A freelancer is someone who provides his independent services without long-term commitment. The term was first coined by none other than Sir Walter Scott in his famous novel Ivanhoe, written in 1819 and set in 12th century England, where he referred to “medieval mercenary warriors” as Free Lances:

I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them—I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always find employment.

Freelancers should relate to the phrase 'a man of action will always find employment'!

In the 21st century, there are many varied professions in which you will find Freelancers (still including warfare!). Typical fields are consulting, information technology, financial & design.

Many Freelancers operate through their own limited company which is where Accountant4Freelancers come in. Many Freelancers feel it is important to have a specialist Accountant looking after their affairs. At A4F we have experience and understanding of the tax and accounting issues affecting 'one-man service companies'. Our company is headed up by a Chartered Tax Adviser who attended the first ever PCG Quality Accountant course in May 2006 - see PCG newsletter page: Black & White or Colour copy.

To understand more about what is a freelancer then the PCG provide an excellent free guide to freelancing. ContractorCalculator also have an IR35 Test which is a useful free online text contractors can take.