PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2025 Business Matters


Free health check for businesses


Job management software specialist Fergus has launched a complimentary 30-minute business health check to help professionals like plumbers and gas engineers assess their fi nancial performance. The service is designed to help business owners understand their profi t margins, accurately price jobs and identify operational ineffi ciencies. Run by a team of industry


experts, the free consultation will help identify what’s holding your business back. Whether it’s labour costs or overheads, admin time or staff capacity, the health check


is said to off er tailored insights that make a real diff erence on the ground. “You’ll walk away with a clear


understanding of your profi t margins, guidance on how to price jobs accurately, insights into labour productivity, ways to reduce wasted admin time and the ability to benchmark against similar businesses,” says Pete Hunter,


Fergus account executive. “For busy business owners,


fi nding the time to look under the hood can feel impossible – but this short, focused session could be the diff erence between treading water and turning a healthy profi t.” To book a free 30-minute business


health check, simply use the online reader link below. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/625/24


Combined insurance cover for contractors Underwriter David Heeney,


Plumbing and HVAC contractors now have access to a new insurance policy which provides combined cover for employer, public and product liability. Providing cover of up to £10m


for employer liability, £5m for public liability and £5m for product liability, the policy


is being off ered by specialty insurance underwriters Leeds- based Fiducia MGA. Fiducia also off ers a combined


commercial policy for those who require protection against material damage, business interruption, business all-risks, and commercial legal protection.


explains: “We understand that contractors face changing risks and challenges, so we created these policies to ensure our broking partners can provide their clients with comprehensive cover and support.” ◼ phamnews.co.uk/625/25


Changes to IR35 threshold


Liability insurance specialist Markel Direct is highlighting the implications of the government’s recent changes to the company size thresholds under the current IR35/Off -Payroll Working (OPW) rules. The threshold of what is considered a small and medium business has been raised, which means that some medium businesses are now considered small, thereby exempting them from the OPW rules. Government estimates suggest that approximately 113,000 companies and Limited Liability Partnerships will move from small to micro-entity status, and around 14,000 will move from medium-sized to small. “Contractors should speak to their existing clients to establish if


they are/will be aff ected by the new threshold changes, and consider the impact this will have on their engagement with the client,” advises Rob Rees, divisional director at Markel Direct. “If the responsibility for determining the engagement will fall to the contractor in the future, the contractor should consider having an IR35 contract review to ensure they do not fall foul of the off payroll legislation, and consider what changes they may need to make to their day rate, if they had previously been working on-payroll or through an umbrella company.” ◼ phamnews.co.uk/625/26


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