BBC Freelance Contracts & Payments are moving online

View the text below in Welsh / Gweld y testun isod yn Saesneg

From mid 2013 BBC freelance contracts and payments will be managed online.
Advantages of the new process will be:

• a faster process for joining and re-joining the BBC
• freelancers will have clear online visibility of all your BBC payments and bookings
• no further requirement for paper invoices or Purchase Order Numbers
• an end to the avalanche of paperwork which currently accompanies each booking

Who will be affected?

If you are engaged on freelance casual basis paid net of tax, (schedule E), or on a freelance self-employed basis paid gross, (schedule D), you will have to use a new online Freelancer Payment Portal (FPP) to claim your payments from the BBC.

The changes do not apply to front of camera/microphone engagements or to people providing personal services through a company with more than 3 shareholders.  Agency staff and employees on short term fixed term contracts are also unaffected. 

What will be different?

First engagement

When you are booked to work for the BBC for the first time after the introduction of the new online processes, you will receive an email with an attachment containing the terms and conditions that will apply when you work for us. You will need to accept these terms and conditions online.  In addition to this you will receive:

• an email with details of your booking e.g. rates, job, duration etc.
• an email with instructions on how to log in and get set up on the new Freelancer Payment Portal (FPP).

You will need to accept the booking in the FPP before you can claim payment for it. 

Re-engagements

If you return to work at the BBC, you will simply receive a booking email per engagement. You will not receive the terms and conditions “portfolio” again unless you change the nature of your contractual relationship with the BBC e.g. if you set up a new personal service company.

You will stil need to accept each booking in the FPP before you will be able to claim payment for it.

Claiming your payments

Once your booking has completed you will log back into the FPP to claim your payment.

The FFP will be accessible wherever you have an internet connection for your PC, laptop or Mac. 

You will be able to see your booking history and any previous or outstanding payments on the FPP. It will also be the place where you will securely edit your personal details such as your bank account. 

What you can do to get ready for the change

There are no changes to current processes at present. Further down the line we may need to confirm that we have the correct personal details for you such as you date of birth and national insurance number.

If you have further questions please check our question and answer document. View the question & answer document in Welsh / gweld y cwestiwn a dogfen ateb yn y Gymraeg.There will be more information available on this website as we get closer to the date of change.

Advice about the current payment and contracting processes?

Your first point of contact should be with whoever has engaged your services. Alternatively you can email: BBCFreelanceCommunications@bbc.co.uk

If you have a payment query you should contact Steria Accounts Payable on:

Tel: 020 7326 9760 option 1 and then option 2

Email:  steria.bbcaccountspayable@steria.co.uk

 

 

Evidence of Eligibility to Work in the UK

Who has to provide evidence of eligibility to work in the UK?

Freelancers who are engaged on a casual P.A.Y.E. basis and those who are engaged as individuals in roles covered by the HMRC exemption for the broadcast industry, (the modus operandi), must provide evidence of their eligibility to work in the UK the first time they carry out a BBC engagement.

Why must some freelancers provide evidence or their eligibility to work?

The BBC like all other U.K. employers has a legal duty to carry out checks to ensure that individuals engaged to work for the corporation are entitled to work in the U.K. Employees are already subject to these checks.

What will I need to do?

The contractual documentation which is sent out to you will ask you to bring along evidence of your eligibility to work in the U.K. on or before your first day of work. The document/s you need to provide will be listed. You will need to show the relevant documents to a BBC employee who will take a copy of them, complete a form and send the information to BBC HR Direct.

I don’t know if my work with the BBC falls under the terms of the Modus Operandi?

If you are operating a Service company you definitely don’t need to provide the information. For any other job roles do not worry as the paperwork sent to you will make clear if you need to provide evidence of eligibility to work. If you wish you can look at the HMRC website which has guidance on the Broadcast Industry, behind camera/mike, job roles, that can be undertaken by an individual on a freelance basis. These are the jobs where we will be asking for eligibility to work information.

Can I send in copies of the documents rather than bring them in?

Unfortunately you cannot send in copies. The legal requirement is for the BBC to see the original documents and to check that the photograph on the document/s is of the person carrying out the work. This process can only be carried out face to face.

What documents provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.K?

The full list of documents that can be used to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the U.K. will be sent out with your contractual paperwork. All documents must be originals. A summary is listed below:

1. A valid U.K. passport
2 A valid UK Birth/Adoption certificate (long version), plus official documentation showing your national insurance number e.g. P45/P60
3. A passport or national identity card showing you are a national of an EEA country or Switzerland
4. Any other passport with evidence of right to live and work in the UK or a valid work permit

For all of the above if your name does not match with other documentation you will need to provide supporting documents e.g. marriage certificate/ divorce decree

Individuals from Romania or Bulgaria will need to provide Accession Worker Authorisation Documents or other exemption document.

Do these checks happen every time I work for the BBC?

Once you have provided proof of permanent eligibility to work in the UK e.g. a UK passport you will not need to provide it again if you come back to work for the BBC at a later date.

What if I have a Service Company?

Freelancers operating as Service Companies are not required to produce this documentation.

Where can I get more information?

In the first instance please contact the person who booked you to work at the BBC. Alternatively you can email: BBCFreelanceCommunications@bbc.co.uk

Can I send in a copy of my passport to the Freelance contracting team to demonstrate my eligibility to work in the UK?

Unfortunately this is not possible. Compliant documentation for freelancers has to be provided to HR Direct by a BBC manager or booker, with an accompanying form. We cannot accept scanned/photocopied documents directly from individuals, as the law requires a face to face check that the individual and their passport photograph match.

If I previously worked for the BBC as an employee or casual and you already have evidence of my eligibility to work in the UK do I have to provide it again as a modus freelancer?

If we still have your documents on file you will not have to provide this evidence again. However we do not retain ex employee records indefinitely. If you left the BBC 3 years or more ago we will no longer have your documents on file. If you joined the BBC before 2009 we will not have the correct documentation as our process changed at that time. Ask your local booker or manager to check with HR Direct if they have the correct information for you.

How can my manager/booker take copies of the documents I provide?

Managers/bookers are able to take copies of your documents in the following ways -

• Scan
• Photocopy
• Photograph (e.g. use of a camera on a mobile phone, as long as the photo provided is clear)