Getting stuff done under Lockdown

As we enter week six of the Covid-19 lockdown here in the UK I am still ‘between contracts’. I’ve had a handful of video interviews but these haven’t led anywhere yet – but I’m not sitting around idle.

Notwithstanding the decorating, gardening and spring-cleaning (of office and summerhouse – I’m not trusted to attack the house itself) I have been hitting Pluralsight online tech training hard for the past few weeks.

Covid19 – A Privacy Warning

In these weeks of lockdown in the UK due to Covid-19 there have been a number of incidents of the police overstepping their powers;

• Police Chief ‘threatens’ to search shopping trolleys to ensure only essential items are being purchased
• Police officer arrests man after threatening to pepper-spray him – apologies after man explains he is delivering food/medicine to vulnerable relatives
• Police officer tells man he cannot sit or play with his kids in his own front garden

The police chief was forced to u-turn in his threat while the forces involved with the other two incidents say that the officers were ‘well intentioned but over zealous’ – but to my mind, that’s not the point.

Covid-19 Support Response – Update

In my previous post I stated that ‘As Directors we are not able to furlough ourselves and therefore would not be eligible for the Governments Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme‘.

I also said ‘the details of these measures are still coming out and there is a great deal of confusion so what I’m about to write may well change going forward‘ – and it has (although a bit quicker than I expected).

CONFIRMED self-employed limited company directors CAN be furloughed as employees on their PAYE element, even if theyre sole employee.

Technically they can't then work for the firm, but can continue to perform their statutory obligations as directors eg official legal filings etc

— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) March 27, 2020

If you don’t know who Martin Lewis is then check out the Money Saving Expert website. Basically, when this guy says something, especially it’s all in CAPS then he’s checked and double-checked the facts. He wouldn’t make this kind of statement without being absolutely sure.

Covid-19 Support Response

With the UK in lock-down due to the CoronaVirus (Covid-19) everyone is justifiably concerned about their jobs and their income.

In an unprecedented move the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced a raft of measures from mortgage holidays, deferment of tax payments as well as packages to pay 80% of people income (or £2500/mth).

As wide reaching as the measures are the contractor community is up in arms because we appear to have been left out in the cold.

Now, the details of these measures are still coming out and there is a great deal of confusion so what I’m about to write may well change going forward.

The two main packages are:

• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (link)
• Covid-19 Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (link)

IR35 – Delayed; but not forgotten

Yesterday (17th March 2020) the Government announced that they would be postponing the rollout of IR35 changes into the private sector due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

In the video below, despite the Minister referring to ‘off roll payroll working rules‘ (maybe indicating that he has no real idea what they are), he confirms that the changes will be tabled again ready for implementation in April 2021.