What's the longest you've worked without a contract

[Batcher]

I never go onsite without a contract if going via an agency. I don't trust them enough to work without the paperwork.

If going direct to a client I don't usually have a contract as they are normally one-off pieces of work just for a short time.

[glippiglop]

Two and a half years. Do I win?

This was a in a startup of 10 people, I worked pretty much when and if I felt like it (avg. 20 hours per week), no timesheets, invoiced for a fixed amount every 3 months.

I was friends with the Directors and we had worked together in other circumstances though. It was a special arrangement that I probably won't have reason to repeat again in my career, especially now that I've moved away from working with small companies.

[BlasterBates]

A bit like an employee you mean, or on to something that is in the scope of your contract - the one you may not have seen or signed yet.

Yes an employee in an Engineering company or Software house. Saw it a couple of times. Twiddle your thumbs so the manager tells you to work on it because he's sure it's coming in. In one Engineering company I worked for it was actually fairly normal to get on with the design work before it was signed and sealed just to get a head start.

[TheFaQQer]

I've never started a role without an agreed contract in place.

For a renewal, I once worked for about three weeks without paperwork hoping that something would be agreed and not knowing if there would be an extension or not. But since it was at home and I had nothing else to do, it was worth the risk - still here a year later.

[TheDandy]

If you are twiddling your thumbs in any company, they will sometimes put you on projects which are not signed off simply because it makes sense to have people doing something than sitting there "waiting for the contract".

A bit like an employee you mean, or on to something that is in the scope of your contract - the one you may not have seen or signed yet.

[BlasterBates]

I regularly worked one or two weeks without the paperwork in place, perhaps with a one page agreement outlining the basic rate. On one occasion I worked for three months without a written contract.

It's not bad business practice if the alternative is earning nothing, in the end you take a bit of a risk and end up with more money in the bank.

Obviously you want to push to get the contract sorted out, but I wouldn't stay at home. In the end staying home might cost you a few grand.

If you are twiddling your thumbs in any company, they will sometimes put you on projects which are not signed off simply because it makes sense to have people doing something than sitting there "waiting for the contract".

A lot of contractors will stay at home, but if you compare their bank balances to those that go in. The ones that are prepared to take that minimal risk will have more money than those who stay at home.

[GillsMan]

What's the longest anyone has worked without a contract, and is it perceived as being bad from an IR35 perspective?

No, but it's bad from a business perspective.

[Murder1]

What's the longest anyone has worked without a contract, and is it perceived as being bad from an IR35 perspective?