Appreciate your opinions please

**PerlOfWisdom** · 27 September 2005, 13:43

Assume you're not going to get it and start looking for another one.

I had a similar one - days were removed from the beginning of the contract and the weekly hours reduced. I took it but regreted it - I would have loved to have dropped them in it at the last minute before I signed.

They thought I was highly paid on £22 an hour until I told them it was the lowest rate I had ever had.

**thunderlizard** · 27 September 2005, 17:29

Talk to the client and get them to join you in a 3-way teleconference with the agent to discuss what needs sorting out before you start next week.

**BlasterBates** · 29 September 2005, 16:03

Although it isn't unusual to have paperwork stuck in the system, there are some worrying signs here. Especially hours being cut, contract length being cut. You need to get this sorted pronto and I would seriously consider going back to your permie job, especially if you have an overdraft.

4 months is pretty short, what are you going to do after that ?

**bridder** · 29 September 2005, 17:56

Thanks everyone for your replies and input. I have had somewhat encouraging news today, contact at last from the client re my crb check, and the agent phoned to confirm that Monday is indeed the start date.

Whilst I do not have the signed contract returned yet(new one finally arrived today) I have reconciled this in my own mind after a number of you said(in another thread) that this was not an issue and that starting without a contract whilst not the norm is widespread.

It will be a pain initially because I can only invoice for hours worked and will have to invoice for VAT later, after my registration goes through...

BlasterBates;

I agree something doesn't add up, I am concerned that the budget is being squeezed at the clients end, I sort of hoped that being a government org' that they had bottomless pits for budgets, we'll see.....

I do take your point and it is something that concerns me re future income, the project is supposedly for 9 months so I will be looking for a renew at the end, assuming that I am happy and that the client is happy with me, to be honest I entered the contracting world expecting 3,6,9 to 12 months at contracts, with most being 3 to 6 months, I do know that contractors find themselves staying at places for years, we had one at my last place who had been there for years, but they were always 3, 4 or 6 month contracts that were just constantly renewed, are there really contracts out there for like years?

I'd just had enough of permiedom and finally decided, (excuse me) **** it, I want to work for myself and handed my notice in, after 3 months off this summer I'm ready to return to reality and earn some dosh now...

regards,
brid

**Taxman** · 29 September 2005, 18:49

Originally posted by bridder

Please help guys and gals, I'm starting to freak here...

I went for the interview late Aug', I was informed about 3 hours after the interview that I had been successful and got the contract. There was no rush to sort everything out asap as I had to wait 4-6 weeks to get a criminal record check done on me, not worried about that so decided to enjoy september and the 5th test and relax knowing that I had a contract in the bag and would be starting early Oct'.

Over the following week the agency said they had been negotiating with the client over the period, I was initially told 4 months, this became 6 months and the contract was sent out to me, I had no notice period in the contract and wanted this so asked for a change, this was accomodated and the new contract was sent out to me with a reduced 4 month contract term(something to do with budgets), fine I thought I had my notice period so signed and sent it back to the agency.

I needed a quick turnaround for this, countersigned and sent back to me, to get my VAT reg' sorted out but this was not forthcoming, the agency informed me that the client had not actually signed the contract with the agency yet but that it was being dealt with and that they could not as a result of this sign my contract and get it back to me, this should have been sorted by the end of last week.

Nothing happened so I called the agency yesterday and asked for an update, apparently a new contract should be sent out to me with reduced hours from 37.5 to 35(I had no idea this was being changed), still 4 months, the pimp seemed surprised that I had not received it in the post yesterday, this morning it still hadn't arrived.

I have been told by the agency that they will be calling the client on wed' to confirm the start date of early Oct', my savings from permiedom have gone and I've started to eat into my overdraft now.

This could all be nothing, the start date may be confirmed tomorrow but something just doesn't smell right, the client is a government org' and the agency is not small and have received good reports on this message board, am I just flapping for nothing?

If it goes through the invoicing is going to be troublesome, initially I can only inv' for my hourly rate as I haven't sorted my vat reg' out because I need the contract returning to me to supply this as evidence(a couple of inv' re my accountant was not enough for them, they decided to leave me as non-registered), I'll have to inv' for the vat at a later date.

I have seen others mention this on here, about getting contact details from the client, however I didn't which means I have not had any contact with them since the interview in late Aug', although I am sure I could get the number and contact the guy who interviewed me or his boss, is this unprofessional of me to do this? I feel like I should go through the agency as it is them that I am SUPPOSED to have a contract with..? I just can't help thinking that I am being given the runaround here...

Any thoughts or impressions would be appreciated,

brid

Brid,

You CAN invoice for the VAT even when not yet VAT registered. You simply charge the VAT inclusive amount (but you can't actually issue a formal VAT invoice and should not specify the additional amount as VAT), and explain on the invoice that your VAT registration is pending and a formal VAT invoice will follow. You must send the formal VAT invoice within 14 days of receiving the registration number.

You shouldn't need the contract for the VAT registration. It is indeed the ideal thing to provide to HMRC, but all they need is evidence that you are a bona fide business engaging in genuine business activities and other evidence of that will normally suffice, such as invoices from your suppliers (eg for business purchases - anything addressed to the company).

**BlasterBates** · 30 September 2005, 07:52

...aha Government org, that explains it.

Appreciate your opinions please