Recent case confirms that the fairness of a dismissal should be judged by what the decision-maker knew at the time of the decision and not what they should have known.
NumberMill’s CEO and founder Louise Rayner explains why becoming an Accredited Member is important to her and the company she founded in 2013.
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Just Accounts Christmas is coming! The vast majority of accountants we speak to still have a big spike of work
The case of NHS 24 v Pillar considered whether it had been unfair for an investigation into an employee’s misconduct to include earlier incidents of misconduct that had not resulted in any disciplinary action.
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Caunce O’Hara & Co. Readers will no doubt be familiar with the fact that contractors often have to acquire appropriate
Brabners LLP looks at two recent cases which address the issue of Worker vs Self Employed as the battle continues in the gig economy.
Paul Gough explains what he will bring to his new role as our Chairman.
Written by FCSA Business Partner, FreeAgent With the much-anticipated Finance Bill 2017-19 finally out in the wild, award-winning online accounting provider FreeAgent takes a closer
Written by Brabners LLP The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals in England and Wales and Scotland have published their response to recent consultation that
Mark Williams, Head of SME Business Solutions at Octopus explains how the company will help freelancers and contractors.
Written by Brabners LLP In the case of Barbulescu v Romania the rarely convened Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (‘‘ECHR’’) has
An employer brand, according to Universum Global, is “the process of promoting a company, or an organisation, as the employer of choice to the desired
Julia Kermode comes to the defence of compliant umbrellas and expresses her bitter disappointment that Unite is urging the NHS to ban umbrellas.
Brabners LLP discuss the burden of proof provisions for discrimination claims set out in section 136(2) and (3) of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010).
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Octopus Investments. For a contractor operating as a limited company, having surplus cash on the balance sheet should be a
EAT has now confirmed that voluntary overtime can count towards holiday pay and normal remuneration where they is sufficient regularity.
MD John Lyon shares his delight on joining FCSA and what it means for the company.
Research out today has revealed that umbrella working is being adopted by more and more high-end professionals in a diverse range of occupations. The research
Brabners LLP ask: Is it a plan setting out a ‘fairer’ system of work or well-worded bluster with questionable impact?
Brabners LLP discuss restrictive covenants; an important issue for all employers, particularly those who have employees that enter into restrictive covenants and are then subsequently promoted.
Julia Kermode, chief executive of the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association, the UK’s largest independent trade association whose members provide professional support services to some
Written by former FCSA Business Partner, Perkbox As we know, working with freelancers and contractors can be challenging to umbrella companies. In the UK there is
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s largest independent trade association for professional employment services, has formed a partnership with contractor solutions provider
New research reveals that UK freelancers and micro-business owners say that sick pay is the most valuable statutory pay benefit they could receive. Survey also
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Caunce O’Hara & Co. I penned my pre-election thoughts the day before the election for our firm’s site mentioning that
Brabners look at the King v The Sash Window Workshop Ltd and another (‘‘King’’) case, the opinion of the Advocate General of the ECJ, and more significantly, what the implications could be for the gig economy
Written by FCSA Business Partners, JustAccounts The Queen’s speech contained some key information around tax legislation in the current parliament. There are some certain changes:
As umbrella firms come under fire once again, this time from representatives of the teaching profession, the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s
Brabners look at a whistleblowing dismissal case, Beatt v Croydon Health Services NHS.
Written by former FCSA Business Partner, Modulr. Now the changes to IR35 have come into force, it’s safe to say that life has got more complicated.
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s largest trade association for professional employment services, is firing a word of caution to recruiters before
Today, more than ever, we want to see the political parties co-operating and working together to bring economic security. Brexit has left the UK facing
In this article, employment legal experts Brabners examine the outcome of the holiday pay legal case: ‘Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton and another’.
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s largest trade association for professional employment services, has formed a partnership with Perkbox, which provides over
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Clarke Bell. The majority of contractors who close their companies do so when it is solvent. Happy days! However, there
Schools Week have recently published an article with the headline “a leading umbrella company denies it is passing on the costs of the government’s new
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (ERA) confirms that an employee is entitled to be accompanied to a disciplinary hearing or grievance hearing where he “reasonably
FCSA has learned that Labour will clamp down on bogus self-employment by shifting the burden of proof of worker status so that the law assumes
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s largest trade association for professional employment services, has agreed a partnership with APS financial, a leading
Updated on 6 November 2018: Further to the article below, on 6 November 2018, we were pleased to announce that Parasol and ClearSky, part of
Witten by FCSA Business Partner, FreeAgent These are changing times in the UK’s accounting industry. Quite apart from tax and regulatory changes on the horizon
On 20 April 2017, the government published its response to the House of Commons Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee joint report on
Download the FCSA’s guide to IR35 in the public sector to understand the changes that came into effect on 6 April 2017.
As the first tax returns are being filed since HMRC introduced the dividend tax allowance in 2016, FCSA has learned that HMRC’s software is preventing
One of the trickier HR matters for employers to manage is long-term sickness absence. Many employers are nervous about dealing with employees on long-term sickness
Written by FCSA Business Partners, Jelf The recruitment, umbrella, payroll and accountancy sectors are not immune from cyber-criminal activity, and are open to huge costs
On the day that IR35 reforms come into effect in the public sector Julia Kermode, chief executive of the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA),
Tomorrow (6th April 2017) will see the introduction of significant changes to IR35 legislation for public sector contractors, with organisations set to become responsible for
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) is urging umbrella firms and agencies to work in partnership to ensure clarity regarding contractors’ gross pay rates,
Julia Kermode, chief executive of the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) joined Matthew Taylor in Coventry on 23rd March 2017 as part of Mr
This article has been contributed by FCSA Business Partner, Clarke Bell and does not necessarily reflect FCSA’s opinion. Reforms to the off-payroll rules (also
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has welcomed the amendments made to the reform of IR35 in the public sector published in the Finance
As the Chancellor claimed to want to grow “a stronger, fairer and more global Britain” the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association has questioned what is
It might sound a crazy idea, an independent freelancer needing the help of an agency; after all, they’ve shunned the ‘normal’ way of working, they’re
Wednesday, 29 March 2017 10am – 11am Hosted by Modulr in partnership with FCSA As we all know, IR35 is a hot topic at the
As you may have seen, the way the government funds apprenticeships is changing. Some employers will be required to contribute to a new Apprenticeship Levy
As MPs move ahead to investigate umbrella working as part of their review of “The Future World of Work” and following reports by the BBC
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has welcomed an appeal by The Local Government Association (LGA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
The Court of Appeal has handed down its judgment in Pimlico Plumbers & Charlie Mullins v Gary Smith.
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Caunce O’Hara & Co. Directors and Officers have specific responsibilities, powers and duties relating to the positions they hold. Those
Following a BBC story out today (Feb 14th 2017) in which Matthew Taylor suggests that self-employment ‘reduces tax take to the Exchequer’ the Freelancer &
A report just out suggesting that the different rates of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) between self-employed workers and employees are unfair is fundamentally flawed argues
Brabners explain what action Ms Thorp took following this incident and provide guidance to employers who impose rules on workplace uniforms, particularly where those uniforms differ for men and women.
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s leading trade association for professional employment services, has agreed a partnership with Modulr, which specialises in
In October 2016, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee launched an inquiry into the future of the world of works and the rights of workers. Brabners look at the response from The Law Society and the recommendations it has put forward.
ONS labour market figures out today are positive for the economy overall despite self-employment falling slightly says the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Caunce O’Hara & Co. The Rio Olympics brought some truly memorable moments and much needed ” feel-good ” in a
We are pleased to announce that FCSA will be exhibiting at the Recruitment Agency Expo 2017 London. The exhibition will be held on Wednesday, 1st
Umbrellas are still a viable engagement mechanism for freelancers and the temporary workforce in spite of the introduction of Travel & Subsistence legislation introduced in
Witten by FCSA Business Partner, FreeAgent. In his debut Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced a number of plans that will affect your contractor and micro-business
The Government announced a number of changes that will affect the temporary workforce in the Autumn Statement. Planned changes to off-payroll working in the public
‘More work to be done’ is the overall message FCSA members have sent to HMRC following a preliminary demonstration of HMRC’s new online digital tool.
Responding to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement Julia Kermode, chief executive of The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association said: “As the largest representative body in our sector
A media report in The Guardian (November 15th) suggesting that temporary agencies are operating tax avoidance schemes costing taxpayers millions of pounds has prompted The
Government plans to introduce the Apprenticeship Levy have been met with mixed response by intermediaries according to research conducted by The Freelancer & Contractor Services
As we hear that Deliveroo couriers will pursue workers rights and to unionise Julia Kermode, CEO of The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), whose
Whilst FCSA acknowledges that vulnerable workers in today’s gig economy must be protected by legislation, the UK’s largest independent trade body for accountancy providers and
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Kingsbridge Most of us have faced a scenario where we’ve been told we need to have something, only to disregard
Today we have learnt the outcome of the Uber tribunal – which concluded that Uber drivers should be classified as “workers” rather than self-employed. This
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the UK’s largest independent trade body whose members provide professional support services to freelancers and contractors, is delighted
Following Matthew Taylor’s appointment by Theresa May to look at whether employment regulations need to change to keep pace with flexible working practices FCSA is
Written by FCSA Business Partner, Caunce O’Hara & Co. When I put pen to paper after the T & S rules changes, Caunce O’Hara felt that
Plans to put contractors onto the payroll in the public sector as part of HMRC’s new intermediaries legislation due to come into force in April
The freelancing community continues to grow and grow. These days it seems that it’s possible to freelance in virtually all sectors and industries in one
FCSA has responded to a motion tabled at the TUC congress in Brighton earlier this week opposing umbrella companies, pointing out that the debate is
The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), the largest independent trade association representing the UK’s specialist contractor accountancy services providers, has welcomed the Business Minister
An introduction to limited company One of the questions you should ask yourself when setting out as a contractor or freelancer is, which option best
What we’ve learned from the new consultation documents The long-awaited consultation documents on how HMRC see Making Tax Digital (MTD) working in more depth have
FCSA has learned that UCATT is encouraging its construction workers to take direct action in protest against umbrella firms and is calling for UCATT to
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) and All Umbrella Companies Are Equal (AUCAE) have joined forces to speak out about the unfairness of
The UK’s largest independent trade association for accountancy providers and umbrella firms, the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), today welcomed a consultation document issued by
The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) today submitted its official response to HMRC outlining its concerns if IR35 proposals for the public sector go
Following a Telegraph report (22nd July 2016) that suggested the BBC has acted inappropriately by allowing key personnel to work through personal service companies FCSA
In today’s complex recruitment sector a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t an option. With recent HMRC attention focusing on the freelance workforce, the umbrella payroll sector and
FCSA is calling for agencies and intermediaries to help gather evidence and market sentiment on the recent legislative changes that could impact their businesses and
Compliance has always been a primary consideration for recruitment businesses. With more legislation changes ahead, it is now more important than ever to review your
The Government released a report yesterday outlining the findings of a research study they conducted amongst hirers about the possibility of them becoming responsible for
With recent changes to Supervision, Direction or Control (SDC) and IR35 legislation prompting many former umbrella clients to incorporate as limited companies, it’s more
It used to be the case that once you’d found the right person for a position then your duty as a recruiter was complete.
As the UK government focuses on ensuring that temporary workers pay the expected amount of tax, it is increasingly important for umbrella companies and contractor
