3.5%? That sounds *very* low. Do they tell you the rate they are charging the client and actually show you the contract so you can confirm it? I would be expecting them to charge between 10% and 20% but maybe I've just been out of touch with agencies too long...

B)

Scott Barnes wrote:
Well actually Brian, this is what triggered it :)

The position I'm about to take requires i have public liability & indemnity
insurance and figured it may be easier to palm this off to the "contractor"
agency instead of coming up with the $$ upfront. (I should of done this
earlier)

At the moment, its a matter of tracing down an Insurance broker and getting
them to find me the best deals etc, which is tedious at best.

The one in question basically works out to take 3.5% of my contract, i'm
going to shop around still and see whats available just concerned about the
pitfalls of doing it solo vs teaming up with an agency.

My wife works for Ernst & Young, and all of our personal friends are seniour
accountants, so i've got "FREE" accountants to feed off of (I get my tax
returns done for a $5 scratchie and a BBQ dinner)

Scott



"KNOTT, Brian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Scott,
Just to throw something else into the mix.

If a you are working for a contracting company and they are paying your
company then often they assume that you have your own public liability and
professional indemnity insurance.  If they pay you as an employee then

they

cover the insurance. Here at Suncorp we require any company we work with

to

have $1,000,000 public liability and $3,000,000 professional indemnity
insurance (may be the reverse).  This amounts to about $2500 a year in
insurance.

Bottom line is check who is required to have the insurance.

Brian



-----Original Message-----
From: Angus Johnson [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, 24 August 2004 11:30
To: CFAussie Mailing List
Subject: [cfaussie] RE: OT: Contractor firms.

Scott,

I dealt with a few similar contract companies in the UK. The tax system
over there is somewhat laxer than OZ though and I know the ATO don't
like these contractor companies. (For obvious reasons).

It's always a blurry line between "employment" and "contracting". Make
sure you ask them how they avoid the ATO assessing you as an ordinary
employee. In the UK for instance you write several clauses into your
contracts such as your right to provide a substitute in your absence and
the right to work for other companies (not just one). Everyone knows
it's setup up this way to avoid employee relationships and not enforced.


Or the other thing they like to do is incorporate you, become directors of your company and employ you. That way they avoid personal services implications ie., you providing direct labour to a client and withholding tax. They then pay you dividends and salary which although you still pay tax on can reduce your bill significantly.

Down side. Commission or corporate fees can add up (maybe as a high as
5% of your earning). As usual they will disclaim all liability in the
event of ATO challenging your setup. I know in the UK the government
they had been threatening to hit contractors for these arrangements but
I think the resulting exodus of talent overseas puts them off.

Boils down to how much tax they are going to save you versus their costs
versus risk of tax audit.

(I was an accountant in another life but don't tell anyone)

Cheers
Angus

PS Brett's comment about locking you in is very valid. Particularly if
they get you to incorporate.





-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Scott
Barnes
Sent: Tuesday, 24 August 2004 10:33 AM
To: CFAussie Mailing List
Subject: [cfaussie] OT: Contractor firms.

Hi All,

I'm toying with the idea of handing off my financials to a contractor
agency
(ie www.myitg.com). Has anyone here had experiences with such companies
and
can give me some advice on pros/cons of using such agencies.

Regards
Scott Barnes
CodeMonkey For Hire.



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