FOI release

Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST): enhancement

CEST helps employers and workers determine how work being done should be dealt with for tax purposes. HMRC has conducted a project to enhance this service.

• From: HM Revenue & Customs
• Published: 17 March 2020
• Last updated: 30 April 2025 — See all updates

Documents

Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST): 2019 enhancement summary

HTML

Enhancement to CEST scoping

PDF, 152 KB, 14 pages

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CEST round table events: findings analysis

PDF, 466 KB, 24 pages

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Enhancement to CEST IT test plan and approach

PDF, 618 KB, 9 pages

Digital user research reports

PDF, 9.13 MB, 379 pages

CEST sprint review

PDF, 14.7 MB, 273 pages

Enhancement to CEST: technical testing

PDF, 118 KB, 3 pages

Service standard live assessment report

PDF, 175 KB, 16 pages

Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) usage data

HTML

Check Employment Status For Tax tool logic: April 2025

ODS, 27.6 KB

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Details

The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) service was introduced in 2017 to assist employers, hirers and workers to determining the employment status of the worker and ensure the correct tax and national insurance is paid for the work being done.

In 2019 HMRC undertook a project to enhance CEST and improve the service.

The tool logic shows the outcome the tool produces depending on how the questions are answered.

Published 17 March 2020

Last updated 30 April 2025 + show all updates

1. 30 April 2025

   'Check Employment Status For Tax tool logic: April 2025' has been added.

2. 23 September 2021

   Planned update to data

3. 24 June 2021

   Scheduled update to data

4. 17 March 2021

   Update to usage data in section 3.10.

5. 10 December 2020

   Published additional content: CEST user data.

6. 17 March 2020

   First published.