Getting into construction site work

A first job on a building site comes with a few rules of its own.

Before the first day on site, there is usually a card to get and a test to pass. How you are paid and taxed depends on how you are taken on.

The CSCS card

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) says every construction worker should hold the card that fits their job. Without the right card, a site may refuse you entry. Sites can check a card with CSCS Smart Check.

For labouring, the card is the Labourer card. To get it, you pass the CITB health, safety and environment test. You also hold the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, or an accepted alternative. In Scotland that award is at Level 4.

The first Labourer card lasts two years. People who stay in labouring jobs can then renew it for five years. Applications go through the My CSCS app, which suggests the right card for your job.

The health, safety and environment test

CITB runs the test. Each version lasts 45 minutes and has 50 questions. There are three types of test, for operatives, for specialists, and for managers and professionals. The CSCS card finder shows which one you need.

People take the test at a Pearson Professional Centre. CITB offers reasonable adjustments there for candidates who need them. CSCS asks for a pass from within the last two years when you apply for a card.

Tax and the Construction Industry Scheme

Self-employed people who work for a contractor should register for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). That includes sole traders, partners and the owners of limited companies. Under CIS, the contractor takes a deduction from each payment in advance.

If you register for CIS, the contractor takes off 20%. If you do not register, the contractor takes off 30%. Some subcontractors apply for gross payment status, which means nothing is taken off in advance. Employees do not need to register for CIS.

Employed, self-employed or agency

Your employment status shapes your rights at work. It also decides what your employer has to do for you. In law, people can be workers, employees or self-employed, among other types. Courts and tribunals make the final decision on someone's status.

HMRC has an online tool that gives its view of a worker's status for tax. Workers, hirers and agencies can all use it.

You are an agency worker if you have a contract with an agency but work for a hirer for a while. Agency workers are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for every hour they work. After 12 weeks in the same job, they are entitled to the same pay as a permanent employee doing it.

Welfare on site