Bench Time

[eek]

I'm not sure I like the message here.
Seems to be if you take the risk to contract and you make a success of it, decide to work hard etc put yourself out to make a good profit then not only do you pay more tax through your higher invoicing, but you also become a target to be taxed in a more punitive way?

Or take plenty of benchtime (chosen or otherwise), thereby paying less CT etc and the sector would be left alone by HMRC

Am I missing something?

You are missing a lot of background here...

HMRC don't understand how the contracting industry works and they rapidly need guidance with empirical evidence (numbers) to show that we aren't the same as a freelance duty free salesmen.....

I know this doesn't relate to people here but there seems to be a lot of people who are absolutely paranoid about HMRC...

There is a reason why I'm running a survey, Lisa is running a separate survey and is now asking questions round the edges... Given the apparent chocolate teapot approach of IPSE I'm glad someone is doing something...

[fool]

I've only been contracting since 2013 but I've not really had to sit on the bench, the market for my skillsets are pretty popular and I'm fairly likeable but it probably won't always be this easy.

That said, I've not had an amazing experience and this will probably make me sound incompetent, but here goes:

3 Months - Client never paid agency. They had no money. Agency did pay me though.
30 Minutes - Client told me project was "delayed" not long after I walked in door.
5 Months - Good experience. Renewed once. Offered perm.
4 Months - Offered renewal but project fell through so I was cut.
2 Months - Paid late, cited cash flow problems, I terminated due to this.
2 Months - Finished, left early on good terms. They disputed payment. Was told afterwards they'd done it to the 3 guys before me.
2 Months - I finished the work, they gave me notice.
8 Months - Still going.

As terrible as that sounds, in my defence clients 1, 3, 4 & 5 were all on really good terms with me and would have me back. Client 6 only refused payment after I rejected additional work. Client 7 expected an influx of projects which never happened.

Point being, if you don't work in banks and massive corporates, it's a pretty cut throat world, contracting is. I'm not sure how you concile this with calling me a disguised employee.

[SteelyDan]

Continuing on our quest to give HMRC facts and figures about the world of contracting - would you be able to give me an idea of bench time between contracts?

I am attempting to demonstrate that the comparison between a permanent worker and a contractor when trying to promote 'fairness' in the tax system is misguided

Really appreciate your help guys

Don't mind contributing to this in principle, but isn't there a risk that HMRC will look at your figures and suggest that none of what you have submitted is factual or accurate, but just some made up stats courtesy of an enraged contractor forum who are willing to bend the truth?

[eek]

Don't mind contributing to this in principle, but isn't there a risk that HMRC will look at your figures and suggest that none of what you have submitted is factual or accurate, but just some made up stats courtesy of an enraged contractor forum who are willing to bend the truth?

Possibly but anything we have is better than what they have currently got.

[northernladuk]

Don't mind contributing to this in principle, but isn't there a risk that HMRC will look at your figures and suggest that none of what you have submitted is factual or accurate, but just some made up stats courtesy of an enraged contractor forum who are willing to bend the truth?

But HMRC have got a load of ill thought out and poorly understood figures as well so ours will go some way towards cancelling theirs out so we might actually get to some more realistic middle ground.

[ITPRO2]

Contracts between 9 months and 2 years. I've been contract for 6.5 years and never been on the bench.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Don't mind contributing to this in principle, but isn't there a risk that HMRC will look at your figures and suggest that none of what you have submitted is factual or accurate, but just some made up stats courtesy of an enraged contractor forum who are willing to bend the truth?

Yes there is always that risk unfortunately but HMRC have asked for facts and figures so that's what we're giving them - I think their perception is that either contractors don't really care about the proposals that they're making or that they'll have a negligible impact (there were only 3 responses from contractors to the last consultation!). I don't think that either perception is correct and I am doing what I can to prove it

[RSoles]

Crikey, doesn't time fly.......

13 months contract August 2014 – Present
1 month holiday
11 months contract August 2013 - June 2014
3 months contract May 2013-July 2013
16 months contract Jan 2012 – Apr 2013
10 months contract Sept 2010 – June 2011
10 months contract Oct 2009 – Aug 2010
4 months bench
12 months contract June 2008 – May 2009
5 months bench
16 months contract Oct 2006 – Jan 2008
3 months contract Jul 2006 – Sep 2006
12 months contract Aug 2005 – Jul 2006
4 months contract Apr 2005 – Jul 2005
9 months contract Jun 2004 – Mar 2005
8 months contract November 2003 – June 2004
18 months contract May 2002 – Oct 2003
1 months bench
2 months contract February 2002 – March 2002
5 months contract September 2001 – January 2002

[eek]

Yes there is always that risk unfortunately but HMRC have asked for facts and figures so that's what we're giving them - I think their perception is that either contractors don't really care about the proposals that they're making or that they'll have a negligible impact (there were only 3 responses from contractors to the last consultation!). I don't think that either perception is correct and I am doing what I can to prove it

Given that contractors were not impacted by the discussion document its hardly surprising that contractors did not reply...

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Given that contractors were not impacted by the discussion document its hardly surprising that contractors did not reply...

PSC contractors weren't no but umbrella contractors were