2 Contracts at same time - Outside IR35

[newbiehere]

Hello, I am already working on a contract ( outside IR35) and got another potential contract which is also outside of IR35.
I do bill my client for 8 hours per day for my existing contract. Can i also do second contract condering that is also outside of IR35 ?

[hobnob]

Welcome to the forum. This is a common question, so it's worth searching for previous discussions. (Mods, could we have a sticky post for it?)

Scrolling down the current page, here are 2 recent threads about it:
Can I work both a Permanant and Contract Role? - Contractor UK Bulletin Board
Concurrent contracts - Contractor UK Bulletin Board

In brief, you can't charge 2 companies for the same hours. However, if you can work for client A Mon-Fri and client B at weekends, go ahead.

[eek]

Quick answer

Billing on time - you are playing with fire
Billing on deliverables - go ahead.

[cannon999]

Quick answer

Billing on time - you are playing with fire
Billing on deliverables - go ahead.

How? I work with 3 clients and bill all of them on time.

[northernladuk]

Welcome to the forum. This is a common question, so it's worth searching for previous discussions. (Mods, could we have a sticky post for it?)

Scrolling down the current page, here are 2 recent threads about it:
Can I work both a Permanant and Contract Role? - Contractor UK Bulletin Board
Concurrent contracts - Contractor UK Bulletin Board

In brief, you can't charge 2 companies for the same hours. However, if you can work for client A Mon-Fri and client B at weekends, go ahead.

All the above. Been asked numerous times now and the thread always goes the same way so nothing new to add to this discussion.

Good links above but also use the Google search function. In Google type <keywords> site:forums.contractoruk.com
Play around with the keywords, as many as you want with a space, as not all threads may have the same keywords. You'll find at least 5 or 6 threads in the last 4 or 5 months and they started as far back as Covid lockdown started when contractors got out from their clients eye and thought they could start fleecing them.

Eek's summary is close as it gets with such a short summary but I'd add an extra line. If you can't tell both clients what you are doing then you shouldn't be doing it.

Shortly there will be a few people coming along to say they are fleecing their clients (which it is) but have so far gotten away with it. Should you or can you are different arguments. They are all covered to death in the two threads mentioned alone.

[WTFH]

How? I work with 3 clients and bill all of them on time.

If you are billing on time and bill each client for an 8 hour day, then you're in trouble.
If you're billing for the time you work, and each one is being billed for the amount of time you spend working for them - that would be OK, but then you are billing on what you are delivering, not just on an 8 hour day.

[cannon999]

If you are billing on time and bill each client for an 8 hour day, then you're in trouble.
If you're billing for the time you work, and each one is being billed for the amount of time you spend working for them - that would be OK, but then you are billing on what you are delivering, not just on an 8 hour day.

I wake up at 9 and go to bed at 3am. So yeah I bill 16 hours a day. There are exceptions where I do stuff on the weekend to cover for the time I missed during the week.

[WTFH]

I wake up at 9 and go to bed at 3am. So yeah I bill 16 hours a day. There are exceptions where I do stuff on the weekend to cover for the time I missed during the week.

But you don't bill 3 clients each at 16 hours per day.

[northernladuk]

But you don't bill 3 clients each at 16 hours per day.

Cannon situation is so different it's not worth him coming in every thread on this. He's not a bum on seat contractor, or at least not all his gigs are and he's obviously double billing his clients and they wouldn't be happy with it but he's experienced enough to get away with it and not let it bother him.

Him popping up on these threads saying he does it with absolutely no detail is of little use to the OP's posting as he's a world apart from them in situation, experience and attitude to risk. I am sure he does what he does quite successfully but it is not in context with the question being asked by these types of posters.

[cannon999]

Cannon situation is so different it's not worth him coming in every thread on this. He's not a bum on seat contractor, or at least not all his gigs are and he's obviously double billing his clients and they wouldn't be happy with it but he's experienced enough to get away with it and not let it bother him.

Him popping up on these threads saying he does it with absolutely no detail is of little use to the OP's posting as he's a world apart from them in situation, experience and attitude to risk. I am sure he does what he does quite successfully but it is not in context with the question being asked by these types of posters.

I'm not sure what details you are expecting? All my clients know that they are not my only client. In fact I tend to bring that up during the interview process. I also explicitly state that I have people working for me (who I am free to move between the projects if I want to). If people weren't happy with the service they just would can the services of my consultancy or wouldn't extend contracts. Also I get done in my 8 hours of work what other devs get done in a week so there is that too. Bottom line is my advice to anyone on this forum is if you think you are good and you are good - do whatever you want and don't listen to the naysayers of this forum. Need I remind the answers I got when I posted about going contracting straight from uni? Had a bunch of grey hairs convincing me that contracting is some incredibly difficult thing to do that only few are destined for. The reality is that there is a tulip load of money in it and it's easy to do if you have more than 2 brain cells.