The contracting industry is still adjusting to the reform of IR35 that took effect in April 2021, and this means that most recruiters and their clients will sometimes need access to IR35 compliance experts. Including experts in your PSL will give you exactly the kind of close working relationship you’ll need.

Inclusion in your PSL will also see your chosen experts working with your clients on a day to day basis, which will foster a level of familiarity and trust that simply can’t be found in any other way. This will allow for quicker and easier assessment of your clients’ needs, and much smoother implementation of any new systems and processes. Since the expert was chosen by you and that relationship is based around the contractors you supply, this success will bring your clients closer to you as their chosen recruiter.

Exactly how you include IR35 compliance experts in your PSL will depend on the sector you work in and the needs of your clients.

Including only IR35 compliance experts in your PSL

If the limited company model is appropriate for most of your contractors, any provider you introduce your clients to will have to be expert in IR35 compliance. You’ve chosen the companies on your PSL, so their performance will reflect on you in your clients’ eyes. Since the vast majority of your clients will be affected by IR35 reform and will need to access specialist expertise to prepare, you’ll need to be confident that anyone you introduce to them is up to the task.

Including some IR35 compliance experts in your PSL

If the umbrella model is more appropriate for most of your contractors, and you only supply a few who work through limited companies, it’s probably more important to involve professional umbrella employers, who won’t necessarily need a detailed knowledge of IR35.

However, even if only a few of your clients are affected, it’s still important to be able to access the necessary specialist expertise when needed so it’s best look for suppliers like Orange Genie, with impeccable credentials in umbrella employment to justify inclusion in your PSL, as well as experience and knowledge of IR35 and expertise in all compliance related issues.

Using more than one PSL

If you work in more than 1 sector,  you may well have several distinct groups of clients with very different needs. If this is the case, you might want to set up more than one PSL. This will allow you to vet each PSL for expertise in umbrella employment or IR35 compliance, depending on which group of clients you expect it to serve.

We’re currently seeing all three of these strategies being used successfully by our recruiter partners. The important thing is to understand your clients’ business and anticipate their needs.

How we can help

As an established and respected contractor management company, we offer a full range of compliant solutions, including professional umbrella employment, specialist contractor accountancy services and CIS self-employed solutions. This means our compliance experts are able to assess the needs any business who hires contractors, whatever sector they work in. If you have any questions about IR35 compliance, if you need help implementing a PSL or if we can help in any way, please contact our expert team on 01296 468 483