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Sarah Ghaffari explains who off-payroll working rules affect and the impact they have, including employment status, status determination statements, purchase invoices, payroll processes and VAT.

The off-payroll working (OPW) rules change for private sector engagers from April 2021. We consider the impact of these changes on the finance function and other parts of the organisation.

Off payroll working

Is the organisation small?

Small entities are exempt from the rules, but how do you know if the organisation is small? The tax legislation uses the Companies Act 2006 small company regime for this purpose.

If the company is not a member of a group, the test is applied to the most recent set of accounts that were due to be filed at Companies House in the preceding tax year. If the company is a member of a group, the test is applied to the group as a whole – the parent company and all subsidiaries, again using the most recent set of accounts.

This article assumes that the entity is not small. Therefore, OPW rules apply.

Establishing the employment status

The entity will need to identify which engagements are within scope of the rules. For example, where a contractor is engaged directly (not by an intermediary company) the rules will not apply. 

Having identified the engagements in scope, the business should then assess their employment status. For example, should the individual be treated as a ‘deemed employee’ for tax purposes? This will involve consideration of the facts of the engagement, whether embodied in contractual agreements or practical issues arising through day-to-day working arrangements. There are a number of resources available to help:

In very complex cases it might be necessary to consult a specialist.

Status determination statement (SDS)

Having carried out a status assessment for each contractor, for any engagements that fall within the OPW rules, the business must inform the individual by issuing an SDS, and tell the worker on what basis the decision was made about the status of the engagement and the conclusion that it is caught by the rules.

There is no prescribed format for the SDS. It can be sent via post or email.

The purchase invoice

The entity can choose how to process invoices received from the contractor, but ultimately these will be passed to the payroll department to calculate deductions. Invoices can be processed as normal through the purchase ledger before being passed on. Alternatively, the invoice can bypass the finance process and pass straight to payroll.

It will be important to highlight to the finance team the engagements caught by the rules, and what should be done on receipt of the invoice. This is likely to include capturing and processing the VAT, materials and allowable expenses elements of the invoice.

The payroll process

Either the in-house payroll team or an outsourced payroll agent will need to withhold tax and national insurance from the contractor’s invoice for any engagements that are within the rules.

As is the case for an actual employee, a deemed employee will need to complete a starter checklist.

Payroll software will contain a marker that should be set against the record of deemed employees. This acts to suppress functionality not applicable to them, such as student loan repayments.

VAT

Input VAT will need to be identified for recovery in full or in part and posted to the organisation’s VAT recoverable account. The net amount of the supply will also need to be identified for inclusion in the VAT return submission.

Further resources

Our guide is available exclusively to members.

About the author

Sarah Ghaffari is Head of the Business and Management Faculty.

Further reading

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals, as well as eBooks.

Further reading on off-payroll working is available through the resources below.

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  • Update History
    17 Mar 2021 (12: 00 AM GMT)
    First published
    22 Mar 2023 (12: 00 AM GMT)
    Page updated with Further reading section, adding related resources on the off-payroll rules. These new articles provide fresh insights, case studies and perspectives on this topic. Please note that the original article from 2021 has not undergone any review or updates.
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