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Showing posts from July, 2022

The Big Independent Professional Survey - Results

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We recently asked our clients to take part in our Big Independent Professional Survey. With over 480 respondents, we are incredibly grateful to all those that took the time to have their say! Keep an eye on our social channels over the coming weeks for industry-specific results! We recently published a survey to all our clientele and received over 450 respondents which we are incredibly grateful for. We've always been big on Contractor Community and as part of our lobbying for Independent Professionals, it is always helpful to get an insight into the thoughts, perceptions, and concerns, if any, that Independent Professionals in Ireland have today. A summary of the 484 respondents’ answers can be found below. Gender 78.5% of respondents were male, 19.5% were female and just over 2% preferred not to specify. Age Range 18-25 – 1% 25-35 – 27.7% 35-45 – 31.3% 45-55 – 26.7% 55+ – 13.3% Education 8.2% of respondents have a Leaving Certificate or equal qualification 53.3% have a degree 36

Tax Credits - What are they and what should I know?

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  In this blog piece, we give you insight into tax credits, how they are allocated, and the other important factors that you should consider. When you start contracting there can be a lot of new terminologies thrown at you that can be hard to understand and wrap your head around. If you have previously been employed in permanent employment, managing your tax is something that you probably didn't have to think about. As a contractor, you need to be more proactive about this.  A helpful place to start is understanding the basics, this means that when you outsource our accounting to a place like Icon Accounting , you feel more empowered in the conversations you have and can have all your questions ready. What are tax credits? Legally you are required to pay tax on the income you earn, tax credits are deductions in the amount of tax that you pay. The amount of tax credits you are owed is different depending on your circumstances. Your tax credits are calculated annually and are divide

Why do people start, and stay contracting?

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The results of our 2022 client survey showed that more than 90% of our clients planned to continue working as a contractor, up from 76% in 2020. This blog piece investigates why professionals are moving away from traditional employment to contracting and the main reasons that the majority of those that do move, decide to stay! Did you know the popularity of contracting in Ireland is growing?  The results of our 2022 client survey showed that more than 90% of our clients planned to continue working as a contractor, up from 76% in 2020. For us at Icon Accounting, we can tell from our client's feedback that confidence in the contracting industry is growing year on year since our founding in 2008. Right now, there are more contracting opportunities available than ever before, so much so that there are more jobs available than contractors. People are moving away from traditional employment to contracting, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only caused professionals to take a deeper look at

Increasing your Take-Home Pay as a Contractor

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  In this piece, Sean Piggott from our Business Development team discusses the tried and tested approaches our clients have used that helped them secure a higher take-home pay as an Independent Professional contractor. You might be thinking that by switching to contracting you will be swapping the security of your salary for a lower income. We know from our experience that this is a misconception.  With the right strategy and mindset, you can match and exceed your original income while getting all the added benefits that contracting provides. Here are some of the tried and tested approaches our clients have used that helped them secure their success. Review Your Pricing Strategy Setting a goal is the best way to get started. When you know what you want to achieve it is much easier to work backward. Once you have a final target in mind, the next step is to break it down. You should create a pricing strategy that balances how many clients you can work on and how much you need to charge p