Paying Creative Practitioners

Many creative practitioners are sole traders. They are running a business and have to make a living like all of us. When commissioning artists, offer a fee which matches the level of skills and experience required to carry out the project you want them to do. It’s a good idea to advertise the fee as part of a call-out to artists, so they are clear about what the pay is before applying for a commission.

To help with cashflow, pay them promptly, and consider milestone payments along the duration of a project, to pay for sections of the commission completed and to recognise that they may have to pay in advance for expenses and materials.

How much should I pay a creative practitioner?

Rates of pay can vary depending on artform. Here some points of reference:

What’s the University’s process for paying a creative practitioner?

In order pay a creative practitioner efficiently, it is useful to familiarise yourself with the University’s finance procedures for paying a supplier for services.

In principle, there are a series of forms you will need to complete to prove that a creative practitioner is deemed to be self-employed. This is to satisfy HMRC requirements. You can find out more information on the University's employment webpage. We recommend that you particularly read the section regarding IR35 process, which includes a useful flow chart.

The University Finance team recommends that you complete any required forms two weeks prior to the contract starting, to ensure prompt payment.

In order to help you complete the various forms, we recommend that as soon as you have selected the successful creative practitioner to undertake a commission, you ask them for the following information:

Full name
Name of business if different
Address of business
Business telephone number
Business email address
Whether their business is VAT registered
Self-employment status (sole-trader, partnership, limited company etc).

For helpful guidance through the financial processes of setting up payments for creative practitioners at the University, we recommend that you contact the University’s Finance Helpdesk:

Phone: 01392 72(6981) Email: FinanceHelpdesk@exeter.ac.uk Quick Teams Screenshare: book here