IR35 reviewed before you sign — not after HMRC asks.
Status determination, contract review, and working practice analysis for UK contractors operating through a PSC.
The contract is only half the story. IR35 status depends on the agreement, the actual working practices, and who is responsible for making the determination under the off-payroll rules. We review the position before you sign — then document the evidence so the assessment can be defended.
Direct answer
IR35, also called the off-payroll working rules, decides whether a contractor working through a personal service company should be taxed like an employee for a specific engagement. Public-sector bodies and medium or large private-sector clients usually issue the Status Determination Statement. Where the small-client exemption applies, the contractor's intermediary generally remains responsible. A robust IR35 assessment should review the contract, actual working practices, CEST evidence where relevant, and any SDS before the engagement starts.
Reviewed by Iftikhar ur Rashid, FCCA. General information, not personal tax advice.
Is this for you?
- Contractors operating through a personal service company (PSC)
- Contractors about to sign a new contract
- Contractors whose end-client has issued a Status Determination Statement (SDS)
- Contractors who want CEST evidence reviewed before relying on it
- Contractors who have received an HMRC IR35 enquiry letter
- Directors switching from umbrella to PSC
What's included.
Contract review
Every contract reviewed for IR35 indicators before signing.
Working practices analysis
Substitution rights, control, mutuality of obligation — assessed against your actual day-to-day work.
CEST evidence review
Where CEST is used, we check that the inputs match the contract and real working practices.
Status determination
Inside or outside IR35 — documented in writing with reasoning and evidence.
Tax-impact modelling
If inside, we model the financial impact and recommend the structure (PSC, umbrella, employed).
End-client SDS review
If the client has issued an SDS, we review the reasoning and prepare a structured disagreement where justified.
Enquiry defence
If HMRC opens an IR35 enquiry, we defend the historic position with the documented evidence.
The system that turns this service into a year-round process.
Evidence Pack captures the contract, the SDS (if any), and the working-practices documentation contemporaneously — not reconstructed years later under HMRC pressure. Deadline Lock tracks IR35-relevant dates (HMRC enquiry windows, contract renewal dates).
Read more about Compliance Vault™Documented in your engagement letter. Reviewed annually.
- WhatsApp typically under 30 min
- Email within 1 working day
- Monthly close by the 7th
- Phone manned reception, typically within 10 min
Three steps. No back-and-forth.
Step 01: 20-minute call
We confirm fit and walk through how this service would work for your business.
Step 02: Engagement and onboarding
Engagement letter, Direct Debit, and Compliance Vault™ setup — typically within 24 hours.
Step 03: Year-round delivery
Monthly numbers, tracked deadlines, advisory raised — and an Annual Compliance Review every 12 months.
Every client. Every year.
Every RR client is reviewed annually to keep engagement terms, KYC records, service scope, and payment arrangements current. It is the mechanism that turns ir35 assessment from a filing task into a maintained standard.
Read more about the Annual Compliance ReviewLetter of Engagement
KYC / AML records
Service scope
Payment arrangement
IR35 fees depend on contract review scope, working-practices evidence, and urgency.
A specific fee is agreed in writing after your 20-minute call. No hourly billing. No surprise charges. No add-on tiers.
What you get from us that you don't get elsewhere.
Reviewed before you sign
Not after the contract is live or after HMRC enquires. Before the signature.
Documented in writing
Every determination is written down. If HMRC asks, the evidence is contemporaneous.
Working practices, not just contract
HMRC looks at what actually happens day-to-day. So do we.
Tax-impact modelling
If inside, we tell you the real financial impact and recommend the right structure.
IR35 reviewed before you sign — not after HMRC asks — common questions.
What is IR35?
IR35 (the off-payroll working rules) is UK tax legislation that determines whether a contractor working through a personal service company is genuinely self-employed or is effectively a 'disguised employee'. If 'inside IR35', the contractor pays tax and NIC as if employed.
Who decides my IR35 status?
For public-sector and medium or large private-sector clients, the end-client usually decides and passes down a Status Determination Statement (SDS). Where the small private-sector client exemption applies, the contractor's intermediary generally remains responsible for the IR35 decision. Either way, the working practices must support the position — a paper-only assessment is not enough.
What does 'inside IR35' actually cost me?
Inside IR35 means the engagement is taxed broadly like employment for PAYE and NIC purposes, so take-home pay can be materially lower than an outside-IR35 engagement. The exact cost depends on rate, expenses, pension, umbrella or payroll setup, and whether any historic liabilities are involved. We model the impact before you decide how to proceed.
Can I challenge an inside SDS from my end-client?
Yes. The off-payroll rules include a client-led disagreement process. We review the SDS, contract, actual working practices, and CEST inputs where used, then prepare a structured response showing why the determination should be reconsidered.
What if HMRC opens an IR35 enquiry on a past contract?
Get in touch immediately — this is a Signal #1 situation. We respond to HMRC, gather contemporaneous evidence from Compliance Vault™, and defend the status determination. Without good evidence, HMRC can apply its own judgement retrospectively, which usually means a larger bill.
Often handled together.
Before you book, check whether this is the right type of firm for you.
Good fit
- You want compliance handled before deadlines become urgent.
- You want advice based on clean records, not January guesswork.
- You value published response standards and a named accountant.
Not the right fit
- You want the cheapest filing-only option.
- You want grey-area schemes or aggressive tax positions.
- You regularly send records late and still expect rush filing.
Book a 20-minute call.
We'll confirm whether we're a fit, and if we are, we'll tell you exactly what ir35 assessment would look like for your business.