied away from taking on contractors direct, preferring to interpose an agency into the equation, in order to distance themselves from potential tax claims from HMRC claiming that contractors were “disguised employees”. We know of many instances where a...

Maintain your own IR35 status with small company contracts from Contract Spy

Jul 18, 2020

As most contractors will now be aware, smaller companies (as defined by the Companies Acts) will not have the responsibility of determining the IR35 status of contractors they hire after the April 2021 reforms to IR35. This means that contractors engaged with small companies will continue to be responsible for determining their own IR35 status as now, so Contract Spy believes that finding contracts with these companies will be more highly...

Remote Spy beta

Apr 08, 2020

As part of Contract Intelligence’s efforts to assist members during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, we have launched a beta service gathering together contract opportunities that are advertised as “Remote” or “Home based”, so that our members can take advantage of these contracts if they so choose. Remote Spy beta will be published initially 4 days a week, in the form of a digest of links to Remote IT Contract...

Contractor Directors eligibility for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Apr 07, 2020

In our last update we discussed the possibility that Contractors who are Directors of their own limited company could take advantage of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This has now been clarified by the government. Salaried individuals who are Directors of their own personal service company are eligible for the scheme as long as they are properly furloughed and do not undertake any revenue generating function during their period...

Help available for contractors and contracting companies during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Mar 26, 2020

In the current, very fluid situation we thought it would be useful to summarise what help may exist for contractors and contracting companies during the current Covid-19 crisis. Help available to Contractor Companies There is a three month postponement of VAT payments, between 20th March and 30th June 2020. This is automatic, ie it doesn’t have to be claimed for, but it is our understanding that Vat returns...

Maintain your status outside of IR35 with small company contracts from Contract Spy

Sep 24, 2019

As most contractors will now be aware, smaller companies (as defined by the Companies Acts) will not have the responsibility of determining the IR35 status of contractors they hire after the April 2020 reforms to IR35. This means that contractors engaged with small companies will continue to be responsible for determining their own IR35 status as now, so Contract Spy believes that finding contracts with these companies will be more highly...

Contract Spy selected as Finalists in the Contracting Awards 2019

Aug 02, 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Contract Spy has been selected as one of the Finalists in the Contracting Awards 2019 in the Best Contractor Innovation Category. The awards, which will be decided in November 2019, will be judged by a panel of industry experts which includes Julia Kermode, the Chief Executive of the Freelancer and Contractor Services Association. Contract Spy provides an innovative service that enables its members to...

Can contractors negotiate out of an agency contract and go direct to the client?

Jul 19, 2019

Whilst most contractors would probably like to work direct for their clients rather than through an agency, the fact remains that even in spite of Contract Spy’s success in giving contractors another viable option, most of you reading will still be contracting via an agency. So is it ever possible to negotiate out of an agency contract, leaving you free to contract direct with the client? Contract Spy believes this is possible, as...

Who’s hiring contractors in 2019?

Apr 22, 2019

Twenty or so years ago, finding a contract was a much more predictable affair. You would likely have found your next contract via an ad on Jobserve, placed by a large recruitment agency, for an end client who would typically be a large company in financial services, or maybe a large energy or oil company or public body. Fast forward to 2019 and the picture is a much more mixed one. Analysis of all 3420 directly advertised...

Our Direct Contract Template

Mar 18, 2019

At Contract Spy we have been aware for some time that many direct contractors and happy to sign up to whatever contract their direct client puts in front of them, however this could be a big mistake and have significant repercussions on your status under IR35. Signing up with your client is your big chance to demonstrate, both to HMRC and to your client, that you are “in business on your own account” a strong pointer away from...

Beyond Jobserve – 6 reasons why IT contractors need a new job search strategy.

Feb 22, 2019

Back in the day, the task of finding an IT Contract was a fairly simple one: register with Jobserve, set up a job alert, and wait for the contracts to start rolling in and the phone to ring. For many contractors this approach hasn’t changed in years, but it’s likely to be less effective than it once was, so let’s examine why that might be. Whilst it is certainly true that Jobserve still has a leading role in...

IT Contractor numbers slump?

Feb 12, 2019

One astonishing number hidden in the depths of the industry reporting from APSCo in January was the staggering 33% reduction in IT contractors out on contract in November 2018 (as compared with the corresponding month one year earlier). Yes you read it right, and no, it’s not a mis-print – there was a reduction of nearly one-third in the number of IT contractors engaged through APSCo members in November compared to the year...