ContractorUK @itcontracting

Getting your VAT return right used to be it. Now it's not enough. HMRC has quietly changed what it's actually looking for. It's no longer about getting the figures right, but the evidence, explanation and justification that goes with them. Whilst HMRC has confirmed to ContractorUK its latest round of compliance checks only apply to mid-sized firms, there was no word on whether small companies might be next in its VAT crosshairs. As Caroola Accountancy's Carl Bridges writes: It's not just about whether your VAT return is right; it's about whether you can prove it is right. Those directors who treat VAT as an ongoing compliance process, rather than a quarterly task, will be far better placed to manage HMRC scrutiny when it arises. contractoruk.com/news/vat-compl…

Received a new letter from HMRC? - you’re not alone. Businesses that have not seen an HMRC review in the last five years are the target - and the Treasury’s goal is simple: “closing the VAT gap”. The HMRC letter interestingly warns that exactly 50% of businesses will be targeted. Why now? Years of change - Brexit, Making Tax Digital, and temporary reduced rates - have quietly made VAT more complex. Even well-run businesses can drift out of step, and HMRC knows it. In ContractorUK’s latest Guide, Jo Edwards, VAT manager at PKF Francis Clark breaks down what this letter actually means for contractors and why this “nudge letter” is not something to ignore. contractoruk.com/money/hmrc-vat…

IT contractor demand has grown for the first time in 33 months After two-and-a-half years "in the red," REC data obtained by ContractorUK shows demand for contract IT/Technology skills climbed to 50.3 in May 2026 The driver? Long-delayed projects in Automation, AI, Cloud and Cyber Security that "can only be paused for so long," as cautious employers turn to contractors to retain flexibility. But in the words of VIQU IT’s Matt Collingwood this optimism should not be mistaken as a return to 2022 demand - with Neil Carberry of the REC describing the economy as “momentum being held up by uncertainty” The full breakdown on ContractorUK: contractoruk.com/news/it-contra…

One of the most consequential shifts to flexible labour models in recent years. That is how zero hours contract reform is being described. But could it lead to fewer contract opportunities? The aim is real: greater security and fairer treatment at work. The challenge is delivering that without eroding the flexibility so many contractors actively choose. Writing exclusively for ContractorUK, Chris Bloor, compliance director at Sapphire, breaks down what the government's new consultation actually means for contractors, agencies and end-clients. Read the full breakdown on ContractorUK: contractoruk.com/how-zero-hours…

When HMRC issued a fraud warning about Bills of Exchange, the easy move was to shrug it off as another obscure scheme. But the real story, says Shelley Ankers-Wainwright, MD of Umbrella Ready, wasn't the scheme. It was the reaction. In the hours that followed, agencies were chasing umbrellas for assurances and advisers saw a spike in enquiries. Two months into JSL, the supply chain is finally asking the right questions. Read the full piece on ContractorUK: contractoruk.com/news/bills-exc…

The loan schemes were sold as HMRC-compliant. Many contractors have since settled their tax with HMRC. Now they're being told to repay the loans as well. Let that sink in. These were loans that, by design, were never meant to be repaid. They were sold to contractors as a legitimate, HMRC-compliant way to be paid. The entire pitch was that the money was a "loan," not income, so it sat outside income tax. Now contractors are being hit from both directions over the very same arrangement: • First by HMRC, via the loan charge, taxed as if it were income. • Now by a third party, demanding repayment as if it were a genuine loan. How can the same money be income and a loan at once? It can't, but contractors are being pursued as if it is: taxed by HMRC as income, then chased by a firm that bought up the old loan book. HMRC calls it a "rare occurrence." One law firm contesting the claims already has 650 clients. Full breakdown of what HMRC actually says, the key court case, and where to get help. contractoruk.com/news/loan-char…

AI interviews are no longer an experiment. They're mainstream. And 8 in 10 candidates go in blind. What may have started off as HR using ChatGPT to summarise CVs has evolved into a fully fledged system: Asynchronous Video Interviews. Voice AI screening. Chatbot screening. And even 'game-based' assessments. And most candidates are still preparing for the wrong interview. In ContractorUK’s latest guide, Ben Broughton, founder of Primis Talent, breaks down the intricacies of the ‘AI Interview’ and how contractors can walk away expecting the call. contractoruk.com/interviews/how…

A limited company is a vehicle. You use it while it works for you. You close it when it doesn't. And yet "closing a company" still carries a strange weight. "Going under". "Going bust". "Packed it in". The language paints every closure as a cautionary tale. Most of the time, it isn't. Lottie Hutchins and Richard Hunt of The Liquidation Centre on the stigma that could cost contractors more in the long run. contractoruk.com/news/closing-y…

£125 billion a year — and rising. That's what young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) are now costing the UK. More than we spend on education. Nearly double the defence budget. Andy Chamberlain, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the FCSA, writes for ContractorUK on the sheer scale of the NEET crisis, and the economic burden all of us indirectly end up footing the bill for. contractoruk.com/news/young-peo…

"Tax Fraud Warning" — a traditionally vague HMRC leaves no room for doubt with Bills of Exchange. Imagine a client paying you with an IOU. That's how some promoters are paying HMRC. Two months into JSL, the first bypass has emerged. The mechanism? Bills of Exchange — an 1882 legal instrument being repackaged as a way to "settle" PAYE liabilities without HMRC ever seeing a penny. Leading law firm Chartergates writes for ContractorUK on the ancient financial instrument that risks dragging agencies, end clients and contractors into serious tax exposure. contractoruk.com/news/bills-of-…

Only two months into JSL, the first bypass has emerged, and it's a liability time bomb. The model? Bills of Exchange. A mechanism dating back to 1882, now being repackaged as a way to "settle" PAYE liabilities without paying HMRC a penny. The industry's reaction has been swift. Chartergates describes it as "a financial shortcut" that HMRC "will not treat as money in the bank." Crawford Temple, CEO of Professional Passport, calls it "a ruse that exploits uncertainty around the new JSL rules, in an attempt to create artificial loopholes." contractoruk.com/news/bills-exc…

A contractor needs several contracts to end before they're out of work. A permie needs one redundancy. Permanent employment is still the safer bet. Just a lot less safe than it used to be. Lottie ㅤHutchins, eight months into contracting herself, on how the safety gap is narrowing. contractoruk.com/news/permanent…

HMRC's close company consultation has put director loan accounts back on the radar. Late recorders. Retrospective preparers. Fluctuaters. Reversers. Overlappers — the five contractor patterns in the HMRC crosshairs. Christian Hickmott, MD of Integro Accounting, writes exclusively for ContractorUK on the common DLA scenarios behind them, before the consultation's response form closes 10 June. contractoruk.com/news/is-your-d…

Five banking mistakes are still quietly draining UK limited companies in 2026/27. The most expensive one isn't what you'd think — it's leaving cash idle while the Bank of England rate sits where it does. Chloe Wilson at Tide breaks down the full list, the fixes, plus an exclusive £100 cashback offer for ContractorUK readers. contractoruk.com/successful-con…

"Hallelujah!… but it's still peanuts, really." That's one director's verdict on Rachel Reeves's surprise 10p hike to HMRC's mileage rate — the first increase in 15 years. 55p a mile, backdated to April. Around £500/yr extra, tax-free, for a contractor doing 5,000 business miles. Over 10,000 miles? Still 25p. Meaningful, or merely peanuts? contractoruk.com/news/hmrc-mile…

266 UK businesses close every week because of late payments. After 30 years of inaction, the King's Speech finally put late payment back on the agenda. The catch? The new Late Payments Bill assigns 12 people to fix it. Adam Home of Safe Collections writes for ContractorUK on the significance of the bill — and what it actually means for UK contractors contractoruk.com/news/kings-spe…

Three quarters of self-employed people don't believe they can get a mortgage. Yet 80% want to own a home — more than full-time employees. Who keeps telling them they can't? Lottie ㅤHutchins talks to John Yerou and George Yerou of Freelancer Financials about the specialist underwriting teams most contractors never reach — and the criteria that's actually a floor, not a ceiling. With further insight from Jo Elwell at Contractor Financial. contractoruk.com/news/getting-a…

69% of UK hiring leaders now say AI-enabled impersonation is the biggest emerging threat to recruitment integrity — and Gartner reckons 1 in 4 candidate profiles will be fake by 2028. So who catches the deepfake "worker" once they've slipped past the agency? Ashley Olliver, a director at Parasol, on why the umbrella is the supply chain's last line of defence under JSL — and the tax bill that flows back to the recruiter when it misses. contractoruk.com/news/how-deepf…

In 15 years motoring costs have risen 40 - 60%; contractors can still only claim 45p but this may be due to change. Now HMRC is finally reviewing AMAPs for the first time in 15 years. Will contractors actually feel the benefit, or is this another optimistic government claim? Kerry Newman, Director of SG Accounting breaks down what to expect — and what not to assume — ahead of Autumn Budget 2026. contractoruk.com/news/mileage-r…

With day rates of £600 to £2,000 a day, Forward Deployed Engineer roles are getting too hard to ignore. Demand in the UK is now outpacing the supply of full-time candidates — and the contract market has stepped in to fill the gap. Adam Moore, MD of Morela, writes for ContractorUK on the role Palantir invented in 2003, why OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce and Cohere are now building entire go-to-market strategies around it, and what it pays British contractors in Q2 2026. contractoruk.com/news/what-is-a…