Employing people for cnc work?

[irving2008]

I'm not a lawyer either but have setup/run a few similar start-ups. Ultimately it depends on what the relationship is. If you are employing someone (even if you are both joint directors/employees) you need employers insurance, you are also responsible for doing employers tax and ni returns.

Better to be an informal partnership but you'll need advice on a minimum level of legal agreement detailing ownership, how proceeds, etc are split on dissolution and so on. Each then is responsible for their own insurance and tax issues, but don't underestimate the need for personal liability insurance if someone is working on someone else's machine.

If the other person is a contractor to you (like a gardner or decorator) then they should have their own insurance and do their own tax/ni anyway but you need to document their duties as this isn't an obvious relationship (i.e. a gardner gardens, but doesn't fix tiles on the roof for example). Again if this is on your own home premises your normal home insurance third party liability probably won't cover it so you'll need additional insurance.

[Clive S]

I will throw this into the mix. When I sold my business I was asked for the the past employees liability insurance documents, I had kept the last 16 years worth of them. I think they have to be kept for 40 years.
Also I employed a guy as a contractor for about nine months and was told that if the guy was working solely for me for more that about two months then the I.R. would treat that as being an employee in the full sense of the meaning.
I am glad that I am now out of the rat race. Best on luck though. ..Clive