Someone who works for a company is most likely an employee if the majority of the following is true:

• They must regularly work unless they are on leave, such as on vacation, sick, or maternity leave.
• They must work a certain amount of hours and expect to be compensated for their labour.
• A manager or supervisor is in charge, dictating when and how a piece of work should be completed.
• They are unable to delegate their responsibilities.
• They receive paid time off.
• They are entitled to contractual or statutory sick pay and maternity or paternity leave.
• They may participate in the company’s pension plan.
• They are subject to the company’s disciplinary and grievance processes.
• They work on the company’s premises or at a company-provided place.
• Their agreement specifies redundancy methods.
• The company provides the supplies, tools, and equipment for their task.
• They solely work for the company, or if they have another employment, it is unrelated to their work for the company.
• Their contract, terms and conditions, or offer letter (sometimes known as an ’employment contract’) contains terminology such as ’employer’ and ’employee.’

Being employed and self-employed are different. Self-employed means you work for yourself and are responsible for operating your own business. On your profits, you’ll pay tax and NICs. Some organizations abuse job seekers by classifying them as self-employed when they should be employees. False self-employment is the term used to describe this approach. This means that the company avoids using Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and hence does not pay tax or National Insurance on your wages to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). HMRC might seek PAYE payments that should have been paid by the business from you if they feel you should have been treated as an employee but weren’t. However, they should contact the business first.