IT contractors who answered 'yes' to an unclear question on the PR35 form may be targeted as part of an IR35 enforcement campaign, it has been claimed.

According to advice site Contractor Calculator, the particular question posed on the PR35 was 'Are you a service company?', to which many contractors may have responded positively as definitions of what makes a service company are not clear.

One contractor contacted the site to say he has since been subject to some very probing questions relating to IR35, which stem from his affirmative answer to this question.

Seb Maley of Qdos consulting told Contractor Calculator: "We are still in the early stages of the investigation, but this is the first case we have seen where the P35 Question 6 was used to identify a potential IR35 case.

"The questions have gone way beyond those simply required to check employer compliance."

Small business minister Mark Prisk recently told Enterprise Nation that following through with the promise to simplify IR35 legislation will allow IT contractors and other self-employed workers to thrive.