IPSE Terms and Conditions

IPSE General Terms and Conditions

This document should be read in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions relating to your IPSE membership level and any additional links or information relating to specific services or products.

What IPSE will do for you

1.         Policy and Representation

a.         We’ll give members a voice with Government at all levels, promote the value of self-employment, bring forward policies suggestions to enhance self-employment and oppose any measures we think would be detrimental to the self-employed

b.         We’ll ask you on a regular basis what problems you face and incorporate these findings into our policy work

 

2.         Research, Education and Training

a.         We’ll ensure that we’re at the forefront of research into the field of self- employment

b.         We’ll ensure that we find and promote the best offers for personal development and skills training for our members

 

3.         Commercial Development

a.         We’ll bring you the best offers we can to assist you in your business and at home, such as access to banking, mortgages, business tools, discounted products

b.         We’ll find the best courses to help you develop your business skills, such as improving your use of Social Media, CV writing and interview techniques

c.         We’ll help you save for the future by offering you the opportunity to put money aside for rainy days or retirement at the best available rates. We’ll help protect your family by making sure you have access to life insurance at rates well below what you could find in the retail market.

 

4.         Member Benefits

a.         Each level of IPSE membership also has specific membership benefits and these are detailed in a separate document which will be made available to you before you join IPSE and a copy sent to you when you join IPSE.

 

5.         Keep you informed

a.         We’ll let you know by email of any changes to or problems with your membership

b.         We’ll advise you of General Meetings by email – you can send a postal letter to us asking for notice by post if you would prefer to get notices of General Meetings that way

 

6.         Protect your data

IPSE takes data protection seriously and have updated all policies in line with the 2018 GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). Please see IPSE’s detailed Privacy Policy for a complete explanation of how we protect and use your data, but we won’t share your personal data with any third-party except where we need to do this to provide you with any of the services you’re eligible for as part of your membership of IPSE

 

What IPSE asks of you

7.         When you join IPSE

a.         Unless we tell you otherwise in the terms and conditions specific to your chosen membership level your membership of IPSE is an annual membership

b.         If you have previously been an IPSE member but decide to change career, retire or for other reasons no longer require full IPSE membership, you can continue to be an IPSE Member and receive basic membership benefits under an IPSE Alumni Membership – please contact the IPSE Membership Team on 0844 644 8493 for further details

c.         If you cancel your IPSE membership you’ll lose all your membership rights and benefits and we’ll also have to cancel any payments you make for life assurance as well as cancelling your life assurance policy.

d.         If you’ve arranged your pensions via IPSE Futures we also have to cancel our arrangement with you to collect your contributions but we’ll tell you by email how to carry on making pension contributions direct to your pension provider.

 

8.         Your membership fees

a.         Your membership of IPSE is for annual periods, one year at a time, and starts the day we receive a valid application and valid payment details from you; membership renews automatically on each anniversary of your joining date

b.         Membership fees become due in full immediately on joining IPSE and become due in full annually on the anniversary of that date

c.         You must pay your full membership subscription each year

d.         You can opt to pay annually by either Direct Debit or credit/debit card or chose to pay monthly by Direct Debit. If you choose to pay monthly the unpaid balance of your membership fee for the rest of the year remains due regardless of any circumstance other than your death

e.         If you cancel without notice or cancel part of the way through your membership year, or fail to pay your subscription, you may lose all your membership rights and benefits and IPSE will still be entitled to recover any outstanding fees from you in full

f.          If you pay monthly and cancel your payment without giving us proper notice or an alternative method of payment, or your payment fails for any reason, all sums due to us will become payable immediately and we will ask you to pay in full

g.         Membership fees are non-refundable under any circumstances

 

9.         If you need to cancel your membership

IPSE membership is for a full year, whether you pay annually in advance or in monthly instalments.

a.         If you do not wish to renew your membership after your current years’ membership ends, you may cancel by giving us not less than one calendar months’ notice in writing  or by emailing the IPSE membership team (membership@ipse.co.uk) in advance of your renewal date. (We will contact you 45 days in advance of your renewal date as a reminder)

b.         Cancellation without proper notice will only be effective from the next anniversary of your renewal date and you will be required to pay the current year’s subscription or any outstanding balance thereof immediately and in full

c.         In the event of IPSE receiving confirmed notification of your death we will automatically cancel your membership and refund any outstanding fees to the account from which we received payment

 

10.       Be bound by IPSE’s Code of Conduct

You agree to:

a.         Comply with IPSE’s Articles of Association which are available on the IPSE website for you to download

b.         Only use IPSE’s logo to signify your membership of IPSE and not suggest or imply that your use of our logo represents any trade or professional qualification or standard

c.         Not represent yourself as:

·         being approved or endorsed by IPSE regarding your business activity

·         having a trading relationship with or being a supplier of IPSE

d.         Act at all times in a professional and courteous manner to all fellow members and employees of IPSE

e.         Not act towards any employee or fellow member in a manner which may give rise to any claim by the employee or member against IPSE

f.          Not discriminate against any IPSE employee or fellow member because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation

g.         Not use threatening or abusive behaviour or language towards an IPSE employee or fellow IPSE member

 

11.       When using IPSE’s website

a.         Neither IPSE nor any third parties provide any form of warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found on this website. By using this website, you acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and IPSE expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

b.         Information on the website is owned by IPSE and reproduction is prohibited unless prior written authorisation has been obtained from IPSE.

c.         The website may provide links to third party sites, they are not an indication of endorsement and IPSE are not responsible for the content of the linked website

d.         If you use the Community forums provided by IPSE at community.ipse.co.uk you must follow the specific terms and conditions of forum usage

 

12.       If you need to make a complaint

a.         If you have a complaint about any aspect of IPSE’s service to you, please email complaints@ipse.co.uk and include

·         Your membership number

·         Details of the nature of your complaint

·         The specific service you believe has gone wrong

·         The date and nature of any specific incident

·         Any documents you think may be relevant

·         What outcome you’d like to see

b.         IPSE will normally respond acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 24 business hours

c.         IPSE will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within seven working days

d.         If your complaint isn’t resolved you may ask us to pass it to the Board of Directors for a final review and this will be done within 14 working days

e.         The decision of the Board of Directors is final unless you believe that IPSE has not conformed to statute, in which case you may choose to seek any remedy available to you under the law

 

13.       Jurisdiction

All of IPSE’s services and our contracts with you are exclusively subject to the laws and Courts of England and Wales

 

14.       Updates to Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions at time of joining are applicable until the anniversary of your membership, at which time any new terms and conditions will become applicable.

 

Last Updated: 18 December 2018

Your IPSE Plus Membership Benefits

This document should be read in conjunction with the IPSE General Terms & Conditions

For all compensation claims there must be a written contract in place and the End Client must be based in the UK. 

1.Tax and Vat Helplines

a.         You may call the tax helpline during working hours and they’ll try to provide general guidance which addresses your question. No written advice can be provided.

b         The helpline numbers are available on our website to logged-in members only.

Full Tax & VAT helpline terms and conditions can be found here.

2. Legal Helplines

a.          You may call the legal helpline 24/7 and they’ll try to provide general guidance which addresses your question.

A full service summary can be found here.

3. Business interruption services

a. Jury Service Compensation

i.         If you are called for and serve on a jury IPSE will compensate you up to £500 per day served to a maximum of £5000 less a deduction of any amount recovered from the relevant court.

ii.         You must have been an IPSE Plus member for more than 60 days and received the jury service notice after you joined IPSE

iii.         You will have to provide documentary evidence of your service to IPSE
 

b. Client or agency failure compensation

i.         If your client or agency fails (enters administration or becomes insolvent) IPSE will compensate you up to £10,000.  You must have been an IPSE Plus member for more than 60 days before your client or agency enters administration or becomes insolvent.

c. Failure of an Agency to honour contractual arrangements

i.         If an agency cancels your contract before you start work IPSE will pay you compensation of up to £1,000.

d. Being unable to work due to illness or injury for three weeks or more

i.         If you can’t work due to illness or injury for three weeks or more, IPSE will pay you compensation of up to £2,000.

e. Meetings with HMRC or your Designated Representative – Enquiry interruption

i.         If you have to meet with HMRC or the Designated Representative IPSE’s provider has assigned to you in connection with a tax enquiry or investigation IPSE will compensate you for lost revenue at up to £500 per day.

Full business interruption terms and conditions can be found here.

4. Investigation Representation Service

a.         IPSE will provide you with dedicated contact details for our providers. If tax investigation representation is necessary, upon contact with our provider, you will be assigned an expert representative by them who will handle your case.

b.         IPSE and its providers shall not be liable to provide indemnity hereunder in respect of any claim made, brought or commenced outside the Territorial limits. The territorial limits are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

c.           If you have entered a loan arrangement, these fall outside of the Tax investigation service.

d.           Members must not initiate response to investigation or attend compliance visit until contact has been made with Markel tax and further actions have been approved.

Full investigation representation terms and conditions can be found here.

5. Life Assurance

a.         You automatically receive life assurance with a sum insured of £5,000 as part of your IPSE Plus membership

·         Please let us know who you wish to be the beneficiary of this life assurance in the event if your death

·         Please let your executor or relatives or loved ones know about this membership benefit so they can contact IPSE to claim in the event of your death 

b.         Your life assurance will stop immediately should you allow your membership to lapse or change your membership to another IPSE membership level which does not include this benefit

Full terms and conditions for Life Assurance can be found here.

6. Voluntary Life Assurance

a.         All full IPSE members can also arrange to top-up their life assurance to a maximum sum insured of £255,000 (including the £5,000 which forms part of your Plus membership package)

·         This is done via the IPSE website

·         IPSE will collect premiums from you for this in addition to your annual membership fees

·         Premiums vary with age and will increase as you get older, as well as any inflationary price increases

·         Voluntary life assurance will stop immediately should you allow your IPSE membership to lapse or your payments are cancelled by you

Full terms and conditions for voluntary Life Assurance can be found here.

7. Voluntary IPSE Pension

a.         Most full IPSE members can also arrange invest in a pension at market-beating rates

·         This is done via the IPSE website

·         IPSE will collect pension contributions from you for - this in addition to your annual membership fees

·         You can choose how much to contribute each month

·         Pension contribution collection by IPSE will stop immediately should you allow your IPSE membership to lapse or tell us you wish to cancel the arrangement

·         However, your pension will remain in place and you must deal direct with the pension provider, so you can make your own arrangements

b.         IPSE does not provide financial advice and we recommend you take formal professional advice before making any investment decisions

Full terms and conditions for voluntary pensions can be found here.

8.Contract review service

a.         This service available at a reduced rate for IPSE members (compared to non-members)

Full terms and conditions for Contract review service can be found here.

9. IPSE Partner offers

a.         As an IPSE Plus member you have access to many money-saving and/or hassle free partner offers. These are offered by third party providers

10. Downloads from the IPSE website

a.         IPSE provides a huge range of helpful advice and information including but not limited to; business templates, toolkits and business contracts

·i         These are used at your own risk and do not replace formal professional advice

·ii         IPSE shall not be held liable for any loss associated with use of these items.

·iii         Please ensure that these items meet your specific requirements before use

11.Event and networking opportunities

a.         IPSE arranges frequent events, seminars, networking opportunities and webinars

b.         These are generally free to members, but IPSE reserves the right to charge additional fees where necessary for both members and non-members.  Any charges will be made clear prior to signing up for the event.

12.Updates to Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions at time of joining are applicable until the anniversary of your membership, at which time any new terms and conditions will become applicable.

Your IPSE Standard Membership Benefits

This document should be read in conjunction with the IPSE General Terms & Conditions

For all compensation claims there must be a written contract in place and the End Client must be based in the UK. 

1.Tax and Vat Helplines

a.         You may call the tax helpline during working hours and they’ll try to provide general guidance which addresses your question. No written advice can be provided.

b         The helpline numbers are available on our website to logged-in members only.

Full Tax & VAT helpline terms and conditions can be found here.

2. Legal Helplines

a.          You may call the legal helpline 24/7 and they’ll try to provide general guidance which addresses your question.

A full service summary can be found here.

3. Investigation Representation Service

a.         IPSE will provide you with dedicated contact details for our providers. If tax investigation representation is necessary, upon contact with our provider, you will be assigned an expert representative by them who will handle your case.

b.         IPSE and its providers shall not be liable to provide indemnity hereunder in respect of any claim made, brought or commenced outside the Territorial limits. The territorial limits are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

c.           If you have entered a loan arrangement, these fall outside of the Tax investigation service.

d.           Members must not initiate response to investigation or attend compliance visit until contact has been made with Markel tax and further actions have been approved.

Full investigation representation terms and conditions can be found here.

4. Voluntary Life Assurance

a.         All full IPSE members can also arrange to top-up their life assurance to a maximum sum insured of £255,000 (including the £5,000 which forms part of your Plus membership package)

·         This is done via the IPSE website

·         IPSE will collect premiums from you for this in addition to your annual membership fees

·         Premiums vary with age and will increase as you get older, as well as any inflationary price increases

·         Voluntary life assurance will stop immediately should you allow your IPSE membership to lapse or your payments are cancelled by you

Full terms and conditions for voluntary Life Assurance can be found here.

5. Voluntary IPSE Pension

a.         Most full IPSE members can also arrange invest in a pension at market-beating rates

·         This is done via the IPSE website

·         IPSE will collect pension contributions from you for - this in addition to your annual membership fees

·         You can choose how much to contribute each month

·         Pension contribution collection by IPSE will stop immediately should you allow your IPSE membership to lapse or tell us you wish to cancel the arrangement

·         However, your pension will remain in place and you must deal direct with the pension provider, so you can make your own arrangements

b.         IPSE does not provide financial advice and we recommend you take formal professional advice before making any investment decisions

Full terms and conditions for voluntary pensions can be found here.

 

6. Contract review service

a.         This service available at a reduced rate for IPSE members (compared to non-members)

Full terms and conditions for Contract review service can be found here.

7. IPSE Partner offers

a.         As an IPSE Plus member you have access to many money-saving and/or hassle free partner offers. These are offered by third party providers

8. Downloads from the IPSE website

a.         IPSE provides a huge range of helpful advice and information including but not limited to; business templates, toolkits and business contracts

·i         These are used at your own risk and do not replace formal professional advice

·ii         IPSE shall not be held liable for any loss associated with use of these items.

·iii         Please ensure that these items meet your specific requirements before use

9. Event and networking opportunities

a.         IPSE arranges frequent events, seminars, networking opportunities and webinars

b.         These are generally free to members, but IPSE reserves the right to charge additional fees where necessary for both members and non-members.  Any charges will be made clear prior to signing up for the event.

 

10. Updates to Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions at time of joining are applicable until the anniversary of your membership, at which time any new terms and conditions will become applicable.