Contractor accounting

Specialist accountants for marketing and creative contractors.

Marketing and creative contractors (copywriters, designers, digital marketers, brand consultants, social media specialists) often have a more straightforward IR35 position than many other sectors, but there are important exceptions. Client size, the nature of the engagement and how the work is actually performed all matter.

Book a free call IR35 contract review

£200–£600

Typical day rate range

Lower

IR35 risk (often smaller clients, deliverable-based)

Small company

Many clients exempt (PSC self-assesses)

The specific challenges

What makes marketing and creative contractors accounting different.

Small company exemption and self-assessment

Many marketing and creative contractors work with small companies (start-ups, SMEs, boutique agencies) that meet the small company exemption criteria (turnover not more than £15m, balance sheet not more than £7.5m, fewer than 50 employees, for financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025). In these cases, the PSC self-assesses its own IR35 status, which is both an opportunity and a responsibility. A clean outside position is likely for genuinely deliverable-based work.

Embedded creative roles in large organisations

Marketing and creative contractors working for large corporates (as in-house brand managers, head of content on a long-term contract, or embedded social media leads) face a different analysis. Large organisations are within the off-payroll rules, and an embedded creative role with direction from a marketing director and integration into the team looks like employment.

Project-based versus retainer arrangements

Retainer arrangements (where a creative contractor is paid a fixed monthly fee for ongoing availability) tend to look more like employment than project-based engagements with defined deliverables. The distinction matters for IR35 and is worth reviewing if you are on a long-running retainer with a single client.

How we help

What we do for marketing and creative contractors.

IR35 position review for creative engagements

We review your client mix, engagement structure and working practices to confirm your IR35 position. For small-client-focused creatives, this is often a relatively quick and straightforward exercise. For those with large corporate clients, we look more carefully at the specifics.

Limited company setup and ongoing accounting

If you are considering going limited, we help you set up the PSC correctly and take over the ongoing accounting from day one. For those already operating through a PSC, we handle accounts, CT600 and self assessment.

Salary and dividend planning for variable income

Creative income is often variable, with strong months and quiet periods. We plan the salary and dividend structure to account for income variability, managing the cash flow position through the tax year and optimising across the year as a whole.

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Questions from marketing and creative contractors

I'm a freelance copywriter. Do I need a limited company?

You do not have to operate through a limited company, but for many copywriters earning above roughly £30,000-£35,000 a year, the tax efficiency of a PSC versus sole trader is significant. Whether it is worth the administrative overhead depends on your income level, how many clients you work with, and whether your clients require you to operate through a company. We model this for you.

I work with a mix of small and large clients. Does each engagement have a separate IR35 status?

Yes. IR35 status is assessed engagement by engagement, not globally. Your work for a small agency (which self-assesses, and is likely outside IR35) exists separately from your work for a large corporate (where the client determines status). We review the large-client engagements specifically and give you a clear view of where you stand on each.

Get started

Talk to a specialist marketing and creative contractors accountant

Book a free call. We will talk through your IR35 position, your structure and whether there is anything worth changing. No hard sell, no obligation.

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Specialist in contractor accounting, not a generalist practice

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24-hour response guarantee

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Fixed fees, quoted before we start

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