Is it the norm to be asked to use own computer for an Inside IR35 contract?

[northernladuk]

Remember IR35 is just the tax status of the contract. You are still an independant supplier/consultant carrying out a contract. It's just treated differently for tax. Yes there is a lot of argument about being paid like a permie you should have the perks but forget all that nonsense when you are looking at a situation like this.

Day to day you are the same contractor as an outside one so not unreasonable to expect this type of request even if you are inside.

I expect you are remote for most of the gig which IMO is the tipping point. If you were in the office on day one like the old days you might have got a laptop. Now the client is thinking how do they get their kit to you and back safely and decided sod it, you can provide your own. I've never had to provide my own kit for any outside gig ever but for the reasons I've just mentioned I certainly expect to have to soon.

In my 8 months with the current client we've had two laptops go missing when contractors returned them. I know the client billed them for it but don't know if they paid in the end. Love to find out.

EDIT : [Spots which forum this is in] .. you fawning lickspittle.

[vetran]

The other thing is you can use your new(ish) laptop to do other work on the side. I had multiple clients on the go and developed while on call and waiting for the clients bods to fix something. I was on about quadruple time.

[vetran]

if its remote desktop then you don't need anything special locally a pentium will do.

[hobnob]

Having always used clients' laptops in the past, is this the normal?

Just to focus on this point, I don't think it's normal - every contract I've had so far (inside or outside), I've always been issued with a client laptop because they don't want other devices connecting to their network.

[edison]

It seems to depend on the risk and compliance profile of the sector and client. Every client I had for eight years until 2021 provided a laptop but my last two clients (public sector and a start up) were both BYOD although I only used Office 365 or Google Workspace plus a few other cloud based applications.

My new client's CIO told me it was BYOD but I happened to have to go into the office on day one and was given a company laptop. I noticed one of the senior management team (also a contractor) had a company laptop. There seems to be no logic sometimes.

[eek]

I will say that with the contract I've in theory got I'm very surprised it's bring your own device. I suspect it's because I'm 100% remote and it's easier to just to have me remote on to a secured desktop...

[ladymuck]

Most of my clients have provided kit because they could then control it and ensure nothing untoward accessed their networks. However, I've always had my own kit and used it frequently at the start of contracts for those organisations who can't co-ordinate themselves to provide Day1 access. It gives a far more professional impression IMO.

Current client does not provide kit to contractors, it's fully remote and everything is cloud based. Some resources require VPN. So, I've set up a virtual desktop on my office PC and only use my laptop when I choose to go into the office or I'm working at another non-home location.

[Dark Black]

In my experience (all Outside work) it's been unusual for a client to insist on providing my own kit. Usually, as others have mentioned, for security reasons.

For this reason my own dev kit is fairly old now (never saw the point of getting the latest shiny kit if I didn't need it) so if asked I'd now need to update it.

I'd certainly be very surprised to be asked to do this on an Inside role, I'd either be asking for a large rate increase to cover it, or flipping them the finger and walking away. Bad enough to have to suffer an Inside role without having to provide your own kit as well.

[Edit] Just for the record, if needed on an Outside role I would of course update the company kit, but then that would go through the company. Paying for one out of my pocket for an Inside gig is just taking the proverbial IMHO.

[BlasterBates]

In my experience (all Outside work) it's been unusual for a client to insist on providing my own kit. Usually, as others have mentioned, for security reasons.

For this reason my own dev kit is fairly old now (never saw the point of getting the latest shiny kit if I didn't need it) so if asked I'd now need to update it.

I'd certainly be very surprised to be asked to do this on an Inside role, I'd either be asking for a large rate increase to cover it, or flipping them the finger and walking away. Bad enough to have to suffer an Inside role without having to provide your own kit as well.

[Edit] Just for the record, if needed on an Outside role I would of course update the company kit, but then that would go through the company. Paying for one out of my pocket for an Inside gig is just taking the proverbial IMHO.

Companies are moving to virtual desktops which is why they're increasingly not issuing laptops. In that case your out of date kit will be perfectly adequate.

[Paddy]

Just to focus on this point, I don't think it's normal - every contract I've had so far (inside or outside), I've always been issued with a client laptop because they don't want other devices connecting to their network.

Often managers have strict restraints on budgets and it takes a lot of red-tape to order a laptop for a contractor therefor, the use of a laptop is built in to your rate. If you are going to be a whinger, go back to being a permie.