International contracts and IR35 (work done in UK through own Ltd)

[ashleymoran]

If your old company is a contract. It should contain some of the PCG legal blurb for your protection.

Yeah, a one-off project that will be pretty well defined. If I get more through them I will worry about it then. At the indicative hourly rate I have quoted them, I don't expect to be getting much work

Alot of people have put too much faith in the 'substitution clause' in the contract (getting someone else in to do your job).

I fail to see how an IT contractor firm could reasonable construct a substitution clause, unless all its staff were pretty much experts in their field. The time it takes for a developer to adjust to a new project is significant, you can't swap them on a daily basis.

Attending conferences would be regarded well same as training. If you submit conferences papers as well would be good.

Only good if you pay for it yourself not your client!

I just mention the training as it is one thing that can be looked at if they were to do an investigation. It displays your independence having to fund your own training. Conferences are in the same vein as they educate.

Well I like conferences, and I'll be happy spending a lot of my pre-tax profits this way!

The idea is to avoid an investigation by not pushing the limits (eg tiddly salary, large dividend, claim unreasonable expenses, not getting returns in on time for VAT, PAYE etc).

I spoke to an accountant the other day, who said they always recommend directors take a minimal salary and draw the rest as dividends. But he looked a bit shifty when I asked if he dealt with a lot of contractors, so I don't think I'll be going with them when I hire an accountant...

About expenses... say I am hired to do a job that will involve software I would not normally use in the course of my business, and would not use again after the contract with them finished. What's the best way to get hold of it? Get them to buy it? Buy it myself and add it on to the invoice (in which case who owns the licence?)? Or buy it myself out of my profits?