Feeling cheated by everbody!
After a long period of unemployment I got a job as an IT Contractor with a large well known company near my home. The rate was low – probably as low as it gets for an IT contractor but I was getting somewhere at last. I was told the first two guys sent by the company lasted a couple of days so I worked real hard and after two weeks contacted the agency. The agency claimed the had been trying to get hold of me all along – ok I had my mobile off to give a good impression but no emails or phone calls at home. They basically forced an umbrella company on me and figured as the would only get a small back hander I would go along with this to keep them sweet as I was threatened with late payments and then went into slow motion mode – forms were not completed for weeks. 
After seven weeks of enquiring when I would be paid the agency finally said that I had been. I wasn’t and I believed the agency was going pop – and I told the company were I was working at that I was prepared to walk out and forget the whole thing. They advertised the job again on the same website but had no takers – you could see the number who applied! I was finally paid for the first two weeks of the eight and the second week as overtime which was greatly reduced by the tax, employers national insurance and employees national insurance. The agency tried to make out I was a trouble maker to the company. After more complaints, I got some more weeks paid from them in this way. Then the umbrella's accounting system went down and you could not even fax them for three weeks! More weeks went unpaid and built up to be paid as two weeks in this way.
After 5 months the company terminated my contract early – I was not that sorry to be honest even though the agency had won whatever game they were playing. The company told me I had to get paid by the agency then pressured me to send the agency my latest CV in case they needed me again! I refused! The umbrella was also charging me too high a fee and I complained about this and the high insurance and tax rates. Got the fees back but was told the tax and insurance was correct (more or less)
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I started at the end of February and did not get paid until the beginning of April. I contacted the Inland Revenue during the middle of all of this and to make a tax return for last year. I expressed my concern to them about this erratic behaviour. The first point they made was no tax code on my invoices from the umberalla company. I got this and after more enquiries the Inland Revenue have turned around and told me a) I was making a fuss about nothing about what was going on with these companies and b) As I was not paid until April – those first eight weeks don’t count for last years tax year – when I didn’t work or even get any social security payments! The weeks they were paid for are on the invoice.
Is this correct procedure for the Inland Revenue to take this view? My other fear is that the weeks paid as overtime will remain as such and will not be considered normal worked weeks. I think we are talking about a loss of at least 1/6 my income from this factor alone. Not got the final invoices yet to be sure - it varies a lot! Believe it or not I always considered the Inland Revenue to be fair and honest.
If I had not complained maybe I still would have a job but then again I could have had one normal week paid to me and all the rest of the year paid as overtime!
Have I been stuffed?
After seven weeks of enquiring when I would be paid the agency finally said that I had been. I wasn’t and I believed the agency was going pop – and I told the company were I was working at that I was prepared to walk out and forget the whole thing. They advertised the job again on the same website but had no takers – you could see the number who applied! I was finally paid for the first two weeks of the eight and the second week as overtime which was greatly reduced by the tax, employers national insurance and employees national insurance. The agency tried to make out I was a trouble maker to the company. After more complaints, I got some more weeks paid from them in this way. Then the umbrella's accounting system went down and you could not even fax them for three weeks! More weeks went unpaid and built up to be paid as two weeks in this way.
After 5 months the company terminated my contract early – I was not that sorry to be honest even though the agency had won whatever game they were playing. The company told me I had to get paid by the agency then pressured me to send the agency my latest CV in case they needed me again! I refused! The umbrella was also charging me too high a fee and I complained about this and the high insurance and tax rates. Got the fees back but was told the tax and insurance was correct (more or less)
.I started at the end of February and did not get paid until the beginning of April. I contacted the Inland Revenue during the middle of all of this and to make a tax return for last year. I expressed my concern to them about this erratic behaviour. The first point they made was no tax code on my invoices from the umberalla company. I got this and after more enquiries the Inland Revenue have turned around and told me a) I was making a fuss about nothing about what was going on with these companies and b) As I was not paid until April – those first eight weeks don’t count for last years tax year – when I didn’t work or even get any social security payments! The weeks they were paid for are on the invoice.
Is this correct procedure for the Inland Revenue to take this view? My other fear is that the weeks paid as overtime will remain as such and will not be considered normal worked weeks. I think we are talking about a loss of at least 1/6 my income from this factor alone. Not got the final invoices yet to be sure - it varies a lot! Believe it or not I always considered the Inland Revenue to be fair and honest.
If I had not complained maybe I still would have a job but then again I could have had one normal week paid to me and all the rest of the year paid as overtime!
Have I been stuffed?
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