Quick facts

Freelancers & Contractors —four key facts.

Freelancing gives you control over your rates, your clients and your time. Getting the tax side right decides how much of it you keep. Four things worth knowing.

  1. IR35 is decided by the facts, not by you.

    Your status comes from the reality of the working relationship. Well-drafted contracts that match that reality protect you if HMRC ever looks.

  2. Getting the IR35 status right matters either way.

    Inside or outside, an accurate determination and clean records mean no nasty reassessment later.

  3. If it's solely for the business, you can claim it.

    Software, equipment, travel, professional subs, a proportion of home costs. Many freelancers claim a fraction of what they're entitled to.

  4. Your structure decides your take-home.

    Sole trader, limited company or umbrella. The right answer depends on your rates and your contracts, and it changes as you grow.

Who we help

Freelancers and contractorsthat we help.

Working for yourself, project to project? You're in the right place.

IT contractors, engineers, healthcare professionals, oil and gas contractors, media and entertainment freelancers, public sector contractors. Whatever the field, the tax questions are the same.

What nobody tells you

The freelancer and contractor realitiesnobody warns you about

Freelancing is a constant balancing act. Great work on one side, clients, finances and admin on the other, and nobody to hand any of it to. Most people never see that load. We do.

  1. You're doing every job at once.

    Delivering the work, chasing invoices, pitching the next one, hitting deadlines. No backup, no handover.

  2. Your income is up and down.

    Busy months carry you. Quiet months bite. That makes tax and cashflow planning harder, not optional.

  3. Every missed expense is tax you didn't need to pay.

    Software, travel, equipment, home office costs and many more. Miss them and you're handing HMRC money for nothing.

  4. Clients pay late, or vanish.

    You need systems that keep cashflow steady when other people don't hold up their end.

  5. You're not sure you have the right business model.

    Sole trader, Ltd, umbrella. Most freelancers pick one early and never revisit it, even as their rates change.

  6. Growth comes from better numbers, not longer hours.

    Raising rates, hiring help, outsourcing. Every one of those decisions needs financial clarity you can act on.