Small Company Exemption

[jamesbrown]

Don't want to scare people but despite the exclusion hmrc might put more effort into looking if someone is truly outside. Client and agent conveniently, might not care, as the responsibility has shifted.

In terms of outside contracts, there are two things changing in April. One is that there will be fewer of them and more of them will be at small companies. Another is that the client is perfectly aligned with the contractor. One of those things may increase risk (fewer people to investigate), but the cost/benefit is also smaller (more individual investigations). The other clearly reduces risk (client aligned). Attention then moves to investigations of outside --> inside contracts at the same large client/agent, large companies with a high fraction of outside contracts, and nudge letters to large clients in general.

So, overall, I'd say it's the opposite of what you're suggesting.

[NeedTheSunshine]

That wasn't what I said.

Never mind.

You said that there was a lot of scaremongering going on. True if your client is small or you are switching client in Feb/March. Or you are staying with client and they are declaring you outside April onwards. Otherwise it's not scaremongering. HMRC see you as sitting ducks.

[NeedTheSunshine]

Don't want to scare people but despite the exclusion hmrc might put more effort into looking if someone is truly outside. Client and agent conveniently, might not care, as the responsibility has shifted.

Why would they do that? They'll have a raft of people going outside to umbrella/perm at the same client. I know several. Generic letter sent out. Job done. Anyone who wants to go to tribunal can but that costs ££££, drags on for years and if HMRC win then they'll use it to sweep up all the former contractors at the same company who are now umbrella/perm. It's a no brainer. Even easier than the loan charge.

The client and agent won't care. Not their responsibility.

How many people affected by the changes will be going to the protest next week? If you don't make some noise then no changes will get made.

[ladymuck]

You said that there was a lot of scaremongering going on. True if your client is small or you are switching client in Feb/March. Or you are staying with client and they are declaring you outside April onwards. Otherwise it's not scaremongering. HMRC see you as sitting ducks.

And then you stopped reading.

I'm not saying there's aren't risks but they're being peddled as facts and as events that are definitely going to happen to everyone.

The way you talk is like absolutely everyone is going to be screwed over and that is not true and it makes people panic and do stupid things.

But, hey, you know more than me. I guess you must work at HMRC and have the inside track on their plans for you to have such certainty.