IR35 checker for UK contractors
Status turns on how you actually work, not only on what the contract says. Here is what the tests look at, and how the app helps you keep the evidence.
A quick read, with the evidence kept.
The app asks about your working practices, flags where they pull against your contract and stores your notes with the result.
- Who decides how, when and where the work is done? Mostly me
- Could you send a suitable substitute in your place? Yes, written into the contract
- Are you treated like the client’s own staff day to day? Sometimes
- Do you provide your own equipment and bear financial risk? Own laptop, no risk
Example result
Leans outside IR35, with two points to review
Keep notes on day-to-day control and how you are treated by the client's team.
Illustration only. Not a legal determination.
What status tests look at
- Control. Who decides what is done, how, when and where.
- Substitution. Whether you can send someone else, and whether the client would accept them.
- Mutuality of obligation. Whether the client must offer work and you must accept it.
- Financial risk. Whether you carry real risk, such as fixing your own mistakes at your own cost.
- Part and parcel. Whether you are treated and integrated like the client's own staff.
- Equipment and expenses. What you provide and pay for yourself.
No single factor decides it. The overall picture does, and the picture is built from how the work really happens.
Who makes the decision
Public sector clients decide status. So do medium and large private sector clients, who must give you a status determination statement and a way to disagree. For small private sector clients, your own company decides. If you are unsure which applies, ask your agency or client.
Why a contract alone is not enough
A well-drafted contract helps, but status is judged on actual working practices. If the way you work drifts away from the contract, the contract carries less weight. That is why dated notes and examples are worth gathering as you go.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For a formal view, use HMRC's own tool or a specialist adviser.
Questions, answered.
Is the IR35 checker a legal determination?
No. It gives you a structured read on your working practices and flags where they do not match your contract. Status is a legal judgement made by the end client, the agency or, for small clients, your own company, and it can be tested by HMRC.
Who decides if I am inside or outside IR35?
For public sector clients, and medium and large private sector clients, the end client decides and must give you a status determination. For small private sector clients, your own company makes the decision.
What happens if I am inside IR35?
The fee payer treats the contract as employment, deducting income tax and National Insurance before you are paid. Many contractors then use an umbrella company or keep their limited company on a deemed payment basis.
Why does keeping evidence matter?
Status looks at how you actually work. Dated notes, emails and examples that show your real working practices are far stronger than recollection after a challenge.
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