Reply to: When you are the only contractor on site

[Lance]

Quite right. Invoicing is for meetings.

I count my money on online banking during meetings.

[dx4100]

We are not all read up and clued up with 50 years experience contractors. I know the 24 month applies to traveling expenses but now I hear more and more about a 24 month rule in the public sector, based on your comment I will take it that this rule is for them due to cost savings etc. Some people said that if you contract for longer periods ie 24 months+ the HMRC might be keen to catch you in the IR35. After all if someone needs you for longer than 24 months you should go permanent.

When you have a burst pipe or change your boiler you pay your plumber a pretty hefty fee to do that particular job not become permanent member of your house or become your cleaner.

Length of contract has no impact on IR35...

So you could have a client for 7 years and still be IR35 compliant.

But, the longer you stay at a company the greater the danger of you becoming part and parcel of it. So you have to keep making sure you are operating outside that IR35 bubble at all times.

[missinggreenfields]

We are not all read up and clued up with 50 years experience contractors. I know the 24 month applies to traveling expenses but now I hear more and more about a 24 month rule in the public sector, based on your comment I will take it that this rule is for them due to cost savings etc. Some people said that if you contract for longer periods ie 24 months+ the HMRC might be keen to catch you in the IR35. After all if someone needs you for longer than 24 months you should go permanent.

There is nothing that says after 24 months you have to leave a contract, either in public or private sector. If the client has that rule then that's for them as individual clients.

I know people who have been in the same contract for literally decades - and as long as they are happy and the client is, why would you walk away from that?

[Drei]

Jesus wept... If you are asking this question you shouldn't be contracting.

We are not all read up and clued up with 50 years experience contractors. I know the 24 month applies to traveling expenses but now I hear more and more about a 24 month rule in the public sector, based on your comment I will take it that this rule is for them due to cost savings etc. Some people said that if you contract for longer periods ie 24 months+ the HMRC might be keen to catch you in the IR35. After all if someone needs you for longer than 24 months you should go permanent.

When you have a burst pipe or change your boiler you pay your plumber a pretty hefty fee to do that particular job not become permanent member of your house or become your cleaner.

[northernladuk]

The best is being with another contractor who is tulip, makes you look really good and he gets the blame for everything, anyone who has contracted alongside NLUK know what I mean

[Unix]

The best is being with another contractor who is tulip, makes you look really good and he gets the blame for everything, anyone who has contracted alongside NLUK know what I mean

[Hobosapien]

And then you had to post your invoice off with the yellow copy of the signed timesheet when you got home.

No, I think I faxed or emailed the invoice too along with the timesheet.

Certainly didn't rely on the postal system to give the agencies another excuse to drag their feet paying up.

[stek]

That was the fall back option when I had to get paper ones signed, fortunately a good few years ago now.

Usually I was working away, so if they had a fax machine somewhere convenient it was easier to fax it off on the way out on a Friday than waste part of an already short weekend at home with paperwork.

And then you had to post your invoice off with the yellow copy of the signed timesheet when you got home.

[SlipTheJab]

Quite right. Invoicing is for meetings.

I find WFH is a good time to catch up on all that

[northernladuk]

Can you be in a contract longer than 24 months? Just picking of what people said here or is that only for public sector?
.

Jesus wept... If you are asking this question you shouldn't be contracting.

[Old Greg]

Can you be in a contract longer than 24 months? Just picking of what people said here or is that only for public sector?

Best things is to keep your mouthy shut do the job and move on, NEVER say what your daily rate is, try not to do you invoicing during your lunch break either or where someone might see it. Keep complaining how poor you are and how hard it is to look for a new gig every few months and how there is a chance you might stay at home months at a time.

Quite right. Invoicing is for meetings.

[Drei]

Can you be in a contract longer than 24 months? Just picking of what people said here or is that only for public sector?

Best things is to keep your mouthy shut do the job and move on, NEVER say what your daily rate is, try not to do you invoicing during your lunch break either or where someone might see it. Keep complaining how poor you are and how hard it is to look for a new gig every few months and how there is a chance you might stay at home months at a time.

[Hobosapien]

That's odd. I tend to take the signed copy off site and scan it and email it to my agent when I get home.

That was the fall back option when I had to get paper ones signed, fortunately a good few years ago now.

Usually I was working away, so if they had a fax machine somewhere convenient it was easier to fax it off on the way out on a Friday than waste part of an already short weekend at home with paperwork.

[psychocandy]

As sole contractor this should be relatively easy to deal with.

It's not so much teaching the client about 'contracting'. Rather: "this is me" and "this is how I work".

If the client is used to contractors you're measured against the ones that ask permission for holidays and will sign anything put in front of them. Then there are those that justify their own existence doing not much at all except run rings around the permies and see you as competition to that.

Contractors? no thanks, they just wind me up.

You have a good point. Worse one I ever met was a young laydee who'd work weekends for free, work without a contract for 6 weeks (because client hadnt sorted budget out because manager had been on holidays), asked if they could use the permie holiday forms.

Of course, when I politely declined any of this, client thought I was wrong....

[MrMarkyMark]

Surely if the clients expectations are so low then you can only over deliver and impress them ?

This is PC we are talking about