Agency

An agency employs freelancers to fill part-time or full-time vacancies for their clients. This approach allows us to focus on our game development work as everything else is handled by the agency. The risk of non-payment is low, but that payment may be lower. The choice of work is more restricted.

There is no obligation to take any contract provided by the agent. That is, the agency will usually offer multiple choices, but most will expect us to regularly take one of the contracts on offer. Some agencies allow holidays between contracts.

The agent
The agent:
 * arranges the contract;
 * negotiates the rate;
 * collects the payment; and
 * handles the account.

The contractor
The contractor:
 * performs the work;
 * follows agency standards; and
 * keeps a timesheet.

Tax
The agent deducts tax and NI through the PAYE scheme and pays the net directly into the contractor's bank account. For the purposes of IR35, contractors working through an agency are regarded as employees of the agent, so they will deduct the full tax and NI contributions through PAYE.

Benefits
The specific benefits offered depend on the agent. Benefits might include:
 * sick pay
 * holiday pay
 * training
 * insurance
 * accountancy services

Examples
Employment agencies offering this service include: although none of these companies specialise in game development.
 * Reed Technology
 * Manpower
 * Adecco Associate
 * Pertemps People