I had my own status questioned last month. I have 3 customers but one very dominant.
Yes, there are several things that they use to judge this. It can include:
- Does the contractor receive any benefits from the company? (lunch vouchers/private healthcare/Multisport cards/etc)
- Does the contract have a fixed place of work with an assigned desk and other 'typical employee' things?
- Does the contractor have a named manager?
- Does the contract have annual leave (holidays)?
- Is the contractor obliged to work a set amount of hours?
A true B2B contract should offer maximum flexibility for the contractor, and while informal deals can take place between employee and employer, the paperwork should always represent how a real contractor would work.