Contract types and employer responsibilities
Freelancers, consultants and contractors
If you hire a freelancer, consultant or contractor it means that:
- they are self-employed or are part of other companies
- they often look after their own tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs)
- they might not be entitled to the same rights as workers, such as minimum wage
- you’re still responsible for their health and safety
Part of Employ someone: step by step
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Step 1: Check this process is right for you
Follow these steps if you're taking on someone with the employment status of 'employee'.
There are other steps you may need to take first if you have not employed someone before.
The rules are different if you want to take on someone with another type of employment status, such as agency staff, freelancers, consultants and contractors.
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Step 2: Recruit someone
You need to advertise the role and interview candidates. You can use a recruitment agency to do this or do it yourself.
As an employer you must make sure you recruit employees fairly.
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and Check they have the right to work in the UK
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and Find out if they need a DBS check
You may need to check someone's criminal record, for example, if they'll be working in healthcare or with children.
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Step 3: Check if they need to be put into a workplace pension
Check if you need to put your employee into a workplace pension scheme:
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Step 4: Agree a contract and salary
When someone accepts a job offer they have a contract with you as their employer.
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Step 5: Tell HMRC about your new employee
You must tell HMRC about your new employee on or before their first pay day.