HMRC IR35 amendment “little comfort” for self-employed sector
HMRC’s amendment to the off-payroll working rules announced today will be “little comfort” to self-employed people already facing losing their contracts because of the legislation, IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has said.
HMRC announced today that “the off-payroll working rules will only apply to payments made for services provided on or after 6 April 2020”.
It stated that the move was a response to the fact that during its review, it found that businesses were concerned about “what payments the rules apply to and from when”.
IPSE is still campaigning for the government to halt the changes while a full and independent review is carried out and also raising awareness about what the changes could mean for contractors and the self-employed.
Andy Chamberlain, Deputy Director of Policy at IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed), said: “As we approach the April deadline, HMRC are starting to realise just how difficult these rules will be for businesses to implement. Delaying the start date to when the work is actually performed, rather than paid for, is a sensible move, but it doesn’t address the fatal flaws in the legislation itself.
“This minor amendment will be little comfort, therefore, to the many contractors already being laid off by companies who are panicking about the approaching changes. We are still campaigning hard for the government to halt the IR35 changes while a full and independent review is carried out into the very serious risks for hundreds of thousands of contractors, the businesses they work with and the economy as a whole.”