Contractor Asking For UTR - Loosing The Plot!

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YellowNinja
YellowNinja Posts: 3 Newbie
in Employment, jobseeking & training
hi,

Used to work for Sainsbury's but I recently starting working for myself as a courier driver (was promised good pay but that turned out to be total B.S) now I did some work for a few large companies such as Amazon through other contracting companies which where all ok-ish, and a few other independents.

Anyway, I'm having an issue with one company that constantly keeps changing its mind on pay day because of some crap reason or the other. I want to leave this trade and go back to being employed, as its very cowboyish, however this firm is not paying me my money and every week comes up with another excuse as to why. They owe me in excess of £1,500 for 13 days / 120 hours work and keep stalling payment.

Few weeks ago it was the back of my drivers license, then it was my passport, then it was needing two proof of address as one wasn't enough, then it was NI number paperwork and this week they've said they still can't pay me because now they need a UTR number and its becoming absurd!

I asked a friend who's wife is an accountant and she told me that unless they are CIS / Construction Trade registered you are not suppose to give out your UTR to anyone period!

I'm starting to get a little suspicious, what do you guys think?

Worst yet, that will now mean having to register ASAP for self assessment and wait months to get a UTR! GRGH!

Any suggestions?
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Comments

  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,357 Forumite
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    They're obviously taking the proverbial.

    Hand deliver a letter saying that unless they pay all outstanding wages within seven days you will take them to court.

    (and don't do any more work for them)
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • bugslet
    bugslet Posts: 6,874 Forumite
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    Not having ever been in your situation and still employing my van drivers on PAYE, I'm a bit hazy, but as a contractor (Ltd company), if someone doesn't cough up, I can put a lien on their goods as per my Ts and Vs of carriage. Would you be able to do something similar?

    A lien in this instance is when you keep hold of the customers goods until they pay.
  • anamenottaken
    anamenottaken Posts: 4,198 Forumite
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    So you have been self-employed for some weeks at least but not yet registered as such with HMRC. Best to do so now and, yes, I know that one doesn't have to do so immediately you start but do it now.
  • robatwork
    robatwork Posts: 7,091 Forumite
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    Before you give it to them, ask them how they plan to store it, who is their Data Protection Officer, and how this fits in with data compliance under GDPR.
  • anamenottaken
    anamenottaken Posts: 4,198 Forumite
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    robatwork wrote: »
    Before you give it to them, ask them how they plan to store it, who is their Data Protection Officer, and how this fits in with data compliance under GDPR.


    Whatever the UK rules turn out to be in May.
  • YellowNinja
    YellowNinja Posts: 3 Newbie
    edited 18 March 2018 at 5:49AM
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    Hey thanks for the replies.

    I was just wondering if its true that a UTR can only be asked for by CIS registered firms in the construction trade?

    Has anyone here been asked for an UTR whilst self employed outside of CIS firms? The company is saying they will pay me but only 50% of the total 'for tax reasons' unless I give them my UTR which I refuse to accept!

    So now I have to wait until HMRC sorts out UTR a for me. This will take months! I'm well annoyed!!! The van lease, insurance and diesel have burnt a hole in my pocket.

    Gutted.
  • Dazed_and_confused
    Dazed_and_confused Posts: 6,458 Forumite
    Uniform Washer
    edited 18 March 2018 at 12:38PM
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    No, a UTR is strictly nothing to do with being self employed.

    It stands for Unique Taxpayer Reference and is the reference number people use to file their self assessment tax returns under (so is used by self employed people but lots of people who aren't self employed have to file self assessment tax returns will have a UTR).

    You can register as self employed today. Doubt very much it will take "months" for you to get your UTR

    https://www.gov.uk/log-in-file-self-assessment-tax-return/register-if-youre-self-employed
  • steampowered
    steampowered Posts: 6,176 Forumite
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    anamenottaken wrote: »
    Whatever the UK rules turn out to be in May.

    The GDPR will come into force before the UK leaves the European Union, so it will become part of UK law then, and will automatically be incorporated into UK law when the UK leaves.
  • anamenottaken
    anamenottaken Posts: 4,198 Forumite
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    steampowered wrote: »
    The GDPR will come into force before the UK leaves the European Union, so it will become part of UK law then, and will automatically be incorporated into UK law when the UK leaves.

    But the GDPR legislation has not yet finished its course through Parliament and isn't law yet. Whatever it turns out to be, it won't be in force until 25 May 2018 and so asking an organisation now "how this fits in with data compliance under GDPR" can only receive, at best, an educated guess as a theoretical answer, can't it?
  • robatwork
    robatwork Posts: 7,091 Forumite
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    anamenottaken wrote: »
    But the GDPR legislation has not yet finished its course through Parliament and isn't law yet. Whatever it turns out to be, it won't be in force until 25 May 2018 and so asking an organisation now "how this fits in with data compliance under GDPR" can only receive, at best, an educated guess as a theoretical answer, can't it?

    A reasonable sized organisation that doesn't have a data policy in place by now is dangerously irresponsible.

    All UK guidance says this will be UK law in future no matter Brexit.
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