Thinking about making the move into contracting? It’s a great way to work on your terms – more flexibility, more variety, and the chance to get stuck into interesting projects across different organisations.
That said, it’s not for everyone. Contracting comes with its own pros and cons, so it’s worth understanding what’s involved before diving in. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you get started with Younity.
When you’re a contractor, you’re essentially self-employed. That means:
Contract lengths vary. Some are short-term – just a few weeks – while others can run for months or even years. Most of the roles we place fall into 3, 6, or 12-month contracts, with opportunities to extend if the client’s happy and there’s more work to be done.
You can contract as a sole trader or set up your own limited liability company – it’s up to you. If you’re unsure which is best, we recommend speaking with an accountant or financial advisor who understands the world of contracting.
We’ve helped loads of contractors find great roles all over Aotearoa. Whether you’re new to contracting or just looking for your next assignment, we’d love to help.
Got questions? Flick us an email and we’ll be happy to chat.
As a contractor, you decide how to structure your work life. Some people set themselves up as a sole trader, while others prefer their own limited liability company.
Either way, you’re in charge, and the right setup will depend on your circumstances, income, and long-term career plans.
If you’re brand new to it all and need a hand, just let us know, and we can connect you with trusted professionals who can walk you through the whole setup process from start to finish, step by step.
When you take on a contract through Younity, you’ll be representing both yourself and us on the client site.
That means being professional, reliable, and doing a great job at every stage of the contract, from day one through to completion. We’ll take care of the admin side (contracts, onboarding, and support) so you can focus on delivering your best work.
Since you are self-employed, you take responsibility for all your tax obligations and need to manage:
If you’re GST registered, we’ll pay GST on top of your rate, just make sure you give us your GST number.
We also deduct Withholding Tax from your payments, paying it directly to IRD.
This is required by law for all labour-hire contractors like us.
You can apply to the IRD for an exemption from Schedular Tax using a form called IR23BS – if approved, send us your certificate and we won’t need to deduct it.
Yes. Before you start any contract, you’ll need to have Public Indemnity (PI) and Professional Liability (PL) insurance cover. This protects you from being taken to court in the event of a major error, omission or negligence claim.
You’ve got two options:
If a client requires a higher rate of cover then you must ensure that your own cover matches their minimum requirements – we’ll advise you of this.
If you go with your own insurance, we’ll need a copy of your certificate before you start, and you’ll need to keep it up to date throughout the contract.
Good to know: it’s best practice to keep your insurance for seven years after a contract ends, just in case.
We take health and safety seriously, and so should you. Younity follows the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and we expect all our contractors to do the same, wherever they’re working.
Before you start, you’ll complete our online H&S induction. If it’s been more than two years since your last one, we’ll also ask you to review and sign our Health & Safety Policy again.
Since you’re a contractor, you’re classed as a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking), so you should have your own basic health and safety processes too, even if you’re working alone or from home.
On your first day at a new client site, they’ll give you their own H&S induction, which covers the specific risks and rules for that particular workplace. From there, follow their policies and procedures closely for the full length of the contract.
If anything feels unsafe or something’s not right, let us know straight away and we’ll help sort it out as quickly and safely as we possibly can.
We use two systems (Flexitime and Karmly) to manage timesheets and payroll. They’re simple to use, and we’ll send you everything you need before you start.
Here’s how it works:
These timesheets also double as your invoice, and we generate a Buyer-Created Tax Invoice (BCTI) for your records.
We pay monthly, based on the hours or days approved in your timesheets. Our payment cycle runs to the last Friday of each month, with a mix of four- and five-week months depending on the quarter.
You’ll get a payment calendar when you sign up, so you can plan ahead.
Quick tip: Late timesheets can delay your pay, so get them in on time. If your manager’s away or there’s a holdup, let us know and we’ll help keep things moving.
We’ve helped loads of contractors find great roles all over Aotearoa. Some are just starting out, others are seasoned pros, and many come back to us again and again for their next gig.
Whether you’re new to contracting or just looking for your next assignment, we’d love to help.
Got questions? Flick us an email at info@younity.co.nz and we’ll be happy to chat.
You can also check out this helpful guide on the Business New Zealand website: https://www.business.govt.nz/going-contracting/
