9th Annual IR35 & Contingent Workforce Conference 2026

IR35 & Off-Payroll Compliance Conference: The Challenge for UK Employers

Three major changes are hitting simultaneously: threshold reclassifications affecting 14,000 companies, National Insurance increases, and April 2026 umbrella reforms. The risk of miscalculation is substantial.

The UK's only dedicated IR35 conference brings together HMRC leadership, FTSE 350 practitioners, and leading employment tax experts. Hear from EDF Energy's audit of 10,000 contractors, learn SEGA's cross-functional compliance approach, and gain European enforcement intelligence three years before UK implementation.

Network with senior decision-makers facing identical challenges. Whether you're managing contractor reclassification, auditing umbrella supply chains, or building 2026-2028 workforce strategy, this is where UK compliance leaders gather to benchmark and prepare.

As a popular must-attend event, secure your place before we sell out again.

A 10% delegate discount is available at the Danubius Hotel for accommodation booked directly with them: reservation@danubiuslondon.co.uk.

08:30 - 09:00 | Registration & Coffee

09:00 Chair’s Welcome and Opening Remarks
  

09:15 - 09:45 | OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS - with Kingsbridge

As we look towards the 2026 regulatory changes - including things like the Employment Rights Act, Umbrella Reform, and the introduction of JSL - it is becoming increasingly complex to engage, place and recruit within the contingent workforce market.

Real-time market reporting reveals a stark reality: the vast majority of supply chains remain highly vulnerable. At the same time, confidence in standard HMRC tools such as CEST remains critically low, leaving businesses navigating compliance with uncertainty rather than clarity.

In this keynote, Kingsbridge will address the widening gap between legislative intent and operational reality. Rather than succumbing to compliance paralysis, we will explore how businesses are beginning to re-evaluate outside IR35 contracting as a compliance risk that can be planned for and actively managed - through robust process, clear policy, and appropriate insurance protection.

(Particularly in light of the 2024 introduction of the offset mechanism, which has significantly reshaped the true scale of potential financial exposure, organisations now have a clearer and more proportionate understanding of risk. The focus is shifting from avoidance to informed, structured risk management.)

09:45 - 10:15 | Upcoming Regulatory Developments: Why Your Contingent Workforce Strategy Must Change Now

• Considering your options
• Identify what triggers HMRC investigations before you become the next £87.9m headline - what is your financial and reputational risk?
• What can you do to protect yourself?
  
  

10:15 - 10:45 | Calculating Your True Exposure and how to reduce it

• CEST, the pros and cons. How should you determine status?
• Utilising the small company exemption and preparing for IR35 if you breach the limits
• Avoiding common mistakes, how to prevent the compliance gap from landing on your balance sheet
• When things go wrong - how to apply new offset rules to reduce liability 
• How to survive first contact with HMRC

10:45 - 11:15 | Coffee & Networking Break

11:15 – 12:00 | CASE STUDY - How Sega is Navigating the People Resourcing Conundrum

• IR35 as a lens to consider resource scoping in your business
• Wrangling the resource problem - what to do when everyone is impacted but feels too overwhelmed to own
• From reactive to proactive - a realistic and meaningful approach to compliance when last minute requirements come in
• Be kind to yourself - do perfection be the enemy of good when trying to approach compliance
• Lessons learned - How you can use SEGA's approach in your own business and foster cross-collaboration with each other 

12:00 - 12:45 | CASE STUDY Auditing 10,000 Contractors: A Major Energy Company's IR35 Risk Review In Action

• The triggers for our decision to conduct comprehensive internal review and how we built the business case
• How we scoped the audit across 10,000-person workforce—our data sources, analytics, and risk segmentation approach
• Our resourcing strategy, timeline, and phasing for a project of this scale without disrupting operations
• Managing stakeholders across Finance, HR, Procurement, and business units—plus our contractor communication during review
• Early lessons, assumptions challenged, and our advice for organisations considering similar audits

12:45 - 13:45 | Lunch & Networking

13:45 - 14:30 | CASE STUDY Bridging Two Worlds: Implementing MSP Solutions And IR35 Compliance Across Public And Private Sectors

A unique cross-sector case study from a senior contingent workforce leader

• How MSP implementation differs between public sector constraints and private sector flexibility—and what both can learn from each other
• The critical decision framework for making Inside vs Outside IR35 determinations at scale—moving beyond CEST to real-world judgment calls
• Managing the contractor experience during IR35 reclassification without destroying your talent pipeline and employer brand
• Building stakeholder alignment when HR, Finance, Procurement, and Legal all have different risk appetites and success metrics
• Lessons learned the hard way—the mistakes to avoid and the unexpected wins that transformed our approach

14:30 - 15:15 | Umbrella Non-Compliance & Finance Bill 2025/26: Reshaping Supply Chain Risk
Umbrella company non-compliance is draining nearly £1 billion from the UK economy each year—and the Finance Bill 2025/26 will introduce sweeping changes to how businesses manage contingent workforce and supply chain obligations. This session will:

• Decode the new legislative requirements and what they mean for HR, procurement, and compliance teams.
• Highlight enforcement trends and the financial/reputational risks of non-compliance.
• Provide practical steps for auditing umbrella arrangements and building defensible governance frameworks before April 2026.
• Explore strategic implications for workforce planning and supplier relationships through 2028.

15:15 - 15:45 | Coffee & Networking Break

15:45 - 16:15 | Avoiding HMRC Penalties & Staying Ahead Of IR35 Enforcement

• What triggers HMRC investigations and the penalty structure 
• Preparing for an HMRC audit - the 12-24 month investigation timeline, what compliance offers examine and your response strategy
• What "reasonable care" actually means - building audit-proof documentation and avoiding the compliance failures that HMRC targets first
• Learning from Europe's more binary framework and what's coming to the UK
• The regulatory landscape under Labour - umbrella company reforms, increased NIC costs, and cross-party consensus on closing the tax gap
• Practical risk assessment framework - categorising your contractor population and creating a 30-day action plan to reduce exposure
  
  

16:15 - 16:45 | PANEL DISCUSSION Building Your 2026-2028 Contingent Workforce Strategy: A Blueprint

• Core vs flex workforce mapping - identifying which roles genuinely need permanent headcount vs where contingent talent delivers strategic advantage without regulatory risk
• Financial modelling the true cost - calculating the cumulative impact of 15% employer NIC, £5,000 threshold, April 2026 umbrella liability, and Inside IR35 reclassifications on your workforce budget
• Risk-based segmentation approach - categorising your contractor population by IR35 risk, business criticality, and market scarcity to prioritise where to invest compliance effort
• Technology and talent architecture - choosing between MSPs, direct engagement, umbrella solutions, and statement of work models based on your risk appetite and operational reality
• Implementation roadmap with quick wins - phased approach to workforce transformation including 30/60/90-day milestones, stakeholder engagement strategy, and metrics that prove ROI to the board
• Building the business case - framing contingent workforce strategy as competitive advantage rather than compliance burden to secure budget and senior leadership buy-in

16:45 - 17:00 | Closing Remarks & Wrap Up

17:00 - 18:30 | Drinks Reception & Networking

• Discover if your organisation is affected by threshold changes and how to reduce your financial risk by 75%.
• Spot warning signs of non-compliant umbrella companies in your supply chain before you become liable for their tax bills.
• Know exactly what records and evidence HMRC expects when they investigate your contractor arrangements.
• Stop internal departments fighting over IR35 responsibility and get Finance, HR, IT and Procurement working together.
• Use the two-year grace period to prepare your systems and processes without last-minute panic.
• Learn from Europe's tougher enforcement approach so you're ready before UK rules catch up.
• Check if your workforce management software is accidentally creating employment relationships you don't intend.
• Turn IR35 compliance into a talent magnet that helps you recruit the best contractors while competitors struggle.
• Hear directly from an MP and HMRC leaders about what's really coming and where enforcement focus will be.
• See how other large organisations are actually doing this - the real challenges, not just the success stories.

Relevant for organisations of all sizes that engage contractors, freelancers, or temporary workers, across public, private, charity, and recruitment sectors.

Directors and Heads of: HR, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Talent Acquisition, Payroll, Compliance, Operations

Management Levels

• HR Business Partners & Managers
• Procurement & Contract Managers
• Payroll & Finance Managers
• Contingent Workforce & Resource Managers
• Compliance & Risk Managers
• Employment Tax Specialists
• Vendor Management Leads

Sectors

Public Sector: NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, Central Government, Universities, Emergency Services

Charities & Not-for-Profit: Large charities, Housing Associations, NGOs, Social Enterprises

Private Sector: All sizes including SMEs (Owner-Directors, Finance Controllers, HR Managers)

Recruitment & Supply Chain

• Recruitment Agency Directors & Compliance Managers
• Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
• Umbrella Company Directors
• RPO & Staffing Firm Operations Directors

Specialist Roles

• Internal Audit Managers
• PMO Directors (project-heavy organisations)
• Employment Lawyers
• Shared Service Centre Managers
• HR Systems/Technology Managers

With huge thanks to Kingsbridge, our IR35 Conference 2026 sponsor.

Kingsbridge has established itself as one of the UK’s foremost experts in IR35 compliance and risk management for the contingent workforce sector. They offer a unique, integrated approach combining technology and expertise, most notably through the Kingsbridge IR35 Status Tool - an award-winning hybrid solution that provides instant status determinations with expert in-house consultancy for borderline cases. Furthermore, their flexible IR35 Protect insurance covers tax liability, interest, and penalties for whichever party (contractor, agency, or end client) is held liable by HMRC, offering market-leading protection and certainty in a complex regulatory landscape. Kingsbridge supports over 500 partners and thousands of clients in navigating the challenges of the Off-Payroll Working rules.

"It was brilliant to finally connect with other payroll professionals dealing with the same IR35 challenges." Head of Payroll

"This conference came at a great time. We had been struggling with our IR35 compliance framework and the case studies were relatable. The speakers were knowledgeable, without being overly technical, making complex topics accessible." Finance Controller

"A gold mine of up-to-date information. Years of significant IR35 changes were clarified and it was practical and informative." HR Director

What does BFI specialise in?
BFI provides expert-led training in HR compliance, employment law, immigration for employers, union relations, workplace inclusion, and AI and talent solutions.

Who typically attends your courses?
Attendees include HR managers, legal teams, compliance officers, operations leaders, and public sector employers.

Are your trainers practitioners?
Yes. All trainers are experienced specialists; we feature practitioners from the public and private sectors as well as lawyers, policy advisers, former regulators, and consultants.

How do I book a course?
Choose an event on the website and click Register. You can pay online with a credit card or request an invoice.

Do you accept purchase orders?
Yes. Public and private-sector organisations may use PO numbers. These can be added during the registration process, or can be retrospectively added to am invoice if the place has been booked already.

We need to set you up as a Supplier, can you complete a form or send me over your company information?
Yes, we can do either; please contact us via info@bfi.co.uk

Can I get a PO number added to our invoice?
Yes, please send details through to info@bfi.co.uk or reply to us using your confirmation email

Do you offer group discounts?
Yes. Discounts for multiple bookings are automatically applied at checkout. For groups of over ten, it may be more cost-effective to run the course in-house. Call 01983 861133 for details

Can I transfer my place to another date or colleague?
Yes. Substitutions are free, and transfers are typically allowed within a set timeframe.

What is your cancellation policy?
BFI follows standard UK training-industry cancellation terms.

How are online courses delivered?
Training is delivered live via Zoom with interactive Q\&A and case-based discussion.

Will I receive slides and supporting materials?
Yes. Attendees receive slides, templates (where relevant), and many other useful documents and links.

Will I receive a copy of the event recording?
Our monthly subscription and webinar clients receive recordings of the live sessions; otherwise we do not record our courses to encourage confidential discussion and questions under the Chatham House Rule

What time zone are online events delivered in?
All events are delivered in UTC / London time unless otherwise stated

What is included in in-person events?
Full-day training includes refreshments, full documentation which is emailed prior to the event and networking opportunities.

Are your venues accessible?
Yes. All venues are fully accessible.

Are your courses CPD-certified?
Many courses are accredited by The CPD Certification Service.

Can I ask questions about my organisation’s situation?
Yes. Trainers answer questions during the session and can respond afterward.

Will the training help us prepare for an audit?
Yes, on our audit courses you will learn what triggers visits, what officers look for, and how to evidence compliance.

Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. All attendees receive a digital certificate of course completion.

Do you offer private or in-house training?
Yes. All courses can be tailored for your team. Visit https://bfi.co.uk/team-training/

Do you offer consultancy?
Yes. BFI offers policy reviews, audit preparation, HR compliance support, and workforce advisory services.