How to tell if a contract job is really outside IR35
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"Outside IR35" means nothing unless the listing proves it. Every job on IR35 Radar is classified from literal evidence in the ad itself — the exact phrase an agency or end-client used — and we keep the evidence span on every row.
What counts as real outside-IR35 evidence
Why literal evidence matters more than labels
Anyone can write "outside IR35" in an advert; the tax liability follows the contract and the working practices, not the label. That gap is where tax bills come from: a contractor who relies on a keyword match, an agency blanket policy, or a recruiter's verbal assurance inherits a status nobody actually defended. The radar's approach is mechanical: classify only from phrases that appear in the listing itself — salary text, description, title — and store the evidence span so you can read the source's own words before you invest a single application.
The three tiers of evidence
- Explicit declaration: "Outside IR35" written in the salary or description text by the poster. Strongest common signal; still verify against the contract.
- Native board curation: the listing sits on a board that pre-vets status (Reed's and La Fosse's outside-IR35 sections, ContractorUK's dedicated board). The board's model is the evidence.
- Structural signals: salary text that names inside status, "umbrella only", or an SDS reference. These can downgrade or upgrade an assessment — they are read, not ignored.
What this means for your application
Treat an evidence-backed listing as a shortlisting filter, then do the pre-contract checks (first-contract checklist) and demand the SDS or written status position. The calculator converts any rate to net so you can compare inside and outside offers honestly. Nothing on this site replaces professional advice on a specific contract — it gets you to that conversation with the right questions.
| Strong | Weak / meaningless |
|---|---|
| "Outside IR35" in the salary/description text | A keyword slug with no supporting text |
| "Self-employed / own LTD required" | "IR35 friendly" with no detail |
| "Client has confirmed inside/outside status" | "Umbrella only" (that's inside) |
Why aggregators get it wrong
Most job boards tag IR35 status from agency feed fields, which are frequently wrong — we've measured inside-IR35 roles carrying "outside" slugs in live data. That's why the radar keeps the original phrase visible on every job, so you can judge in one glance.
See the evidence yourself
Browse outside-IR35 jobs with evidence Get new matches by email