IR35 (Off-Payroll Working) Contractor Assessments
IR35 Contractor Assessment Workshop: How to develop a robust and effective process
Time: 09:30 - 13:00
Cost per attendee: £275 + VAT per attendee
- Thursday 6th February '25
It has become increasingly challenging for large UK employers to assess their IR35 contractors to ensure compliance with tax laws, as misclassification can lead to significant fines and legal issues. The process can be confusing, but accurate assessments are essential for managing temporary and contract workers. Proper IR35 evaluations help mitigate the risk of non-compliance with HMRC regulations, reducing unexpected tax liabilities and penalties.
Additionally, clear assessments define the working relationship between contractors and employers, ensuring both parties understand their obligations and rights. Maintaining compliance with IR35 protects a company’s reputation by demonstrating adherence to tax laws and fair employment practices. This popular practical training course will give you the tools and knowledge to assess contractors and remain fully informed and compliant with the latest regulations.
You'll leave with the necessary skills and tools to tackle assessments and feel confident about your decisions.
Register today as numbers are limited to maximise interaction with the expert trainer and allow for individual issues and questions to be addressed.
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Schedule
Welcome and introduction
Elizabeth Smith
Director of Research , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)
Elizabeth is director of research and a founding co-director at Business Forums International. She is responsible for all programme content and writing, and researches current areas of interest for senior HR professionals in large organisations. BFI is the UK’s leading HR risk specialist conference and training provider, delivering key and timely information to over 3,000 delegates a year both through public and in-house training courses. Before founding BFI in 1996, Elizabeth specialised in researching corporate financial programmes in Asia and the Middle East, based in Dubai. She also worked in advertising and publishing in the Middle East and London. Elizabeth was educated in the West Indies, Saudi Arabia and Belgium before reading Modern Languages at Durham University. She is currently developing an online training course for line managers to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and ways that employers can work to make their workplaces more inclusive.
Aims and objectives
Back to basics – What is IR35?
Julia Kermode
Founder , IWORK.
Julia Kermode, Contingent Workforce Expert, IWORK Julia is a contingent workforce expert on a mission to safeguard workers, empower them and ensure they are treated fairly. She has spent the last decade deeply ensconced within the world of contingent work, tax legislation, employment rights, worker rights, umbrellas and the wider recruitment sector. It's niche, and she loves this space! Julia is founder of IWORK (www.iwork.co.uk), which exists to prevent contingent workers being exploited through being unaware of tax regulations and other relevant legislation. IWORK helps to expose dubious practices that mistreat or profiteer from contingent workers, such as holiday pay retention (immoral but not illegal), payroll skimming, bribery and corruption. Julia actively champions contingent working, and lobbies the government for fair legislation on issues such as tax avoidance, disguised remuneration, loan charge, employment status, IR35/off-payroll and the gig economy. Prior to IWORK, Julia spent 7 years as CEO of FCSA, a compliance accreditation body for accountants and umbrella companies. Here she led unprecedented growth, successfully transforming the organisation from obscurity to being the ubiquitous go-to compliance requirement for the supply of temporary workers. Julia also spearheaded FCSA’s influence within the government, and raised standards within the often-misunderstood umbrella sector. Julia is very well-respected in the contracting industry, passionate and good at what she does. She is also a contractor herself, providing consultancy services to advise and support businesses in how they engage contingent workers.
- Where did IR35 come from
- What has changed
- What are your responsibilities
The supply chain
- Different engagement options
- Practical implications
- Minimising risks
Comfort break
IR35 Indicators
- Inside vs outside IR35
- The three main indicators
- ‘Other factors’ & why they are important
Assessing IR35
- Status determination statement
- Borderline cases
- Reasonable care
- Dispute resolution process
Comfort break
Understanding CEST and how to use It
- Who should do CEST tests?
- Record-keeping
- Shortcomings of CEST
HMRC Penalties & Investigations
- What happens if it goes wrong?
- Financial implications
- The ‘offset rule’
Getting it right from the outset
- Identifying and scoping resource need
- Advertising, negotiating and onboarding
- Implementing the contract
