Basic advice when running your own Contractor business

[cojak]

Another tip - don't assume that fellow posters on this forum (probably with lots of posts to their name) will always necessarily provide constructive responses to your posts, especially to what may be seen as basic/obvious questions or opinions.

The concept of "there is no such thing as a dumb question" doesn't apply to this forum. Although most of the time we are one big happy contractor family.

I refer my honourable friend to this thread:

Welcome to CUK!

If you have been lurking around CUK (and if you haven't I would recommend a glance in the professional forums AND General) you might have noticed one or two of the regular become a tad tetchy (or from your point of view, rude) over some of the threads that newbies have been posting lately. This might have stopped you from posting your own question for fear of getting flamed the same way.

Actually if you look more closely at many of the threads asking similar questions, you might also have noticed that this is not always the case. We will give full, helpful and occasionally encouraging advice without (apparent) rhyme or reason.

So I thought that I’d break it down to encourage newbies to ask questions without the regulars resorting to or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdYOAiCf-80 or even http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9TxwnPjB0U
.....

CUK Netiquette: A guide for newbies

[jantill]

24 Month Rule - Resetting The Clock

But remember that these expenses are only claimable with the 24-month rule.

The 24-month rule has nothing to do with your company. And it has nothing to do with contracting or permanent employment.

It has EVERYTHING to do with location.

If you have been there 24 months and spent over 40% of your time there (and 1 day a week WFH still makes it over 40%), then you will not be able to claim once you know that your contract will take you over 24 months.

And the location can mean anywhere in the City of London (or close to it) or similar.

I would say that 50 miles and you can argue it but I've heard people being challenged for working along the M4 corridor between Bristol, Swindon and London.

The only way you can go back is to go to another contract for 6 - 12 months* and then return - that 'resets the clock'.

I would only feel safe if I moved from London to Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, or Bristol.

*I recommend 9 - 12 months, others recommend 6 months.

One cannot "Reset the Clock". There is a rolling window of 24 months in which the >40% of time criterion applies.