Crunch vs FreeAgent

[hobnob]

I had an email from IPSE today, saying that they're running a webinar on Thu (26th May) about this:
Managed Service Company Legislation … and why you need to be aware of it | IPSE
NB "This session is free of charge to attend for both members and non-members."

So, it...

[hobnob]

In the OP's case, I agree that the answer is "no", i.e. they weren't inside IR35.



I disagree with the bit in bold. I spent the last 2 years working through an umbrella, i.e. inside IR35. Last year I answered "No" to the question, as per the linked thread:...

[hobnob]

The Renault Zoe used to be sold without a battery, then you'd lease the battery. The theory was that you'd avoid any problems from the battery aging, but the downside is the extra cost (e.g. £59/month for 4500 miles/year or £110/month for unlimited distance). The lease cost is particularly significant...

[hobnob]

I contacted my MP about the recent changes:



My MP contacted the DWP, who passed the letter to HMRC, and a reply came back from the Director of the Individuals Policy Directorate (on behalf of the Chief Executive). These parts were interesting:



(I've...

[hobnob]

Could you quote the relevant part of the contract? In particular, is this a lifetime commitment or just for a limited time? E.g. recruitment agencies often say that you can't go direct to the same client for 6 months after your contract finishes.

[hobnob]

Just out of curiosity, why did you give notice? I can understand leaving early on, if you hate the work. However, if you're planning to stick with it for 10 weeks out of 12, it seems like you might as well see it through to the end....

[hobnob]

Leaving aside your mortgage question, moving from outside to inside at the same client is generally seen as a red flag (i.e. HMRC might think that your original "outside" contract was actually inside). That might not be a problem here, if the 2 roles are sufficiently different, but it's something...

[hobnob]

You're right, which implies that it's worth encouraging people to start a pension fund early, even if there's barely anything in it; that way, they'll have the option of using the allowance later....

[hobnob]

Has the client signed your timesheets? I.e. are you just waiting for payment, or are you stuck a bit earlier in the process?

[hobnob]

Be careful about what you mean by dormant. There have been some previous discussions about that, e.g.
Dormant company expences - Contractor UK Bulletin Board
I think that "non-trading" might be more relevant to you.

See also:
A contractor’s guide to dormant...

[hobnob]

Initially, I entered my opening balance in FreeAgent to match my previous year end. I later changed that to zero, so that I could enter everything from day 1.

Crunch doesn't have a concept of "journals" in the same way as FreeAgent. I have done a big export from Crunch (for reference),...

[hobnob]

As a general point, I agree. If you're talking about me specifically, I've already migrated (as per my original post and the post you quoted) - that's what allowed me to make the comparison between them, rather than just thinking "the grass is greener on the other side"....

[hobnob]

When I started out, I was aware that I'd be locking myself in by using proprietary software; however, I heard good reviews of Crunch (from friends outside this forum). The purpose of this post is "If I knew then what I know now", i.e. this is something that I would have liked to read back...

[hobnob]

When I formed my limited company in 2018, I signed up with Crunch. However, I recently switched over to FreeAgent. This post summarises the pros/cons of each.

As a general point, with FreeAgent you have a wide choice of accountants. If you don't like the service at accountancy X, you can...