Running your Company

Running your own limited company can seem daunting at the beginning however with help from a good specialist contractor accountant, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. In this section James shares a number of guides on topics his clients tend to ask her about on a day to day basis.

If you would like to appoint Dolan Accountancy as your accountants please visit our become a client page or if you have any questions about contracting please call us on 01442 795100 or email Jaime.thorpe@dolanaccountancy.com.

The pages

Top 5 websites to find freelance work

As a contractor, one of the most important factors to take into consideration is how you will go about finding work. Being self-employed means that you will gain so much in terms of skills and experience because of the fact that you will be working on new contracts on a regular basis and therefore working with lots of different people in various industries – freelance job websites are an excellent source for finding these contracts.

Advice on Setting your Contract Rates

As a contractor you will need to ensure that you are motivated enough to get out there and find your own work on a regular basis. This also means having to set your rates for these contracts. When it comes to calculating how much you will be charging each client you will need to research other similar contractor’s rates of pay, as well as taking into account factors such as how sought after your skills are and the supply and demand for them.

How to Trademark a Company

Many limited company contractors may assume that once a business has been registered they automatically own the legal rights to the name and logo, however, in order to protect your brand, you will need to obtain a registered trademark, which is easy to do for a small fee.

Advice on Chasing an Unpaid Invoice

When it comes to being self-employed, there is a slight risk when it comes to ensuring that clients pay you on time, however, there are methods to help with this situation, as well as steps to take to prevent this happening, such as requesting payment or a deposit upfront.

What to do if a Client Cancels a Contract

Although as a contractor you won’t have the same employment rights as a permanent worker, there are ways of protecting yourself should a client cancel work. This can be achieved by ensuring you know your rights as a contractor and by creating your own terms and conditions contract for both you and the client to sign.

Can I do my own Accounts?

Preparing and submitting your own accounts can be easy – as long as you know what you’re doing! If not then there are plenty of accountants out there who can help and they don’t have to be expensive, you just need to ensure you find the right one for you.

Childcare Costs

Thanks to recent changes, contractors are now able to partake in the new Tax Free Childcare scheme. This means that the government will top up a childcare account with 20% – so for every £8 paid in, you will receive an additional £2 for free.

How to Write a Contractor CV

Selling yourself to potential clients is a vital part of securing contract work. It simply doesn’t matter how qualified and capable you are – if you can’t get through the door to interview, you’re never going to make it in the contractor marketplace.