Many including ITV presenters to fight HMRC on IR35

Two high profile tv presenters, Kaye Adams and ITV’s Eamon Holmes, are amongst many to challenge HMRC’s assessments issued under IR35 rules and now they are taking their appeals to the Tax Tribunal.

Why is Eamonn Holmes challenging HMRC?

Eamonn Holmes is facing an assessment from HMRC for £250,000 after claiming he was a freelancer and that he gets paid through his limited company Red, White and Green. HMRC had been investigating the way many tv presenters and actors are paid as freelancers through personal service companies. HMRC can begin personal investigations to make sure employees pay employment taxes even if they are working for their own company. The well known itv presenter has reportedly filed an appeal against HMRC’s assessment which is due to be heard in the First Tier Tax Tribunal next year. He has accused HMRC of “reinventing the rules” when it comes to IR35.

What is IR35?

HMRC introduced IR35 in 1999. The intention was to tackle “disguised employment” and prevent individuals working in a manner which was effectively the same as employees, but under the guise of limited companies. Companies engage contractors through an intermediary, often a personal services company. These self-employed individuals do not have to pay national insurance and and benefit from lower income tax.

HMRC claim that currently only 1 in 10 contractors, who should be paying these taxes are doing so and that these changes will bring in an additional £3.1bn in additional tax revenue between 2020 and 2024.

Who is affected by IR35 upcoming rules?

• Contractors providing services to medium and large businesses;
• Fee-payers in the recruitment sector; and
• Medium and large businesses in private sector that are end user of the worker’s services.

Originally, the onus was on individuals to assess and then declare to HMRC that they fell under IR35. However, HMRC are now tightening the net on these self–employed workers by shifting that onus to businesses to determine the status of their contractors.

Changes to IR35 Legislation?

Changes are being implicated into IR35 Legislation due to contractors not paying the correct tax and National Insurance and incorrectly assessing their IR35 status. The non-compliance has reportedly costed HMRC millions therefore the rules are changing in hope to ensure compliance. 

IR35 changes are being introduced in April 2021 to move the responsibility for assessing IR35 obligations from the contractor to the end user. The fee payer will be responsible for calculating and paying the related tax and National Insurance contributions to HM Revenue & Customs. 

Private sector companies will have statutory obligation to assess the deemed employment status of contractors engage through an intermediary and if they are in fact employees, they will need to issue a determination to the contractor and subsequently add the individual to PAYE.

Do the IR35 rules affect my company?

Companies will not have to comply with the new IR35 legislation if they satisfy two or more of the following criteria:

(a) an annual turnover of not more than 10.2 million;

(b) balance sheet total of not more than 5.1 million; and

(c) number of employees of not more than 50.

How has Covid-19 impacted IR35?

In the midst of the current global pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, the UK Government delayed the implementation of their controversial IR35.

Contractors have said that this brief reprieve has granted them temporary relief in times of great job uncertainty, particularly where contractors are often the first overhead to be cut from businesses as they handle the aftermath of the pandemic and its financial impact. This may drive many contractors to seek full employment within their companies to ensure job security moving forward.

How do contractors prepare for IR35?

Contractors should be communicating with their employers and reviewing their existing arrangements. If you are a contractor likely to be affected by IR35 or would like advice on your options, get in touch with our tax team now.

How do companies prepare for HMRC?

There are a number of steps companies should be taking including reviewing their workforce and all of their arrangements with contractors and communicating with any affected contractors about the changes. There may be changes that need to be made to contracts, bot existing and future contracts. We can assist you with the review and advise you on the next steps in preparation for the implementation of the new legislation in April 2021.

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