As the 6th April Private Sector implementation date disappears into the distance, organisations should be turning their attention to how they can ensure they remain compliant.
With implementation projects winding down, there’s still a need to ensure a long-term strategy is in place to manage IR35.
The attention is in the detail
Reasonable care, it’s a favoured term by HMRC. If you’re not already familiar with it, it’s about ensuring an organisation has taken the right level of care and attention to get IR35 right. If challenged, businesses will need to show that they’ve taken the time to ensure their Hiring Managers understand how to make accurate determinations. They’ll also need to have the right processes in place. This means reviewing status determination statements (SDS) where there are any material changes to how the worker is engaged. For longer term contracts, it’s also best practice to check the SDS at periodic intervals to ensure it’s still accurate.
Organisations will need to build this ongoing need to check compliance into their monthly and quarterly operational planning.
Retaining the IR35 knowledge
IR35 will become another piece of legislation that Hiring Managers and HR teams will need to manage – alongside many others. So, it’s important that as this activity becomes business as usual their knowledge of IR35 is kept up to date. Planning in refresher training and ensuring new starters are walked through the finer details of your IR35 processes – all need to be factored in.
Find a partner that can support you with compliance
Linx, part of the NRL Group, work with global engineering companies to ensure their operations remain IR35 compliant. Drawing on their workforce solutions expertise, they develop robust supply chain auditing processes, to ensure IR35 is understood and compliantly delivered at every level. From reviewing internal hiring processes, to checking supplier protocols are working effectively.
If you’d like to find out more about their IR35 auditing service, head over to their website.
