Author: Stephanie Whalley

Serial snacker, compulsive cocktail sipper and full time wordsmith with a penchant for alliteration, all things marketing and pineapple on pizza.

Unfortunately, this question is right up there with ‘how long is a piece of string?’. The short answer is that it all really depends on a whole host of variables, such as: The reason the work wasn’t completed The kind of relationship you have with the client External influential factors which neither party can do much about In most cases a commonsense approach is probably what’s needed, but freelancing isn’t always so straightforward. So, let’s take a look at some examples of what happens when a project doesn’t work out, and what this means for billing. In some cases, charging…

Read More

If you’re planning to work as a sub-contractor in the construction industry, then it’s worth knowing that most construction-based trades will fall under the Construction Industry Scheme. CIS affects how you get paid by the contractor who hires you, so this blog takes a closer look at what CIS is and what you need to do. A quick introduction to CIS tax CIS was introduced in 1971 to ensure that tax is collected from payments made to subcontractors in the construction industry. With a few exceptions, any business operating in the construction industry will be classed as a “contractor”…

Read More

So you’ve become your own boss – big congratulations! But whether you’re embarking on a side gig or freelancing full time, taking this new and exciting step can also be pretty scary. One thing lots of new freelancers struggle to get to grips with are their tax liabilities. So we’ve put together a quick guide for freelancers on all things Self Assessment and tax returns to hopefully make things easier.

Read More

Whether or not you can classify your labour as an allowable expense comes down to how you pay yourself from the business, and that depends on what type of business structure you have in place. As a sole trader, any profits that the business makes are yours to keep after paying tax. That means you aren’t able to reclaim the cost of paying yourself as an expense. If you run a limited company, you are considered separate from your business, meaning you are able to pay yourself a salary as a company director. Salaries are eligible as an allowable expense,…

Read More