To think it's an outrage employer isn't financially responsible?

[ToeSucker]

Working for start up.
There are a million issues with dirty politics, toxicity etc.
My big problem is they started paying staff via revolut and are not paying HMRC, NI or student loan contributions. Instead they're just paying the net pay amount via revolut and the rest of the money is going missing.
They've stopped paying contractors too. They're ghosting them.

We just got a 50k investment and loads of people who were meant to be paid have not been. CEO insists they have been.

I have just found out CEO told other founders my ex-colleague and friend phoned him asking for equity instead of expenses money they're owed. This never happened according to my friend.

I have my resignation letter sent. I am going to escalate to HMRC etc but everyone seems very casual about this when it seems quite serious. AIBU?

Do you have a contract which shows your salary so you can prove you’ve been receiving the net rather than gross pay?

Yes

If all else fails, you can, if you have to, make payments to HMRC to bring your NI payments up to whatever you should have paid in a financial year. I think you can only do this after the end of that financial year, so if you are short during this year (which ends on 5th April 2026) you can make a payment after that (by which time, hopefully, you will be working for a legit company and getting paid properly). Phone HMRC about this anytime, to get them to confirm what I've said, and talk you through the process.
Hope it doesn't come to that though.

You can put -AI in your search and it will do it without, or you can ignore the AI result and instead look for one which isn't made up. AI just makes things up and can't be trusted

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Citizens Advice can help point you in some circumstances - free and worth a go

It's annoying because it's not "what I should have paid". My employer just nicked it.

How long have you been employed there OP?
Have you raised a grievance?
Have you notified ACAS of the issue?
You may be able to take your employers to an employment tribunal. You don't need a lawyer, you can self represent. Citizens Advice may be able to help. Contact your local branch.
More info here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/grievance-meetings/dealing-with-grievances-at-work/

Thank you for the '-AI' on a search, I didn't know that.

Lots of really uninformed comments on here

No, it is not your responsibility. You are an employee with an employment contract stating your salary. The employer has duty to withhold paye & NI from your salary and they are liable if they do not.

If they tried to claim you are "self employed" that won't reduce their obligation in this instance - the nature of your work with them is "inside IR35" and therefore they would have to apply payroll withholding as if you were employed anyway.

Nonetheless you now need to leave (clearly you can't stay working there). Notify hmrc in writing of the fraud (maybe notify police as well). If you stay knowing full well they are doing this I'd worry you would become complicit.

I had a similar situation 3 years ago, although they would often withhold all pay.
I went through ACAS as did 2 other employees. 2 of us got paid, the third it went to tribunal who ruled in his favour, formally ruled he was owed approximately £18k in salary.... except they never paid.
His only recourse was going via the small claims court, but as director was Canadian/British living in Canada there really was little that could be done, it was horrific to see and I felt so guilty getting my salary.
However, the PAYE and NI were all debts of the company not us as individuals, so whilst we received our NET pay, HMRC did not seek the additional payments from by of us, that was all classed as debts of the company and written off when the company was put into receivership.

I'm really sorry you're going through this, not all start ups are like this - just those run by morons who gamble with investment and funding and think as business owners they are owed something, which is the biggest lie ever. Too many good people get screwed and too many idiots get away with what is essentially fraud. All you can do is look for another job and get out ASAP. The second the don't pay net, run away

Aren't you getting your gross pay? In which case you will be left no worse off than if you were PAYE.

I voted YABU because most people in your shoes would have resigned immediately due to the “million reasons” bad working conditions and lack of payment, as things are clearly quite egregious. However now that you have resigned, you have a clearer legal claim and would get different advice from ACAS. It’s a material change in position, if you’re still working as normal, you can be seen as accepting these things ie the conduct wasn’t that bad/legal claims are unclear.

I’m not saying the path forward is going to be easy or straightforward but it’s best to take the least complicated path with employment claims, ie if you’re claiming constructive unfair dismissal due due to the environment or lack of payment; don’t do anything to affirm the contract.

OP has stated several times that she has only been getting the expected pay after deductions since May, without the legally mandated pay slips. Company is withholding tax and NI and not paying them to HMRC.

I’d phone the ACAS helpline. This is awful.

So your employer is making the deductions for tax and NI from your salary but keeping the money themselves rather than passing it on to HMRC?

Does HMRC realise that or do they think that you have been paid your full salary without deductions which is why they think that it is your responsibility to personally pay them?

I agree with other posters that you should contact ACAS immediately:

'Acas gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice. We also offer training and help to resolve disputes.'

www.acas.org.uk/

https://taxaid.org.uk/
This is a charity who may be able to give you advice. Citizens Advice would signpost you to them for specialist support.

Contact the ACAS, that sounds dodgy af!

If your employer isn't providing payslips or submitting tax to HMRC, you should report them to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) and Acas Helpline for guidance, and also check your Personal Tax Account on the GOV.UK website to verify your employment details are being reported to HMRC. If HMRC is not acting, you need to report tax fraud to them via their dedicated form on the GOV.UK website.

Step-by-Step Action Plan
Check Your Employment Record on GOV.UK:
Log in to your Personal Tax Account on the GOV.UK website to see if your employer is correctly reporting your salary and National Insurance contributions to HMRC.

Report Tax Fraud or Avoidance to HMRC:
If your Personal Tax Account doesn't show your employment information, or you have clear evidence your employer is not paying tax, use the report tax fraud or avoidance form on the GOV.UK website to report your employer.

Contact Acas:
Seek further advice from Acas, a non-profit organization that provides free help and advice on workplace rights and issues. You can contact their helpline to learn about making a formal complaint to an employment tribunal for failing to provide payslips.

Consult a Trade Union or Citizens Advice:
If you are a member of a trade union, contact your representative for support. Alternatively, contact your nearest Citizens Advice for free, impartial advice on your situation.

What to Expect
Acas will advise on employment rights:
Acas can tell you if your employer is breaking the law by not providing payslips or submitting tax.

You can make a claim to an employment tribunal:
If informal steps to resolve the issue fail, you can make a formal claim to an employment tribunal.

HMRC will investigate tax fraud:
If your report is about tax fraud or avoidance, HMRC may investigate your employer.

I had a similar position a few years back now. The company I worked for was going bust. I’d been getting paid what I expected and my pay slips detailed tax, NI and student loan deductions, but my employer hadn’t actually paid the amounts out for those.

I didn’t have a problem with the tax, as far as HMRC was concerned I had paid what I owed from my salary because it had been deducted as it should have been. The NI I had to check my record online and submit pay slips so that they could get my contributions right. For student loan I also had to send off my pay slips and they adjusted my balance because they’d never received the money from my employer. It was an awful time, I really feel for you OP.

Obviously report this a.s.a.p. If NI contributions and tax aren't being paid, it's clearly illegal and the employees will suffer when they have gaps in their records.

Op I'd get your ass out of there. It sounds like they are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Sooner or later your job will disappear. So your better to start job hunting today.

More urgently than pensions contributions is contributions based job seekers allowance. I can't remember what the rules are but its based on NI contributions in the previous couple of years

I'd be doing some research on this company on Companies House, assuming they've even registered?? Are the directors of the company the ones you would expect to see? Are their returns up to date? What other companies are the directors involved with now or in the past and what was the outcome there? A pattern of liquidations?Google the directors and any past companies. I've seen disqualified directors being able to trade via new companies set up in a spouse's name. Anything fishy might be worth reporting to Companies House.

No she’s getting met, that’s the point, why would they give her gross, they want to save money.

In response to the point about missing ni payments impacting your pension. I can’t remember the exact number or years contributions you need, but it’s much less than a full working life so one missing year is nothing.
that said you can see your history if you log on to hmrc through government gateway and make a payment in the next couple of years to cover any recent missing years. No need to do it today, tbh you probably can’t do anything before the end of this financial year.