Pimlico plumbers: a landmark employment status case

While there have been numerous claims in this area, this case is somewhat unique because it has received such a vast amount of press coverage, attributed in part, to the approach taken by Charlie Mullins, owner of Pimlico Plumbing and his unwillingness to settle out of court.

Worker V’s Self-Employed

The Supreme Court ruling found Gary Smith to be a worker and not self-employed, and as a result, the court says, should have been entitled to rights such as sick and holiday pay – despite being VAT-registered and paying self-employed tax.

What will HMRC do?

This judgement, while not a tax case its likely HMRC have been watching closely as this tale has unfolded.

It’s reasonable to assume that HMRC will take some encouragement from this ruling and apply some of this logic to the latest round of consultations on these issues. We encourage you to watch this space.

Now is the time to get your own house in order – don’t leave your business exposed to any unnecessary risk.

To find out more about how we can help, contact us.

Read more about this ruling and what the press has to say here:

• Supreme Court
• FCSA
• BBC News
• Financial Times

The Indigo Group are not affiliated with any of the links shared, opinions expressed are our own.