SiteContracting as an engineer
Pay, tax, insurance and paperwork for contract and freelance engineers.
- Contracting as an engineer
Expenses you can and can't claim
Safety boots, yes. Jeans, no. The site canteen, usually not. What a contract engineer can put through the books, and where people get caught.
18 October 2026 · 5 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Self Assessment for contract engineers
The return is the easy part. The shock is the first January bill, with half of next year's tax on top. Dates, penalties and how to plan for it.
12 October 2026 · 5 min read - Contracting as an engineer
A limited company for engineers: the admin nobody mentions
Setting up a limited company takes an afternoon. Running one means filings, payroll and paperwork every year. What lands on your desk, and when.
5 October 2026 · 5 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Setting up as a sole trader engineer
Setting up as a sole trader takes an evening. The mistakes come later, in the records and the first tax bill. What to do in what order.
28 September 2026 · 4 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Umbrella, limited or PAYE: what contract engineers need to know before they sign
The day rate is the easy bit. How it gets paid is where contract engineers get burned: PAYE, umbrella or limited company, IR35, and what to check on your payslip.
25 September 2026 · 6 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Public liability insurance explained for engineers
Every site asks for public liability. Few engineers read past the limit. What it pays for, what it doesn't, and the contract clauses that catch people out.
18 September 2026 · 4 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Insurance for contract engineers: what sites ask to see
Sites check your insurance before you pick up a spanner. Which policies they ask for, which the law makes you hold, and what the certificate must show.
12 September 2026 · 4 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Day rates: working out what to charge
Your day rate has to pay for the days you don't work. How to find the floor you never go under, then price the job on top of it.
5 September 2026 · 4 min read - Contracting as an engineer
Going contract after years on staff: the first six months
The work is the easy bit. The first six months of contracting go wrong on cash, tax and paperwork. What to sort before you hand your notice in.
27 August 2026 · 5 min read
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