How it works
A fast, honest IR35 check.
HMRC's own CEST tool is long, awkward, and famously returns "undetermined" around one in five times. This is a simplified version, built around the same seven factors UK case law actually turns on: substitution, control, mutuality of obligation, financial risk, equipment, integration, and exclusivity.
Answer for how the work really happens, not just what the contract says. Tribunals look at both. Your verdict is purely educational. If the stakes are high, follow it up with a proper status review.
SubstitutionCan you genuinely send someone else to do the work?
ControlWho decides what, how, when and where the work is done?
Mutuality of obligationIs the ongoing work relationship baked in?
Financial riskWhat do you actually lose if it goes wrong?
EquipmentWhose kit, tools and licences are in play?
Integration and exclusivityHow embedded are you, and could you have other clients?
Question 1 of 7
14%
Your verdict
The result.
Pairs with the Sole Trader Tax Workspace
Filing your own Self Assessment?
The free checker gives you the verdict. The Sole Trader Tax Workspace gives you the seven sheet workbook that does the whole return, built on the 2026/27 bands. Paid once, yours to keep.
This checker is a simplified educational tool. It's modelled on the case-law factors HMRC and UK tribunals use when testing IR35 status, but it doesn't replace HMRC's CEST tool, an accountant, or legal counsel. Status disputes turn on the full picture of a working relationship, including written contract terms and the day-to-day reality of how work actually gets done. If the stakes are high, get proper advice before acting on a result.