Contract End Date

[jo99]

Hi All,
Need a bit of advice. Usually contracts have end dates. I have a contract with no end date specified - the agency does not want to put an end date. Is this common practice or should I insist on an end date?

[Sockpuppet]

Insist on end date. Otherwise you may as well drop your trousers to IR35.

My current gig tried to have "on going" as the finish date. One of the many reasons the contract got rejected.

[jo99]

really don't want to reject another contract! rejected 2 already this year....so am hoping the agency will see sense....

[thunderlizard]

that is odd. Presumably you have a way of giving notice, otherwise your company would never get out of it, not even by your death. If you tell them what end date you want, I bet they'd accept it.

[jo99]

Contract is for 3 months - client confirmed this after I got no where with the agency - but agency does not want to put an end date in contract. Also the contract does not have a termination period on my side (though the agency will send me another piece of paper for 'temps' to sign to say that I will give them a weeks notice!). Agencies don't seem to know what the difference between temps and Limited Company contractors.....

[thunderlizard]

that's crazy. what kind of agency are they? Do they operate from a van with "burgers" crossed out and "agency" written instead?
That could actually be a really good deal. The client only gets 3 months work but you carry on invoicing the agency until Doomsday.

[TheFaQQer]

Contract is for 3 months - client confirmed this after I got no where with the agency - but agency does not want to put an end date in contract. Also the contract does not have a termination period on my side (though the agency will send me another piece of paper for 'temps' to sign to say that I will give them a weeks notice!). Agencies don't seem to know what the difference between temps and Limited Company contractors.....

Name and shame!

They are suggesting that you sign up to a contract, which will last forever, that you cannot get out of. Regardless of how many other contracts you've rejected, there is no way that you can sign this - it would breach your duties as a director of your company for a starter.

[jo99]

I await the decision of the 'legal department'.
I am begining to wonder how long it takes to decide whether to fill in an end date on a contract.

And this is no small fry agency or client....

Is it me or are agencies becoming more difficult with regards to contracts?

[MickeyP]

My current contract is 3 months in length and initally mentioned a "review date" after the 3 month expired. This was picked up by QDOS as potentially IR35 unfriendly and so they recommended changing "review date" to "end date". Agency did it no problem (after I agreed to sign the opt-out clause!).

[TheFaQQer]

My current contract is 3 months in length and initally mentioned a "review date" after the 3 month expired. This was picked up by QDOS as potentially IR35 unfriendly and so they recommended changing "review date" to "end date". Agency did it no problem (after I agreed to sign the opt-out clause!).

If you've already interviewed, then you can't opt out.